METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR VERIFYING THE SECURITY LEVEL OF WEB CONTENT THAT IS EMBEDDED WITHIN A MOBILE APPLICATION AND THE IDENTITY OF WEB APPLICATION OWNERS FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

• US 20160012213A1
• Filed: 07/10/2014
• Published: 01/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MetaCert, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Paul Fergus Walsh
• Inventors: Walsh, Paul Fergus
• Granted Patent: US 9,348,980 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/128 involving web programs, i.e. using technology especially used in internet, generally interacting with a web browser, e.g. hypertext markup language [HTML], applets, java
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/16 Program or content traceability, e.g. by watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/629 to features or functions of an application
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2119 Authenticating web pages, e.g. with suspicious links
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0236 Filtering by address, protocol, port number or service, e.g. IP-address or URL
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/145 the attack involving the propagation of malware through the network, e.g. viruses, trojans or worms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1483 service impersonation, e.g. phishing, pharming or web spoofing detection of rogue wireless access points H04W12/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor

Abstract

The present disclosure discloses a method of allowing WebView to verify the security level of a web content and inform the user with regards to the security and blocks web contents that are determined harmful or inappropriate. In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the WebView checks a trusted data source to see if the visited web content has been labeled or flagged as safe or unsafe by initiating a connection to a trusted third-party database using a to determine whether or not the URL is associated with a domain that has been classified or labeled as safe or unsafe. The WebView then informs the user about the security level of the web content through a visual indicator or it can redirect the user to a warning page explaining why access to the site is prohibited, or it can block access without warning.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, the method implemented using a computer device coupled to a memory device, the method comprising:

determining when a mobile application that is not a browser and is on a computer device coupled to a memory device has accessed or is trying to access content from the internet that is to be embedded or incorporated into the mobile application that is not a browser;

determining whether or not the content that is to be embedded or incorporated into the mobile application has accessed or is trying to access is safe or unsafe;

notifying the user of the application or causing the mobile application to notify the user of the application that the content that the mobile application has accessed or is trying to access is safe or unsafe; and

preventing the user of the application from accessing the content from the internet if that content is determined to be unsafe.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile application accesses or tries to access content from the internet through the Web View of the mobile application.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein notifying the user of the application or causing the mobile application to notify the user of the application cause a visual indicator to appear in the mobile application or in the WebView indicating that the content is safe or unsafe.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the visual indicator uses different colors to represent whether or not the content is safe or how safe the content is.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising, storing information regarding whether or not the content is safe on the user'"'"'s mobile device and if the content is safe allowing the user to access the content next time it is accessed without determining whether or not the content is safe.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein determining whether or not the content that the mobile application has accessed or is trying to access is safe or unsafe is determining by whether or not the URL of the web page associated with the content has been classified or labeled as safe or unsafe.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein determining whether or not the content that the mobile application has accessed or is trying to access is safe or unsafe is determining whether a registry has determined the content or URL of the web page associated with the content is safe or unsafe.

8. A computer system comprising:

a processor; and

a computer-readable storage device having encoded thereon computer-executable instructions that are executable by the processor to perform functions comprising;

receiving a message or instruction indicating a mobile application on a computer device coupled to a memory device has accessed or is trying to access content from the internet that is to be embedded or incorporated into the mobile application that is not a browser;

receiving a message or instruction indicating whether or not the content that is to embedded or incorporated into the mobile application that is not a browser and that the mobile application has accessed or is trying to access is safe or unsafe;

sending a message or instruction indicating that the content that the mobile application has accessed or is trying to access is safe or unsafe; and

sending a message or instruction that prevents the user of the application from accessing the content from the internet if that content is determined to be unsafe.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the mobile application accesses or tries to access content from the internet through the Web View of the mobile application.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein sending a message or instruction indicating that the content that the mobile application has accessed or is trying to access is safe or unsafe causes a visual indicator to appear in the mobile application or in the WebView indicating that the content is safe or unsafe.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the visual indicator uses different colors to represent whether or not the content is safe or how safe the content is.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising, storing information regarding whether or not the content is safe on the user'"'"'s mobile device and if the content is safe allowing the user to access the content next time it is accessed without sending a message or instruction indicating whether or not the content is safe.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the content that the mobile application has accessed or is trying to access is determined to be safe or unsafe by whether or not the URL of the web page associated with the content has been classified or labeled as safe or unsafe.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the content that the mobile application has accessed or is trying to access is determined to be safe or unsafe by whether a registry has determined the content or URL of the web page associated with the content is safe or unsafe.