Indicating website reputations during website manipulation of user information

• US 7,562,304 B2
• Filed: 01/26/2006
• Issued: 07/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: McAfee, LLC
• Original Assignee: McAfee, Inc. (McAfee, LLC)
• Inventors: Pinckney, Thomas, Dixon, Christopher John
• Primary Examiner(s): Bautista; X. L
• Application Number:
  US11/342,320
• Publication Number:
  US 20060253581A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,265 Days
• Field of Search: 715/700, 715/733, 715/738, 715/764, 715/765, 715/835, 715/846, 705/26, 705/35, 705/44, 707/9, 707/10, 709/201, 709/203, 709/217, 709/219
• US Class Current: 715/738
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/95 Retrieval from the web
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/44 Program or device authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2119 Authenticating web pages, e.g. with suspicious links
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2139 Recurrent verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1441 Countermeasures against malicious traffic countermeasures against attacks on cryptographic mechanisms H04L9/002
• 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: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers

Abstract

An aspect of the present invention relates to methods and systems involving receiving an indicator of an attempted interaction of a client computing facility with an item of content associated with a website and presenting an indicator of reputation to a client computing facility attempting to interact with the web content. The indicator of reputation may be based at least in part upon whether an entity associated with the web content seeks to manipulate a user in order to obtain information from the user.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving an indicator of an attempted interaction of a client computing facility with an item of content associated with a website; and

in response to the indicator of the attempted interaction and before allowing completion of the attempted interaction, presenting an indicator of reputation to the client computing facility attempting to interact with the web content, wherein the indicator of reputation is based at least in part upon whether an entity associated with the web content seeks to manipulate a user in order to obtain information from the user;

wherein the website encourages the user to subscribe to an item or service that requires periodic payments.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the entity purports to be an administrator of a different entity.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the item of content associated with the website is an email purporting to request a password from the user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the entity purports to require a password of the user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the entity unnecessarily requests a credit card number of the user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the entity unnecessarily requests a password of the user.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the entity offers an item of consideration in exchange for information of the user.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the entity engages in a communication that encourages the user to open an attachment.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the entity engages in a communication that encourages the user to download a file.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the web content is a webpage.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the web content is a website.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the attempted interaction includes at least one of hitting return in a navigation bar, presenting an object, clicking on a hyperlink, mousing over a hyperlink, requesting or presenting information, presenting a dialog box, and entering information.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the attempted interaction includes requesting information.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the attempted interaction includes presenting information.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the attempted interaction includes entering information.

16. A system, comprising:

an indicator facility adapted to indicate an attempted interaction of a client computing facility with an item of content associated with a website; and

the indicator facility further adapted to indicate a reputation presented to the client computing facility attempting to interact with the web content in response to the indicator of the attempted interaction and before allowing completion of the attempted interaction, wherein the indicator of reputation is based at least in part upon whether an entity associated with the web content seeks to manipulate a user in order to obtain information from the user;

wherein the website encourages the user to subscribe to an item or service that requires periodic payments.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the entity purports to be an administrator of a different entity.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the item of content associated with the website is an email purporting to request a password from the user.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the entity purports to require a password of the user.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the entity unnecessarily requests a credit card number of the user.

21. The system of claim 16, wherein the entity unnecessarily requests a password of the user.

22. The system of claim 16, wherein the entity offers an item of consideration in exchange for information of the user.

23. The system of claim 16, wherein the entity engages in a communication that encourages the user to open an attachment.

24. The system of claim 16, wherein the entity engages in a communication that encourages the user to download a file.

25. The system of claim 16, wherein the web content is a webpage.

26. A software product stored in memory, comprising:

computer code for, receiving an indicator of an attempted interaction of a client computing facility with an item associated with a website; and

computer code for, in response to the indicator of the attempted interaction, presenting an indicator of reputation to the client computing facility attempting the interaction, wherein the indicator of reputation is based at least in part upon whether an entity seeks to manipulate a user in order to obtain information from the user;

wherein the website presents a link or advertisement to redirect the user to another website.

27. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein the link is a false error window.

28. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein the link is a false advertisement.

29. The computer program product of claim 26, wherein the redirection is to a website with an unfavorable reputation.

30. A software product stored in memory, comprising:

computer code for, receiving an indicator of an attempted interaction of a client computing facility with an item associated with a website; and

computer code for, in response to the indicator of the attempted interaction, presenting an indicator of reputation to the client computing facility attempting the interaction, wherein the indicator of reputation is based at least in part upon whether an entity seeks to manipulate a user in order to obtain information from the user;

wherein the attempted interaction includes hitting return in a navigation bar.

31. A software product stored in memory, comprising:

computer code for, receiving an indicator of an attempted interaction of a client computing facility with an item associated with a website; and

computer code for, in response to the indicator of the attempted interaction, presenting an indicator of reputation to the client computing facility attempting the interaction, wherein the indicator of reputation is based at least in part upon whether an entity seeks to manipulate a user in order to obtain information from the user;

wherein the attempted interaction includes clicking on a hyperlink.

32. A software product stored in memory, comprising:

computer code for, receiving an indicator of an attempted interaction of a client computing facility with an item associated with a website; and

computer code for, in response to the indicator of the attempted interaction, presenting an indicator of reputation to the client computing facility attempting the interaction, wherein the indicator of reputation is based at least in part upon whether an entity seeks to manipulate a user in order to obtain information from the user;

wherein the attempted interaction includes presenting a dialog box.

33. A software product stored in memory, comprising:

computer code for, receiving an indicator of an attempted interaction of a client computing facility with an item associated with a website; and

computer code for, in response to the indicator of the attempted interaction, presenting an indicator of reputation to the client computing facility attempting the interaction, wherein the indicator of reputation is based at least in part upon whether an entity seeks to manipulate a user in order to obtain information from the user;

wherein the attempted interaction includes mousing over a hyperlink.

34. The computer program product of claim 33, wherein the entity purports to be an administrator of a different entity.

35. The computer program product of claim 33, wherein the item associated with the website is an email purporting to request a password from the user.

36. The computer program product of claim 33, wherein the entity purports to require a password of the user.

37. The computer program product of claim 33, wherein the entity unnecessarily requests a credit card number of the user.

38. The computer program product of claim 33, wherein the entity unnecessarily requests a password of the user.

39. The computer program product of claim 33, wherein the entity offers an item of consideration in exchange for information of the user.

40. The computer program product of claim 33, wherein the entity engages in a communication that encourages the user to open an attachment.

41. The computer program product of claim 33, wherein the entity engages in a communication that encourages the user to download a file.

42. The computer program product of claim 33, wherein a browser plug-in presents the indicator of reputation to the client computing facility.

43. The computer program product of claim 33, wherein the indicator of reputation includes a dialog box.

44. The computer program product of claim 33, wherein the indicator of reputation includes a warning dialog window.

45. The computer program product of claim 33, wherein the indicator of reputation includes a pop up.

46. The computer program product of claim 33, wherein the indicator of reputation includes links to additional information.

47. The computer program product of claim 33, wherein the indicator of reputation includes an in-page message.