Hallmarking verification process and system and corresponding method of and system for communication

• US 7,831,824 B2
• Filed: 03/20/2001
• Issued: 11/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Comodo Research Lab Limited
• Original Assignee: Comodo Research Lab Limited
• Inventors: Abdulhayoglu, Melih
• Primary Examiner(s): Moazzami; Nasser
• Assistant Examiner(s): Abedin; Shanto M
• Application Number:
  US10/239,436
• Publication Number:
  US 20040078564A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,521 Days
• Field of Search: 713/156, 713/201, 713/155, 713/175, 713/176, 713/168, 713/193, 705/51, 705/64, 705/44, 705/76, 726/4, 726/26, 726/1, 726/2, 726/3, 726/5, 715/738, 715/204, 715/517, 715/781
• US Class Current: 713/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/95 Retrieval from the web
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/645 using a third party
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2119 Authenticating web pages, e.g. with suspicious links
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3821 Electronic credentials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/12 Applying verification of the received information cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for data integrity or data verification H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity
• 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 63/168 above the transport layer

Abstract

The present invention discloses a hallmark verification process for verifying a hallmark of a web site, the process comprising the step of a user activating a hallmark verification process on a device with access to the web site in which the web site does not have access to the activation of the verification request.

Claims

1. A hallmark verification process for verifying a hallmark of a web site in which the web-site comprises a digital certificate that comprises data for displaying the verification indicator, the process comprising the steps of:

displaying to a computer user a website with a hallmark through a browser,

running verification software on the computer where such verification software is separate from the website, in which the hallmark verification is initiated by the user clicking on the verification software in said task bar of the computer,

the verification software verifying multiple hallmarks on the website through the verification software and displaying a verification indicator for each verified hallmark using information from a verification source that is outside of the control of the website operator, in which verifying the hallmark occurs automatically when the verification software detects a mouse being moved by the user over the hallmark,

determining the location on the website of the verified hallmark and displaying part of the verification indicator at the location of the verified hallmark in a manner that is different from how the verified hallmark is displayed,

displaying a hallmark from the digital certificate at a location specified in the digital certificate,

displaying a verification indicator to the user at the location specified in the digital certificate; and

displaying to the computer user a verification indicator through operation of the verification software where at least part of the verification indicator is in a separate window that is external to user'"'"'s browser.

2. A hallmark verification process according to claim 1, further comprising periodically sending random data packets from the user'"'"'s computer through the verification software to a remote hallmark verification source.

3. A hallmark verification process according to claim 1, further comprising:

verifying the hallmark comprises having the verification software provide data to the verification source about which hallmark of the website should be verified and then having the verification source return to the verification software an index signal that corresponds to the verification indicator displayed outside of the browser drawing area;

verifying the hallmark further comprises providing the index signal to the website, and the website provider returning to the computer user the verification indicator corresponding to the index signal; and

verifying the hallmark further comprises the computer user comparing the verification indicator returned by the website provider with the verification indicator provided by the verification source outside of the browser drawing area and confirming that the two are identical.

4. A hallmark verification process according to claim 3 in which comparing the verification indicator part that is returned by the website provider with the verification indicator displayed outside of the browser drawing area provided by the verification source is performed by using pattern recognition on the hallmark of the website.

5. A hallmark verification system for verifying a hallmark of a web site, the system comprising:

a computer for functioning as a web server,

a website with a hallmark hosted on the web server,

a digital certificate associated with the website,

hallmark verification software that runs on a visitor to the website'"'"'s local computer where the verification software operates separate from the web server and the website with a hallmark,

means of connecting a local computer through a network to said web server;

means of verifying the hallmark outside of the control of the website operator,

in which a means of activating the hallmark verification including the user clicking on the verification software icon on a task bar of the computer or activating the hallmark verification process is by having the verification software automatically verify each hallmark when a website comes in focus,

wherein the verification process further comprises determining the location on the website of the verified hallmark and displaying part of the verification indicator at the location of the verified hallmark in a manner that is different from how the verified hallmark is displayed,

in which the verification software verifies, independent of the website, multiple hallmarks on the website and displays a verification indicator that is, at least in part, displayed outside of the browser viewing area for each verified hallmark in which the hallmark verification process further comprises displaying both the hallmark associated with the digital certificate and the verification indicator at a location specified in the digital certificate; and

means of generating and displaying a verification indicator that is displayed by the verification software, at least in part, in a separate window that is external to user'"'"'s browser.

6. A hallmark verification system according to claim 5, wherein said verification system is configured to periodically send random packet data from the user to a hallmark verification source.

7. A hallmark verification system according to claim 5, in which the system further comprising:

the means of verifying the hallmark comprises having the verification software provide data to the verification source about which hallmark of the website will be verified and then having the verification source return to the verification software an index signal that corresponds to the verification indicator displayed outside of the browser drawing area,

the means of verifying the hallmark further comprises providing the index signal to the website and the website returning to the computer user the verification indicator corresponding to the index signal, and

the means of verifying the hallmark further comprises the computer user comparing the verification indicator returned by the website with the verification indicator provided by the verification source outside of the browser drawing area and confirming that the two are identical.

8. A hallmark verification system according to claim 7, in which the step of comparing the verification indicator part that is returned by the website provider with the verification indicator displayed outside of the browser drawing area provided by the verification source is performed through pattern recognition of the hallmark of the website.

9. A hallmark verification system according to claim 5, in which the system is configured for the user to request the verification of a hallmark by the user activating the verification software and where the verification software is an executable program external to browser.

10. A hallmark verification system according to claim 5, in which the executable program comprises a hyperlink to the hallmark verification centre.