Systems and methods for selectively blocking application installation

• US 8,250,569 B1
• Filed: 05/03/2010
• Issued: 08/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DTN, LLC (TBG AG)
• Original Assignee: Weather Channel LLC (CF Entertainment, Inc.)
• Inventors: Badenell, Jon Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Deng, Anna
• Application Number:
  US12/772,293
• Time in Patent Office: 841 Days
• Field of Search: 717/174, 717/175
• US Class Current: 717/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/51 at application loading time, e.g. accepting, rejecting, starting or inhibiting executable software based on integrity or source reliability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation

Abstract

Methods and system for preventing or allowing an installer application from installing applications based on a comparison of the installer application actions to profiles and rules. The profiles and rules are established (and periodically updated) to identify a particular software installation process as undesirable and stop it from occurring. An install blocker processes the profiles and rules and compares them against what the installer is trying to do as part of its installation process. If the installer is attempting to install an application deemed undesirable, the user could then be notified, provided all of the information about what the installer was trying to do, and provided choice to allow the installation to continue.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring execution of an installer of an application, the method performed by a processor comprising:

determining an instance of the installer on a computing device;

comparing a current action of the installer, as defined by an installer script, to a predetermined set of rules stored on the computing device;

blocking the current action from executing if the predetermined set of rules indicate that current action is undesirable; and

repeating the comparing and the blocking for subsequent actions of the installer until the installer completes execution; and

further

providing an option to allow the current action if the predetermined set of rules indicate that the current action is undesirable; and

adding the allowed current action to a second set of predetermined rules that override the predetermined set of rules.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second set of predetermined rules comprises one of an installer name, a domain name, a signature of the installer, a vendor identifier, and a network location.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the current action includes one of downloading of additional of components to the computing device, creating directories, writing executable files to a file system, registering shared libraries in a registry, and changing system configuration settings.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the installer is a bundled installer that installs a plurality of applications, wherein a current action of the bundled installer associated with each of the applications is compared to the predetermined set of rules.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing an option to always block the installer.

6. An install blocker for a computing device, the install blocker stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising:

a database contains a predetermined set of rules that describe undesirable actions taken by an installer when installing an application; and

a blocker application that performs;

determining an instance of the installer on the computing device,

comparing a current action of the installer, as defined by an installer script, to the predetermined set of rules contained in the database,

blocking the current action from executing if the predetermined set of rules indicate that current action is undesirable, and

repeating the comparing and the blocking for each action taken by the installer until the installer completes execution; and

wherein the blocker application further provides an option to allow the current action if the predetermined set of rules indicate that the current action is undesirable, and adds the allowed current action to a second set of predetermined rules that override the predetermined set of rules.

7. The install blocker of claim 6, wherein the current action includes one of downloading of additional of components to the computing device, creating directories, writing executable files to a file system, registering shared libraries in a registry, and changing system configuration settings.

8. The install blocker of claim 6, wherein the installer is a bundled installer that installs a plurality of applications, wherein a current action of the bundled installer associated with each of the applications is compared to the predetermined set of rules.

9. The install blocker of claim 6, wherein the blocker application is provided an option to always block the installer.

10. A method of blocking installation of undesirable applications, the method performed by a processor comprising:

maintaining a database of rules that define installation actions associated with the undesirable applications;

determining an instance of an installer on a computing device;

identifying a current action of the installer, as defined by an installer script, to the rules in the database;

matching the current action to the rules, and if there is a match, blocking the current action from executing; and

periodically updating the rules in the database; and

further

providing an option to allow the current action if the current matches one of the rules;

adding the current action to a second set of rules that override the rules;

operating the identifying and the matching to the rules and the second set of rules for each action of the installer until the installer completes execution.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising providing an option to allow the current action if the current action matches one of the second set rules that override the rules.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the second set rules is updated by receiving a user preference.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the user preference indicates one of an installer name, a domain name, a signature of the installer, a vendor identifier, and a network location.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the current action includes one of downloading of additional of components to the computing device, creating directories, writing executable files to a file system, registering shared libraries in a registry, and changing system configuration settings.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the installer is a bundled installer that instantiates plural installers to install plural applications, wherein a current action the each of the plural installers is compared to the rules as a respective application is installed.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising providing an option to always block the installer.