Method and system for validating site data

• US 8,646,071 B2
• Filed: 08/02/2007
• Issued: 02/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NortonLifeLock Inc.
• Original Assignee: Symantec Corporation (NortonLifeLock Inc.)
• Inventors: Pereira, Ryan, Clausen, Simon, Oliver, Ian
• Primary Examiner(s): Cervetti, David Garcia
• Application Number:
  US11/832,922
• Publication Number:
  US 20080034404A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,378 Days
• Field of Search: 726/22, 726/2
• US Class Current: 726/22
• 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

Abstract

A method, and associated system and computer program product, of validating site data. The method includes the steps of, in a processing system 200, receiving 100 an indication of site data, performing a comparison 110 of the indication to site data criteria, and validating or invalidating 120 the indication based on a result of the comparison. The indication of site data could be at least part of a webpage, a link to a webpage, a Uniform Resource Locator, an IP address, at least part of an AJAX page, and/or at least part of a document.

Claims

1. A method of validating site data, the method including the steps of, in a processing system:

storing, by the processing system, a verified Internet Protocol (IP) address for a valid Domain Name System (DNS) server;

intercepting, by the processing system, a request for an indication of site data, wherein the request is directed to an IP address of an unverified DNS server;

comparing, by the processing system, the IP address with the stored verified IP address;

upon determining that the IP address matches the verified IP address, transmitting, by the processing system, the request to the IP address indicated in the request;

receiving, by the processing system, an indication of site data;

performing, by the processing system, a comparison of the indication to site data criteria;

validating or invalidating the indication based on a result of the comparison; and

when the indication is invalid, resetting the invalid indication of site data to a trusted indication of site data.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the indication of site data is selected from the group consisting of at least part of a webpage, a link to a webpage, a Uniform Resource Locator, an IP address, at least part of an AJAX page, and at least part of a document.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the site data criteria is selected from the group consisting of at least part of a webpage, a link to a webpage, a Uniform Resource Locator, an IP address, at least part of an AJAX page, and at least part of a document.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the indication is an IP address, the site data criteria is a range of IP addresses, and the comparison is whether the IP address is within the range of IP addresses.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the indication is an IP address and the comparison is whether the IP address varies by a specified amount from the user'"'"'s present IP address.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the indication and the site data criteria are Uniform Resource Locators and the comparison requires an exact match of the Uniform Resource Locators.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the site data criteria is retrieved from a database associated with the processing system.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the site data criteria is retrieved from a database remote to the processing system.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein if the indication is not validated, notifying a user of the invalid indication of site data.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the user is informed of the program name that made the invalid indication.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the indication is a link to a webpage and if the indication is validated, displaying the webpage on a user terminal.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the webpage is only displayed if the indication is validated within a set period of time.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the indication is a link to a webpage and the steps of performing the comparison and validating the indication are only performed if a user clicks on the link.

14. A system for validating site data, the system including at least one processor configured to:

store a verified Internet Protocol (IP) address for a valid Domain Name System (DNS) server;

intercept a request for an indication of site data, wherein the request is directed to an IP address of an unverified DNS server;

compare the IP address with the stored verified IP address;

upon determining that the IP address matches the verified IP address, transmit the request to the IP address indicated in the request;

receive an indication of site data;

perform a comparison of the indication to site data criteria;

validate or invalidate the indication based on a result of the comparison; and

when the indication is invalid, reset the invalid indication of site data to a trusted indication of site data.

15. A computer program product for validating site data, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium with instructions thereon, the instructions comprising:

code programmed to store a verified Internet Protocol (IP) address for a valid Domain Name System (DNS) server;

code programmed to intercept a request for an indication of site data, wherein the request is directed to an IP address of an unverified DNS server;

code programmed to compare the IP address with the stored verified IP address;

upon determining that the IP address matches the verified IP address, code programmed to transmit the request to the IP address indicated in the request;

code programmed to receive an indication of site data;

code programmed to perform a comparison of the indication to site data criteria;

code programmed to validate or invalidate the indication based on a result of the comparison; and

when the indication is invalid, code programmed to reset the invalid indication of site data to a trusted indication of site data.