Computer virus protection
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method comprising:
- receiving, at a computing device, a message containing an attachment comprising an executable code;
comparing, by the computing device, a type of the attachment to one or more lists of attachment types;
if the type of the attachment is not in the one or more lists, converting, by the computing device, the executable code from an executable format to a non-executable format, such that the executable code is rendered inoperable, using an application-level process that retains semantic content of the message; and
forwarding the attachment containing the non-executable format from the computing device to a target recipient of the message.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A network is protected from e-mail viruses through the use of a sacrificial server. Any executable programs or other suspicious parts of incoming e-mail messages are forwarded to a sacrificial server, where they are converted to non-executable format such as Adobe Acrobat PDF and sent to the recipient. The sacrificial server is then checked for virus activity. After the execution is completed, the sacrificial server is rebooted.
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Citations
37 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
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receiving, at a computing device, a message containing an attachment comprising an executable code; comparing, by the computing device, a type of the attachment to one or more lists of attachment types; if the type of the attachment is not in the one or more lists, converting, by the computing device, the executable code from an executable format to a non-executable format, such that the executable code is rendered inoperable, using an application-level process that retains semantic content of the message; and forwarding the attachment containing the non-executable format from the computing device to a target recipient of the message. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, upon execution by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:
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receiving a message containing an attachment comprising an executable code; comparing a type of the attachment to one or more lists of attachment types; converting the executable code from an executable format to a non-executable format if the type of the attachment is not in the one or more lists, such that the executable code is rendered inoperable, using an application-level process that retains semantic content of the message; and forwarding the attachment containing the non-executable format to a target recipient of the message.
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19. A method for protecting a user on a network from accessing a malicious website, the method comprising:
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receiving, at a computing device, a message containing a hypertext link; deactivating, by the computing device, the hypertext link such that the hypertext link is inoperable, using an application-level process that retains semantic content of the message; and forwarding the message containing the deactivated hypertext link from the computing device to a target recipient. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22)
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23. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, upon execution by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:
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receiving a message containing a hypertext link; deactivating the hypertext link such that the hypertext link is inoperable, using an application-level process that retains semantic content of the message; and forwarding the message containing the deactivated hypertext link to a target recipient.
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24. A method comprising:
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receiving, at a computing device, a message containing a code; determining, by the computing device, whether the code is an approved code; if the code is an unapproved code, converting, by the computing device, the code to a non-executable format, such that the code is rendered inoperable, using an application-level process that retains semantic content of the message; and forwarding the non-executable format over a network from the computing device to a target recipient of the message. - View Dependent Claims (25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33)
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34. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, upon execution by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:
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receiving a message containing a code; determining whether the code is an approved code; if the code is an unapproved code, converting the code to a non-executable format, such that the code is rendered inoperable, using an application-level process that retains semantic content of the message; and forwarding the non-executable format over a network to a target recipient of the message.
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35. A method comprising:
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receiving, at a computing device, a message containing an attachment comprising an executable code; comparing, by the computing device, a type of the attachment to one or more lists of attachment types; if the type of the attachment is in the one or more lists, converting, by the computing device, the executable code from an executable format to a non-executable format, such that the executable code is rendered inoperable, using an application-level process that retains semantic content of the message; and forwarding the attachment containing the non-executable format from the computing device to a target recipient of the message. - View Dependent Claims (36)
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37. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, upon execution by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:
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receiving a message containing an attachment comprising an executable code; comparing a type of the attachment to one or more lists of attachment types; converting the executable code from an executable format to a non-executable format if the type of the attachment is in the one or more lists, such that the executable code is rendered inoperable, using an application-level process that retains semantic content of the message; and forwarding the attachment containing the non-executable format to a target recipient of the message.
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Specification