System and method for monitoring secure data on a network

• US 8,799,643 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2012
• Issued: 08/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Original Assignee: The Nielsen Company LLC (MOOD Media Corporation)
• Inventors: Zhou, Todd Tao, Batista, Ricardo
• Primary Examiner(s): Armouche, Hadi
• Assistant Examiner(s): HO, DAO Q
• Application Number:
  US13/618,448
• Publication Number:
  US 20130013914A1
• Time in Patent Office: 690 Days
• Field of Search: 713/153
• US Class Current: 713/153
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2101 Auditing as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/04 Processing captured monitoring data, e.g. for logfile generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0435 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply symmetric encryption, i.e. same key used for encryption and decryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for symmetric key encryption H04L9/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

A system and method for monitoring secure digital data on a network are provided. An exemplary network monitoring system may include a network device in communication with a user and a network. Further, a server may be in communication with the network. A browser and monitoring program may be stored on the network device, and the network device may receive secure digital data from the network. The browser may convert the secure digital data or a portion thereof into source data, and the monitoring program may transfer the source data or a portion thereof to the server. In an exemplary embodiment, the monitoring program may include a service component and an interface program.

Claims

1. A method of monitoring, the method comprising:

instructing a browser on a network device to store a copy of unencrypted source data in a storage area of the network device, the instructing of the browser performed by a processor of the network device executing a monitoring program, the monitoring program received from a monitoring entity, the unencrypted source data previously decrypted from at least a portion of secure webpage data received from a content provider, the browser having requested and received the secure webpage data from the content provider via a network;

accessing the copy of the unencrypted source data from the storage area;

determining auxiliary data from the copy of the unencrypted source data, the auxiliary data comprising at least one of timer data or input-tracking data corresponding to the secure webpage data; and

sending the copy of the unencrypted source data to a server of the monitoring entity, the server being different from the network device and different from the content provider, wherein the server is to analyze the copy of the unencrypted source data to generate log data, the accessing and sending being performed by the processor of the network device in response to execution of an instruction of the monitoring program by the processor.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the storage area is separate from a second storage area associated with the browser.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the browser requested the source data using a secure hypertext transfer protocol.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the network device is a user endpoint of the network.

5. A method according to claim 1, further comprising determining that the browser received the secure webpage data from the content provider.

6. A method according to claim 1, further comprising receiving a user instruction to access the secure webpage data and requesting the secure webpage data from the content provider using secure hypertext transfer protocol in response to the user instruction.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the secure webpage data comprises a webpage encoded with a secure socket layer protocol and the network comprises the Internet.

8. An apparatus comprising:

a storage device comprising machine readable instructions for execution by a processor, the machine readable instructions received from a monitoring entity, the machine readable instructions comprising;

first instructions to instruct a browser to store a first copy of unencrypted source data in a storage area of the storage device of the apparatus, the unencrypted source data having been decrypted by the browser from at least a portion of secure webpage data received from a content provider, the browser having requested and received the secure webpage data from the content provider, the browser having stored a second copy of the unencrypted data in a cache different from the storage area;

second instructions to access the first copy of the unencrypted source data from the storage area;

third instructions to determine auxiliary data from the copy of the unencrypted source data, the auxiliary data comprising at least one of timer data or input-tracking data corresponding to the secure webpage data; and

fourth instructions to send the first copy the of the unencrypted source data to a server of the monitoring entity, wherein the server is to analyze the copy of the unencrypted source data to generate log data.

9. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the browser is to decrypt the source data after requesting the source data using a secure hypertext transfer protocol.

10. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the apparatus is a user endpoint.

11. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the first instructions are to determine that the browser received the secure webpage data from the content provider and to instruct the browser to store the first copy of the secure webpage data.

12. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the browser is to request the secure webpage data from the content provider using secure hypertext transfer protocol in response to a user instruction.

13. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the secure webpage data comprises a webpage encoded with a secure socket layer protocol and the network comprises the Internet.

14. A tangible computer readable storage device or storage disc comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a network device to execute a monitoring program to at least:

instruct a browser operating on the network device to store a copy of unencrypted source data in a storage area of the network device, the unencrypted source data previously decrypted from at least a portion of secure webpage data received from a content provider, the browser having requested and received the secure webpage data from the content provider via a network;

retrieve the copy of the unencrypted source data from the storage area;

determine auxiliary data from the copy of the unencrypted source data, the auxiliary data comprising at least one of timer data or input-tracking data corresponding to the secure webpage data; and

send the copy of the unencrypted source data to a server of a monitoring entity, the server being different from the network device and the content provider, the server to analyze the copy of the unencrypted source data to generate log data, the monitoring program received from the monitoring entity.

15. A storage device or storage disc according to claim 14, wherein the storage area is separate from a second storage area associated with the browser.

16. A storage device or storage disc according to claim 14, wherein the browser requested the source data using a secure hypertext transfer protocol.

17. A storage device or storage disc according to claim 14, wherein the network device is a user endpoint of the network.

18. A storage device or storage disc according to claim 14, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the network device to determine that the browser received the secure webpage data from the content provider.

19. A storage device or storage disc according to claim 14, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the network device to respond to a user instruction to access the secure webpage data by requesting the secure webpage data from the content provider using secure hypertext transfer protocol in response to the user instruction.

20. A storage device or storage disc according to claim 14, wherein the secure webpage data comprises a webpage encoded with a secure socket layer protocol and the network comprises the Internet.