Method and system for content detection and interception in communication networks

• US 9,064,093 B1
• Filed: 12/22/2003
• Issued: 06/23/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Felske, Kent, Aweya, James, Montuno, Delfin, Ouellette, Michel
• Primary Examiner(s): Reagan, James A
• Application Number:
  US10/745,065
• Time in Patent Office: 4,201 Days
• Field of Search: 705 50- 79
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/00 Security arrangements for protecting computers, components thereof, programs or data against unauthorised activity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1085 Content sharing, e.g. peer-to-peer [P2P]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/16 Program or content traceability, e.g. by watermarking

Abstract

A system in which data signatures are used to identify copyrighted content passing through a network. The data signatures are derived from files containing copyrighted content to be identified. The signatures are used to search within peer-to-peer data streams flowing through one or more network nodes in a communications network. Any specific technique may be used for pattern recognition between the signatures and the monitored traffic. When a particular file of interest is identified, the system may operate to perform one or more of several possible actions, including stopping the transmission, allowing the transmission but recording the event, making an offer to the recipient allowing them to legally purchase the file, or sending alternative information or intentionally corrupting the information to render it useless to the recipient.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

at least one processor;

a computer readable memory having program code stored thereon that is executable by said processor to cause the system to perform operations comprising;

detecting at least one message being transferred over a network using according to a predetermined protocol;

generating a payload digital signature based on a payload of said message, wherein said payload digital signature includes a portion of said payload of said message;

obtaining at least one file content digital signature generated based on content of at least one respective content file, wherein said file content digital signature includes a portion of said at least one respective content file;

comparing said file content digital signature with said payload digital signature to determine that a match exists between said file content digital signature and said payload digital signature, and based at least partly on the match existing, determining that a network transmission associated with the at least one message corresponds to an unauthorized copying of copyrighted material of said content of said at least one respective content file; and

based on the network transmission corresponding to the unauthorized copying of copyrighted material, sending a corrupted version of said message to a recipient of said message.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said predetermined protocol is a peer-to-peer networking protocol.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise stopping further transfer of said message in response to said file content digital signature matching said payload digital signature.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise incrementing at least one network management statistic to reflect the detection of said message in response to said file content digital signature matching said payload digital signature.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise triggering an alarm event in response to said file content digital signature matching said payload digital signature.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise sending a particular message to a predetermined destination indicating the detection of said message in response to said file content digital signature matching said payload digital signature.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein said predetermined destination comprises a sender of said message.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein said predetermined destination comprises an owner of said content file.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise sending a substitute content file to a recipient of said message in response to said file content digital signature matching said payload digital signature.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise restricting access to at least one resource for processing of a data stream associated with said message in response to said file content digital signature matching said payload digital signature.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein said message is an Internet Protocol packet.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise obtaining said at least one respective content file from a remote repository.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

wherein said obtaining said at least one respective content file from said remote repository includes obtaining said content file using a peer-to-peer networking protocol.

14. A method, comprising:

detecting, by a computer system, at least one message being transferred over a network according to a predetermined protocol;

generating, by the computer system, a payload digital signature based on a payload of said message, wherein said payload digital signature includes a portion of said payload of said message;

obtaining, by the computer system, at least one file content digital signature based on content of at least one respective content file, wherein said file content digital signature includes a portion of said at least one respective file;

comparing, by the computer system, said file content digital signature with said payload digital signature to determine that a match exists between said file content digital signature and said payload digital signature, and based at least partly on the match existing, determining that a network transmission associated with the at least one message corresponds to an unauthorized copying of copyrighted material of said content of said at least one respective content file; and

based on the network transmission corresponding to the unauthorized copying of the copyrighted material, the computer system sending a corrupted version of said message to a recipient of said message.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising inviting said recipient to purchase an authorized copy of said content file in response to said file content digital signature matching said payload digital signature.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising responsive to said file content digital signature matching said payload digital signature, identifying subsequent messages belonging to a data stream to which said message belongs, and

stopping transfer of said subsequent messages belonging to said same data stream as said message.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the network transmission includes a plurality of IP packets.