Method and apparatus for improving security during web-browsing
First Claim
1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method for improving security during web-browsing, the method comprising:
- receiving a Universal Resource Locator (URL) from a user;
determining an Internet Protocol (IP) address for the URL by querying a Domain Name Server (DNS) server;
determining a public key associated with the URL;
encrypting a string using the public key to obtain an encrypted string;
sending the encrypted string to a remote system which is associated with the IP address;
receiving a response from the remote system;
determining that the DNS server has been compromised when the response from the remote system does not match an expected response; and
responsive to determining that the DNS server has been compromised, alerting the user, thereby improving security during web-browsing.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that improves security during web-browsing. During operation, the system can receive a URL from a user. Next, the system can determine an IP address for the URL by querying a DNS server. The system can then determine a public-key associated with the URL. Next, the system can encrypt a string using the public-key to obtain an encrypted-string. The system can then send the encrypted-string to a remote-system which is associated with the IP address. Next, the system can receive a response from the remote-system. The system can then determine whether the DNS server has been compromised using the string and the response. If the system determines that the DNS server has been compromised, the system can alert the user, and in doing so, improve security during web-browsing.
33 Citations
26 Claims
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1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method for improving security during web-browsing, the method comprising:
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receiving a Universal Resource Locator (URL) from a user; determining an Internet Protocol (IP) address for the URL by querying a Domain Name Server (DNS) server; determining a public key associated with the URL; encrypting a string using the public key to obtain an encrypted string; sending the encrypted string to a remote system which is associated with the IP address; receiving a response from the remote system; determining that the DNS server has been compromised when the response from the remote system does not match an expected response; and responsive to determining that the DNS server has been compromised, alerting the user, thereby improving security during web-browsing. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. An apparatus for improving security during web-browsing, the apparatus comprising:
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a memory comprising computer executable instructions; a hardware processor configured to execute the computer executable instructions to perform the steps of; receiving a Universal Resource Locator (URL) from a user; determining an Internet Protocol (IP) address for the URL by querying a Domain Name System (DNS) server; determining a public key associated with the URL; encrypting a string using the public key to obtain an encrypted string; sending the encrypted string to a remote system which is associated with the IP address; receiving a response from the remote system; determining that the DNS server has been compromised when the response from the remote system does not match an expected response; and alerting the user in response to the determination indicating that the DNS server has been compromised, thereby improving security during web-browsing. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method to determine whether a network has been compromised, the method comprising:
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determining a public key which is associated with a Universal Resource Locator (URL) which contains a domain name; querying a Domain Name System (DNS) server to determine an Internet Protocol (IP) address for the domain name; sending an encrypted string to the IP address using a network, wherein the encrypted string is determined using a string and the public key; receiving a response from a remote system which is associated with the IP address; and determining that the network has been compromised when the response from the remote system does not match an expected response. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. An apparatus to determine whether a network has been compromised, the apparatus comprising:
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a memory comprising computer executable instructions; a hardware processor configured to execute the computer executable instructions to perform the steps of; determining a public key which is associated with a Universal Resource Locator (URL) which contains a domain name; querying a Domain Name System (DNS) server to determine an Internet Protocol (IP) address which is associated with the domain name; sending an encrypted string to the IP address using a network, wherein the encrypted string is determined using a string and the public key; receiving a response from a remote system which is associated with the IP address; and determining that the network has been compromised when the response from the remote system does not match an expected response. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A method for improving security during web-browsing, the method comprising:
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receiving a Universal Resource Locator (URL) from a user; determining an Internet Protocol (IP) address for the URL by querying a Domain Name System (DNS) server; determining a public key associated with the URL; encrypting a string using the public key to obtain an encrypted string; sending the encrypted string to a remote system which is associated with the IP address; receiving a response from the remote system; determining that the DNS server has been compromised when the response from the remote system does not match an expected response; and responsive to determining that the DNS server has been compromised, alerting the user, thereby improving security during web-browsing.
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26. A method to determine whether a network has been compromised, the method comprising:
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determining a public key which is associated with a URL (Universal Resource Locator) which contains a domain name; querying a DNS (Domain Name System) server to determine an IP (Internet Protocol) address for the domain name; sending an encrypted string to the IP address using a network, wherein the encrypted string is determined using a string and the public key; receiving a response from a remote system which is associated with the IP address; and determining that the network has been compromised when the response from the remote system does not match an expected response.
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Specification