Methods and systems for applying parental-control policies to media files

• US 9,330,274 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2009
• Issued: 05/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gen Digital Inc.
• Original Assignee: Symantec Corporation (NortonLifeLock Inc.)
• Inventors: Schepis, Adam, Newstadt, Keith
• Primary Examiner(s): Abyaneh, Ali
• Assistant Examiner(s): DE JESUS LASSALA, CARLOS MANUEL
• Application Number:
  US12/404,031
• Publication Number:
  US 20100235923A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,608 Days
• Field of Search: 726 27- 30
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/121 Restricting unauthorised execution of programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/60 Protecting data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/084 using delegated authorisation, e.g. open authorisation [OAuth] protocol

Abstract

A computer-implemented method may intercept a file-system call associated with a media file. The computer-implemented method may determine an attribute of the media file. The computer-implemented method may also identify a parental-control policy associated with the attribute of the media file. The computer-implemented method may further apply the parental-control policy to the media file. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

intercepting, by a file-system driver, a file-system call associated with a media file, the file-system driver being configured to intercept file-system calls issued by multiple applications through which a child is capable of attempting to access the media file;

determining, in response to the file-system driver intercepting the file-system call, whether the file-system call comprises an attempt to access a file that includes media content by checking whether a file extension of the media file identified by the file-system call matches a file extension included within a set of certain file extensions for at least one of e-book files, audio files, and video files;

determining, in response to determining that the file extension of the media file identified by the file-system call matches a file extension included within the set of certain file extensions for at least one of e-book files, audio files, and video files, an attribute of the media file;

identifying a parental-control policy associated with the attribute of the media file;

applying the parental-control policy to the media file.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein intercepting the file-system call associated with the media file comprises at least one of:

intercepting a file-system call to write the media file to a storage device;

intercepting a file-system call to read the media file.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the attribute of the media file comprises a hash of the media file.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the media file comprises an audio file.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein determining the attribute of the media file comprises at least one of:

identifying a genre of a song;

identifying an artist associated with the song.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein determining the attribute of the media file comprises at least one of:

querying a remote public database to obtain the attribute of the audio file;

accessing metadata of the audio file.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

the media file comprises a video file;

applying the parental-control policy comprises;

determining that the video file comprises a compressed video file;

displaying a warning to the child that is attempting to access the compressed video file to inform the child that the video file is compressed.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein determining the attribute of the media file comprises identifying a signature included with the media file that indicates that the media file has been digitally signed by a content provider.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein:

identifying the parental-control policy associated with the attribute of the media file comprises using the attribute to determine a category rating of the media file;

applying the parental-control policy to the media file comprises determining whether the category rating violates the parental-control policy.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the category rating comprises at least one of:

a sexual-content rating for the media file;

a strong-language rating for the media file;

a violence rating for the media file.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein using the attribute to determine the category rating comprises:

sending the attribute to a category-ratings database;

receiving the category rating from the category-ratings database.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising tracking the child'"'"'s attempts to access media files.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein applying the parental-control policy to the media file comprises deleting the media file.

14. A system comprising:

a file-system-monitor module, stored in a memory, that comprises a file-system driver configured to intercept file-system calls issued by multiple applications through which a child is capable of attempting to access a media file, the file-system-monitor module programmed to;

intercept, through the file-system driver, a file-system call associated with the media file;

determine, in response to the file-system driver intercepting the file-system call, whether the file-system call comprises an attempt to access a file that includes media content by checking whether the media file extension of the media file identified by the file-system call matches a file extension included within a set of certain file extensions for at least one of e-book files, audio files, and video files;

determine, in response to determining that the file extension of the media file identified by the file-system call matches a file extension included within the set of certain file extensions for at least one of e-book files, audio files, and video files, an attribute of the media file;

identify a parental-control policy associated with the attribute of the media file;

a policy-enforcement module, stored in the memory, that is in communication with the file-system-monitor module and that is programmed to apply the parental-control policy to the media file;

one or more hardware processors configured to execute the file-system-monitor module and the policy-enforcement module.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the file-system driver is programmed to intercept the file-system call associated with the media file at least in part by one of:

intercepting a file-system call to write the media file to a storage device;

intercepting a file-system call to read the media file.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the attribute of the media file comprises a hash of the media file.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the policy-enforcement module is programmed to determine whether the media file violates the parental-control policy by evaluating the attribute of the media file and at least one category rating of the media file.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the file-system-monitor module is programmed to determine the attribute of the media file at least in part by identifying a signature included with the media file that indicates that the media file has been digitally signed by a content provider.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein:

the media file comprises an audio file;

the file-system-monitor module is programmed to determine the attribute of the media file by performing at least one of;

identifying a genre of a song;

identifying an artist associated with the song.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising one or more computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to:

intercept, through a file-system driver, a file-system call associated with a media file, the file-system driver being configured to intercept file-system calls issued by multiple applications through which a child is capable of attempting to access the media file;

determine, in response to the file-system driver intercepting the file-system call, whether the file-system call comprises an attempt to access a file that contains media content by checking whether a file extension of the media file identified by the file-system call matches a file extension included within a set of certain file extensions for at least one of e-book files, audio files, and video files;

determine, in response to determining that the file extension of the media file identified by the file-system call matches a file extension included within the set of certain file extensions for at least one of e-book files, audio files, and video files, an attribute of the media file;

identify a parental-control policy associated with the attribute of the media file;

apply the parental-control policy to the media file.