Reputation-based safe access user experience

• US 9,336,379 B2
• Filed: 08/19/2010
• Issued: 05/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Haber, Elliot J (Jeb), Colvin, Ryan C, Bhatawdekar, Ameya S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Kieu
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chung, Andrew
• Application Number:
  US12/859,679
• Publication Number:
  US 20120047461A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,091 Days
• Field of Search: 726/23, 715741-746
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/50 Monitoring users, programs or devices to maintain the integrity of platforms, e.g. of processors, firmware or operating systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects

Abstract

Reputation-based resource lookup may include determining the reputation of resources that are to be accessed. Based on the reputation of the resource, a user experience is provided. Protection can be provided from known and suspicious resources, by providing warnings, such as unique graphical visual warnings and textual messages. Furthermore, additional information may be provided as to the desired resource. A user may be further required to go through several pages or asked various questions before accessing a resource.

Claims

1. A method performed by one or more computing devices comprising:

receiving a request to access a desired resource;

accessing a reputation lookup database that includes a reputation record for at least the desired resource;

determining that a reputation of the desired resource is known to be suspicious, based at least in part on the reputation record for the desired resource;

determining whether to block the desired resource;

providing a user interface at a computing device, wherein content displayed via the user interface is dependent upon the reputation of the desired resource, the determination of whether to block the desired resource, and meta-information associated with a user of the computing device;

presenting an option for selecting access to the desired resource in response to determining that the desired resource has a suspicious reputation, the option comprising informational text having a predetermined text size and a predetermined text color;

in response to determining that the desired resource is to be blocked, prompting additional user actions before access to the desired resource is allowed;

determining user behavior data associated with the additional user actions, the user behavior data identifying a number of selections received via the user interface to access a single instance of the desired resource;

in response to determining that the additional user actions have been performed, providing access to the desired resource via the user interface; and

altering the predetermined text size or the predetermined text color based at least in part on the user behavior data.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

soliciting user feedback in response to determining that the desired resource is either suspicious and is not to be blocked or is unknown; and

storing the user feedback.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising, in response to a determination that the reputation of the desired resource is unknown, updating the reputation of the desired resource based at least in part on the user feedback that corresponds to the desired resource.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, based at least partly on the reputation of the desired resource and the determination of whether the desired resource is to be blocked, the user interface provides for a visual display of a block experience, a caution experience, an information experience, or an error experience.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface provides information identifying a network location of the desired resource and supplemental content about the desired resource.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a warning at the user interface to indicate whether the desired resource is a known threat, prior to providing access to the desired resource; and

providing a selection at the user interface to allow the user to disregard a warning that the desired resource is a known threat, and access the desired resource anyway.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface displays a warning message, the warning message being an informational warning of an unknown nature of the desired resource in response to a determination that the desired resource has an unknown reputation, wherein;

the warning message indicates a malicious nature of the desired resource in response to determining that the desired resource is suspicious and is to be blocked;

or

warning message indicates a suspicious nature of the desired resource in response to determining that the desired resource is suspicious and is not to be blocked.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising accepting reputation feedback about the desired resource via the user interface.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the meta-information comprises an age of the user.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the user behavior data comprises at least one of an indication of an extent to which users disregard a block to the desired resource, an indication of an extent to which users select individual ones of the additional user actions, or an indication of selections users perform after the receiving the request to access a desired resource.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising, presenting additional user information via the user interface based at least in part on the user behavior data, the additional user information corresponding to additional informational warnings associated with providing access to the desired resource.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising, reclassifying the reputation record for the desired resource based at least in part on the user behavior data.

13. A method comprising:

accessing a reputation lookup database that includes a reputation record for a desired resource;

determining that a reputation of the desired resource is known to be suspicious, based at least in part on the reputation record for the desired resource;

presenting, via a user interface of a computing device, content associated with the desired resource, the content being based at least in part on the reputation of the desired resource;

presenting a first option for accessing the desired resource in response to determining that the reputation of the desired resource is suspicious, the first option being associated with text having a predetermined text size and a predetermined text color;

determining that the desired resource is to be blocked;

prompting additional user actions before access to the desired resource is allowed;

determining user behavior data associated with the additional user actions, the user behavior data identifying a number of selections received via the user interface to access a single instance of the desired resource;

based at least partly on a determination that the additional user actions have been performed, providing, via the user interface, access to the desired resource;

presenting a second option for providing feedback associated with the desired resource; and

altering at least one of the predetermined text size or the predetermined text color based at least in part on at least one of the user behavior data or the feedback.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the reputation of the desired resource is associated with one of a following reputations:

known good, suspicious, unknown, or error.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

presenting a warning in response to determining the reputation of the desired resource, wherein the warning comprises at least one of contextual information that describes a nature of the warning, an indication of a location of the desired resource, or an indication of a location of supplemental content about the desired resource.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising, adjusting the warning to include at least one of highlighted graphics or additional user information based at least in part on the user behavior data.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the warning indicates that the desired resource is an unsafe desired resource, and presents an option to prevent access to the unsafe desired resource.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising presenting an option for navigating to a different resource.

19. A computing device comprising:

one or more processors;

a memory storing executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing device to;

request access to a requested resource;

determine that a reputation of the requested resource is suspicious based at least in part on a reputation record for the requested resource;

present, via a user interface, an option to access the requested resource based at least partly on a determination that the requested resource has a suspicious reputation, the option including a prompt to perform additional user actions to access the requested resource, the option being associated with text having a predetermined text size and a predetermined text color;

determine user behavior data associated with the additional user actions, the user behavior data identifying a number of selections received via a user interface to access a single instance of the requested resource;

display, via the user interface, content associated with the requested resource, wherein the content is determined at least in part on the reputation of the requested resource, and wherein the user interface prompts the additional user actions to access the requested resource; and

alter at least one of the predetermined text size or the predetermined text color based at least in part on the user behavior data.