Providing alternative web content based on website reputation assessment

• US 9,384,345 B2
• Filed: 01/26/2006
• Issued: 07/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: McAfee, LLC
• Original Assignee: McAfee, Inc. (McAfee, LLC)
• Inventors: Dixon, Christopher John, Pinckney, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): WIENER, ERIC A
• Application Number:
  US11/342,319
• Publication Number:
  US 20060253580A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,813 Days
• Field of Search: 715/760, 705/1, 705/5, 709/225
• 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 21/51 at application loading time, e.g. accepting, rejecting, starting or inhibiting executable software based on integrity or source reliability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/552 involving long-term monitoring or reporting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/56 Computer malware detection or handling, e.g. anti-virus arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/566 Dynamic detection, i.e. detection performed at run-time, e.g. emulation, suspicious activities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6263 during internet communication, e.g. revealing personal data from cookies
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/645 using a third party
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2119 Authenticating web pages, e.g. with suspicious links
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/22 Alternate routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/70 Routing based on monitoring results
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/72 Routing based on the source address
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0227 Filtering policies mail message filtering H04L51/212
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1433 Vulnerability analysis
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/145 the attack involving the propagation of malware through the network, e.g. viruses, trojans or worms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/30 Profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers

Abstract

An aspect of the present invention relates to methods and systems involving receiving a request for web content from a client computing facility, presenting the web content, and retrieving an indicia of a reputation assessment of the web content and delivering the indicia to the client computing facility in coordination with delivery of the web content to the client computing facility.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a request for a web content from a client device;

retrieving an indicia of a reputation assessment of the web content, wherein the reputation assessment is based, at least in part, on user feedback provided by a plurality of devices that run a security program, which is also being run by the client device;

identifying an attempt to download certain content from a website that includes the web content;

providing, in response to the attempt, an alternative web content that is different from the web content, wherein the alternative web content is provided using categorization data to collect other domains based on a category of goods or services provided by the website;

selecting the alternative web content from the other domains based on popularity and security of the other domains; and

transmitting, to the client device, a message in response to the attempt, wherein the message is to identify that the reputation assessment is low and includes text to recommend the alternative web content instead of the web content based on the alternative web content having a higher reputation assessment than the web content.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the client device is a laptop computer.

3. The method of claim 1, where the client device is a desktop computer.

4. The method of claim 1, where the client device is a cellular phone.

5. The method of claim 1, where the client device is a personal digital assistant.

6. The method of claim 1, where the client device is a handheld computer.

7. The method of claim 1, where the client device is a server.

8. The method of claim 1, where the client device is a workstation.

9. The method of claim 1, where the client device is a gateway.

10. The method of claim 1, where the client device is a proxy cache.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the request for the web content includes an attempt to access a URL.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the indicia of the reputation assessment of the web content is retrieved in response to the request for the web content.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to the client device entering the website that includes the web content, presenting a further alternative for the user including initiating a scan for protecting the client device.

14. A system, comprising:

a processor;

a memory coupled to the processor, a receiving facility that when executed by the processor is adapted to receive a request for a web content from a client device;

a retrieving facility that when executed by the processor is adapted to retrieve an indicia of a reputation assessment of the web content, wherein the reputation assessment is based, at least in part, on user feedback provided by a plurality of devices that run a security program, which is also being run by the client device; and

a delivery facility that when executed by the processor is adapted to;

identify an attempt to download certain content from a website that includes the web content;

deliver, in response to the attempt, an alternative web content that is different from the web content, wherein the alternative web content is provided using categorization data to collect other domains based on a category of goods or services provided by the website;

selecting the alternative web content from the other domains based on popularity and security of the other domains; and

deliver, to the client device, a message in response to the attempt, wherein the message is to identify that the reputation assessment is low and includes text to recommend the alternative web content instead of the web content based on the alternative web content having a higher reputation assessment than the web content.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the client device is a laptop computer.

16. The system of claim 14, where the client device is a desktop computer.

17. The system of claim 14, where the client device is a cellular phone.

18. The system of claim 14, where the client device is a personal digital assistant.

19. The system of claim 14, where the client device is a handheld computer.

20. The system of claim 14, where the client device is a server.

21. The system of claim 14, where the client device is a workstation.

22. The system of claim 14, where the client device is a gateway.

23. The system of claim 14, where the client device is a proxy cache.

24. The system of claim 14, wherein the delivery facility is further adapted to:

in response to the client device entering the website that includes the web content, present a further alternative for the user including initiating a scan for protecting the client device.

25. The system of claim 14, wherein the request for the web content includes an attempt to access a URL.

26. The system of claim 14, wherein the indicia of the reputation assessment of the web content is retrieved in response to the request for the web content.

27. At least one non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising one or more instructions that when executed by at least one processor causes the processor to perform one or more operations comprising:

receiving a request for a web content from a client device;

retrieving an indicia of a reputation assessment of the web content, wherein the reputation assessment is based, at least in part, on user feedback provided by a plurality of devices that run a security program, which is also being run by the client device;

identifying an attempt to download certain content from a website that includes the web content;

providing, in response to the attempt, an alternative web content that is different from the web content, wherein the alternative web content is provided using categorization data to collect other domains based on a category of goods or services provided by the website;

selecting the alternative web content based on popularity and security of the other domains; and

transmitting, to the client device, a message in response to the attempt, wherein the message is to identify that the reputation assessment is low and includes text to recommend the alternative web content instead of the web content based on the alternative web content having a higher reputation assessment than the web content.

28. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 27, wherein the client device is a laptop computer.

29. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 27, where the client device is a desktop computer.

30. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 27, where the client device is a cellular phone.

31. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 27, where the client device is a personal digital assistant.

32. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 27, where the client device is a handheld computer.

33. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 27, where the client device is a server.

34. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 27, where the client device is a workstation.

35. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 27, where the client device is a gateway.

36. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 27, where the client device is a proxy cache.

37. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 27, wherein the request for the web content includes an attempt to access a URL.

38. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 27, wherein the indicia of the reputation assessment of the web content is retrieved in response to the request for the web content.

39. The at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 27, wherein the one or more operations further comprise:

in response to the client device entering the website that includes the web content, presenting a further alternative for the user including initiating a scan for protecting the client device.