Systems and methods for interfacing with dynamic web forms

• US 9,436,669 B1
• Filed: 09/06/2011
• Issued: 09/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gen Digital Inc.
• Original Assignee: Symantec Corporation (NortonLifeLock Inc.)
• Inventors: Sorensen, Jens
• Primary Examiner(s): To, Jennifer
• Assistant Examiner(s): Repsher, III, John
• Application Number:
  US13/226,257
• Time in Patent Office: 1,827 Days
• Field of Search: 715/226
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/174 Form filling; Merging

Abstract

A computer-implemented method for interfacing with dynamic web forms may include (1) identifying a web page, (2) parsing the web page in order to identify an attribute of at least one interactive element that indicates that the interactive element may be used to create at least one input field on the web page, (3) in response to identifying the attribute, monitoring the interactive element in order to detect a user interaction with the interactive element, (4) in response to detecting the user interaction with the interactive element, identifying at least one new input field on the web page, and (5) performing an automated task on the new input field in response to the input field being newly identified. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for interfacing with dynamic web forms, at least a portion of the method being performed by a computing device comprising at least one processor, the method comprising:

identifying, by a subsystem that interfaces with web pages, a web page that;

is rendered by a web browser engine that is separate from the subsystem;

includes at least one script for the web browser engine to modify the web page asynchronously with respect to a server of origin of the web page, wherein modifying the web page asynchronously with respect to the server of origin comprises modifying the web page without retrieving a new version of the web page from the server of origin;

in response to determining that the web browser engine modifies the web page asynchronously with respect to the server of origin, parsing, by the subsystem, the web page in order to identify an attribute of at least one interactive element that indicates that the interactive element may be used to create at least one input field on the web page by the web browser engine;

in response to identifying the attribute, monitoring, by the subsystem, the interactive element in order to detect a user interaction with the interactive element, wherein the user interaction causes a new input field to be created on the web page by the web browser engine;

in response to detecting the user interaction with the interactive element, identifying, by the subsystem, the new input field on the web page;

performing, by the subsystem, an automated task on the new input field in response to the input field being newly identified.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein performing the automated task on the new input field comprises the subsystem automatically populating the new input field with data without direct user input to the new input field.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein performing the automated task on the new input field comprises the subsystem providing an updated representation of the web page that comprises a representation of the new input field to an anti-phishing engine.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein monitoring the interactive element comprises the subsystem modifying the interactive element to include an event listener configured to execute at least one predetermined instruction following at least one predetermined event.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein parsing the web page to identify the attribute comprises the subsystem parsing the web page to identify a predetermined string that indicates that the interactive element may be used by the web browser engine to create at least one input field on the web page.

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

the interactive element comprises an interactive element as represented in a model of the page used within the scripting language of the script.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein identifying the new input field on the web page comprises:

the subsystem identifying a new version of the web page modified asynchronously with respect to the server of origin of the web page;

the subsystem parsing the new version of the web page for the new input field.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, further comprising the subsystem waiting for a predetermined amount of time after detecting the user interaction with the interactive element before parsing the web page for the new input field in order to ensure that the web page has been updated with the new input field.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, further comprising:

monitoring, by the subsystem, a process executed by the web page in response to the user interaction with the interactive element;

parsing, by the subsystem, the web page for the new input field after determining that the process has completed.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

the subsystem monitoring the web browser engine to determine that the web browser engine is loading the web page;

the subsystem delaying rendering of the web page within the web browser engine until after;

determining, based on the attribute, that the interactive element may be used to create the input field on the web page;

configuring the interactive element for monitoring to determine when the user interaction with the interactive element creates the new input field;

the subsystem loading configuration data for performing the automated task on the new input field.

11. A system for interfacing with dynamic web forms, the system comprising:

an identification module, within a subsystem that interfaces with web pages, programmed to;

identify a web page that;

is rendered by a web browser engine that is separate from the subsystem;

includes at least one script for the web browser engine to modify the web page asynchronously with respect to a server of origin of the web page, wherein modifying the web page asynchronously with respect to the server of origin comprises modifying the web page without retrieving a new version of the web page from the server of origin;

in response to determining that the web browser engine modifies the web page asynchronously with respect to the server of origin, parse the web page in order to identify an attribute of at least one interactive element that indicates that the interactive element may be used to create at least one input field on the web page by the web browser engine;

a monitoring module, within the subsystem, programmed to, in response to identifying the attribute, monitor the interactive element in order to detect a user interaction with the interactive element, wherein the user interaction causes a new input field to be created on the web page by the web browser engine;

an update module, within the subsystem, programmed to, in response to detecting the user interaction with the interactive element, identify the new input field on the web page;

a task module, within the subsystem, programmed to perform an automated task on the new input field in response to the input field being newly identified;

at least one processor configured to execute the identification module, the monitoring module, the update module, and the task module.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the task module within the subsystem is programmed to perform the automated task on the new input field by automatically populating the new input field with data without direct user input to the new input field.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the task module within the subsystem is programmed to perform the automated task on the new input field by providing an updated representation of the web page that comprises a representation of the new input field to an anti-phishing engine.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the monitoring module within the subsystem is programmed to monitor the interactive element by modifying the interactive element to include an event listener configured to execute at least one predetermined instruction following at least one predetermined event.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the identification module within the subsystem is programmed to parse the web page to identify the attribute by parsing the web page to identify a predetermined string that indicates that the interactive element may be used by the web browser engine to create at least one input field on the web page.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein:

the interactive element comprises an interactive element as represented in a model of the page used within the scripting language of the script.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the update module within the subsystem is programmed to identify the new input field on the web page by:

identifying a new version of the web page modified asynchronously with respect to the server of origin of the web page;

parsing the new version of the web page for the new input field.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the update module within the subsystem is further programmed to wait for a predetermined amount of time after detecting the user interaction with the interactive element before parsing the web page for the new input field in order to ensure that the web page has been updated with the new input field.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the update module within the subsystem is further programmed to:

monitor a process executed by the web page in response to the user interaction with the interactive element;

parse the web page for the new input field after determining that the process has completed.

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

identify, by a subsystem that interfaces with web pages, a web page that;

is rendered by a web browser engine that is separate from the subsystem;

includes at least one script for the web browser engine to modify the web page asynchronously with respect to a server of origin of the web page, wherein modifying the web page asynchronously with respect to the server of origin comprises modifying the web page without retrieving a new version of the web page from the server of origin;

in response to determining that the web browser engine modifies the web page asynchronously with respect to the server of origin, parse, by the subsystem, the web page in order to identify an attribute of at least one interactive element that indicates that the interactive element may be used to create at least one input field on the web page by the web browser engine;

in response to identifying the attribute, monitor, by the subsystem, the interactive element in order to detect a user interaction with the interactive element, wherein the user interaction causes a new input field to be created on the web page by the web browser engine;

in response to detecting the user interaction with the interactive element, identify, by the subsystem, the new input field on the web page;

perform, by the subsystem, an automated task on the new input field in response to the input field being newly identified.