Techniques to detect and react to proxy interference

• US 9,900,372 B2
• Filed: 01/22/2016
• Issued: 02/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WhatsApp LLC (Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.))
• Original Assignee: WhatsApp LLC (Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.))
• Inventors: Grinstead, Joseph Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): WANG, LIANG CHE A
• Application Number:
  US15/004,540
• Publication Number:
  US 20170214732A1
• Time in Patent Office: 760 Days
• Field of Search: 709203, 709206, 709217, 709230
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/147 Signalling methods or messages providing extensions to protocols defined by standardisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54

Abstract

Techniques to detect and react to proxy interference are described. In one embodiment, an apparatus may comprise a first network protocol component operative to receive a first network connection initiation attempt from a client at a server; determine that the first network connection initiation attempt is malformed; extract a cookie from the first network connection initiation attempt, the cookie comprising a client identifier; a client record component operative to record a malformed network connection initiation record in response to determining that the first network connection initiation attempt is malformed; and a second network protocol component operative to receive a second network connection initiation attempt from the client at the server; extract the cookie from the second network connection initiation attempt; and transmit a malformed network connection message to the client based on the malformed network connection initiation record. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving a first network connection initiation attempt from a proxy at a server, the first network connection initiation attempt associated with a client and based on a first network communication protocol;

determining that the first network connection initiation attempt is malformed;

extracting a cookie from the first network connection initiation attempt, the cookie comprising a client identifier;

recording a malformed network connection initiation record in response to determining that the first network connection initiation attempt is malformed, the malformed network connection initiation record associated with the client based on the client identifier;

rejecting the first network connection initiation attempt based on the first network connection initiation attempt being malformed;

receiving a second network connection initiation attempt from the proxy at the server, the second network connection initiation attempt associated with the client and based on a second network communication protocol;

extracting the cookie from the second network connection initiation attempt, the cookie comprising the client identifier;

retrieving the malformed network connection initiation record based on the client identifier; and

transmitting a malformed network connection message to the client based on the malformed network connection initiation record.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising:

receiving a previous network connection initiation attempt from the proxy, the previous network connection initiation attempt associated with the client, at the server, the previous network connection initiation attempt based on the second network communication protocol; and

setting the cookie on the client in response to the previous network connection initiation attempt.

3. The method of claim 1, the second network connection initiation attempt performed automatically by the client in response to the server rejecting the first network connection initiation attempt.

4. The method of claim 1, the first network connection initiation attempt malformed based on a header modification made by the proxy retransmitting the first network connection initiation attempt.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a proxy server type based on the first network connection initiation attempt; and

retrieving proxy server reconfiguration information based on the proxy server type, the malformed network connection message comprising the proxy server reconfiguration information.

6. The method of claim 1, the first network connection initiation attempt comprising one or more network headers, further comprising:

recording the one or more network headers in the malformed network connection initiation record; and

transmitting the one or more network headers to the client as part of the malformed network connection message.

7. The method of claim 1, the client comprising a web application executing within a web browser.

8. The method of claim 1, the malformed network connection message instructing the client to refrain from network connection attempts.

9. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor circuit on a server device;

a network interface controller on the server device;

a first network protocol component operative on the processor circuit to receive a first network connection initiation attempt from a proxy via the network interface controller at the server device, the first network connection initiation attempt associated with a client and based on a first network communication protocol;

determine that the first network connection initiation attempt is malformed;

extract a cookie from the first network connection initiation attempt, the cookie comprising a client identifier; and

reject the first network connection initiation attempt based on the first network connection initiation attempt being malformed;

a client record component operative on the processor circuit to record a malformed network connection initiation record in response to determining that the first network connection initiation attempt is malformed, the malformed network connection initiation record associated with the client based on the client identifier; and

retrieve the malformed network connection initiation record based on the client identifier; and

a second network protocol component operative on the processor circuit to receive a second network connection initiation attempt from the proxy at the server, the second network connection initiation attempt associated with the client and based on a second network communication protocol;

extract the cookie from the second network connection initiation attempt, the cookie comprising the client identifier; and

transmit a malformed network connection message to the client based on the malformed network connection initiation record.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising:

the second network protocol component operative to receive a previous network connection initiation attempt from the proxy, the previous network connection initiation attempt associated with the client, at the server, the previous network connection initiation attempt based on the second network communication protocol; and

set the cookie on the client in response to the previous network connection initiation attempt.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, the second network connection initiation attempt performed automatically by the client in response to the server rejecting the first network connection initiation attempt.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, the first network connection initiation attempt malformed based on a header modification made by the proxy retransmitting the first network connection initiation attempt.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising:

the client record component operative to identify a proxy server type based on the first network connection initiation attempt; and

retrieve proxy server reconfiguration information based on the proxy server type, the malformed network connection message comprising the proxy server reconfiguration information.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, the malformed network connection message instructing the client to refrain from network connection attempts.

15. At least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a system to:

receive a first network connection initiation attempt from a proxy at a server, the first network connection initiation attempt associated with a client and based on a first network communication protocol;

determine that the first network connection initiation attempt is malformed;

extract a cookie from the first network connection initiation attempt, the cookie comprising a client identifier;

record a malformed network connection initiation record in response to determining that the first network connection initiation attempt is malformed, the malformed network connection initiation record associated with the client based on the client identifier;

reject the first network connection initiation attempt based on the first network connection initiation attempt being malformed;

receive a second network connection initiation attempt from the proxy at the server, the second network connection initiation attempt associated with the client and based on a second network communication protocol;

extract the cookie from the second network connection initiation attempt, the cookie comprising the client identifier;

retrieve the malformed network connection initiation record based on the client identifier; and

transmit a malformed network connection message to the client based on the malformed network connection initiation record.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, comprising further instructions that, when executed, cause a system to:

receive a previous network connection initiation attempt from the proxy, the previous network connection initiation attempt associated with the client, at the server, the previous network connection initiation attempt based on the second network communication protocol; and

set the cookie on the client in response to the previous network connection initiation attempt.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, the second network connection initiation attempt performed automatically by the client in response to the server rejecting the first network connection initiation attempt.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, the first network connection initiation attempt malformed based on a header modification made by the proxy retransmitting the first network connection initiation attempt.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, comprising further instructions that, when executed, cause a system to:

identify a proxy server type based on the first network connection initiation attempt; and

retrieve proxy server reconfiguration information based on the proxy server type, the malformed network connection message comprising the proxy server reconfiguration information.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, the malformed network connection message instructing the client to refrain from network connection attempts.