System, method and computer program product for performing one or more maintenance tasks on a remotely located computer connected to a server computer via a data network

• US 10,021,112 B2
• Filed: 12/26/2014
• Issued: 07/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: McAfee, LLC
• Original Assignee: McAfee, LLC
• Inventors: Balasubramaniam, Chandrasekar, Kannan, Ravi, Revashetti, Siddaraya Basappa, Sampath, Srivats, Katchapalayam, Babu
• Primary Examiner(s): ADE, OGER GARCIA
• Application Number:
  US14/583,573
• Publication Number:
  US 20150207802A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,292 Days
• Field of Search: 705 30
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0236 Filtering by address, protocol, port number or service, e.g. IP-address or URL
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/12 Applying verification of the received information cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for data integrity or data verification H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1408 by monitoring network traffic monitoring network traffic per se H04L43/00
• 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 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A method and computer executable program code are disclosed for performing one or more maintenance tasks on a remotely located computer connected to a server computer via a data network.

Claims

1. At least one machine accessible storage medium having code stored thereon, the code when executed on a machine, to cause the machine to:

receive a download of software;

determine, from the download, a digital signature of the software;

determine, from the digital signature, whether the digital signature corresponds to a trusted source;

prevent unauthorized execution of the software by causing the machine to;

query a browser to determine whether a selected uniform resource locator (URL) to which the browser was pointed for the download of the software is authorized; and

based on determining that the selected URL is not authorized;

display a message indicating that the selected URL is not authorized when the software is invoked for installation; and

prevent installation of the software; and

based on determining that the selected URL is authorized;

install the software,

wherein determining whether to install the software is further based on whether the digital signature corresponds to the trusted source.

2. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the digital signature is received with the download of the software.

3. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the software is received from a server associated with the URL.

4. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein software is downloaded responsive to a user interaction with the browser.

5. The storage medium of claim 4, wherein the user interaction comprises a request to download the software.

6. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the code, when executed, is to further cause the machine to receive data to describe a license of the software.

7. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the browser is hosted on a personal computing device.

8. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the software is received over the Internet.

9. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the software comprises security software.

18. The storage medium of claim 1, wherein the selected URL is a first URL, and wherein the code is further to cause the machine to:

query the browser to determine a second URL associated with a browser window that caused the browser to point to the first URL, wherein determining whether to install the software is further based on whether the first URL is the same as the second URL.

10. A method comprising:

receiving a download of software;

determining, from the download, a digital signature of the software;

determining, from the digital signature, whether the digital signature corresponds to a trusted source;

preventing unauthorized execution of the software by;

querying a browser to determine whether a selected uniform resource locator (URL) to which the browser was pointed for download of the software is authorized; and

based on determining that the selected URL is not authorized;

displaying a message indicating that the selected URL is not authorized when the software is invoked for installation; and

preventing installation of the software; and

based on determining that the selected URL is authorized;

installing the software,

wherein determining whether to install the software is further based on whether the digital signature corresponds to the trusted source.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the URL corresponds to a server of the software.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the URL is selected through the browser based on a user interaction with the browser.

19. The method of claim 10, wherein the selected URL is a first URL, and further comprising:

querying the browser to determine a second URL associated with a browser window that caused the browser to point to the first URL, wherein determining whether to install the software is further based on whether the first URL is the same as the second URL.

13. A system comprising:

at least one processing apparatus;

at least one memory element;

a client to;

receive a download of software;

determine, from the download, a digital signature of the software;

determine, from the digital signature, whether the digital signature corresponds to a trusted source;

prevent unauthorized execution of the software, wherein the client is to;

query a browser to determine whether a selected uniform resource locator (URL) to which the browser was pointed for download of the software is authorized; and

based on determining that the selected URL is not authorized;

display a message indicating that the selected URL is not authorized when the software is invoked for installation; and

prevent installation of the software; and

based on determining that the selected URL is authorized;

install the software,

wherein determining whether to install the software is further based on whether the digital signature corresponds to the trusted source.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the software is received over the Internet based on a user-initiated action.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising the browser.

16. The system of claim 13, further comprising a particular server associated with an authorized URL.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the particular server hosts a plurality of different software applications for download.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the selected URL is a first URL, and wherein the client is to:

query the browser to determine a second URL associated with a browser window that caused the browser to point to the first URL, wherein determining whether to install the software is further based on whether the first URL is the same as the second URL.