Method and system for screening remote site connections and filtering data based on a community trust assessment

• US 7,546,338 B2
• Filed: 02/20/2003
• Issued: 06/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Medtronic Vascular, Inc. (Medtronic Plc)
• Original Assignee: Ascentive LLC
• Inventors: Schran, Adam R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Caldwell; Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fritz; Bradford F
• Application Number:
  US10/370,201
• Publication Number:
  US 20030167308A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,301 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/219, 709/225, 709/229
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227

Abstract

Remote site connections are screened based on assessments performed by members of a trust community. Data based on a plurality of end-user assessments of particular remote sites are received at a server from a plurality of end-users. Each end-user is associated with a specific client machine which is in communication with the server. The server generates assessment scores based on the data. Each of the assessment scores may be a ratio of end-users. The server transmits the assessment scores to the client machines. The client machine selectively takes protective action against ones of the particular remote sites that have an undesirable assessment score generated by the server. The protective action may be determined by comparing the assessment score against an individually specified end-user rule, wherein at least two client machines have different rules.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of screening remote site connections, the method comprising:

(a) receiving at a server from a plurality of end-users, data based on a plurality of end-user assessments of particular remote sites websites, each end-user being associated with a specific client machine which is in communication with the server, wherein for at least some of the remote websites, the server receives end-user assessment data for the same remote website from a plurality of end-users;

(b) the server generating assessment scores for the particular remote websites based on the data, wherein each of the assessment scores is a ratio of end-users;

(c) the server transmitting the assessment scores to the client machines; and

(d) each specific client machine selectively taking protective action against ones of the particular remote sites websites that have an undesirable assessment score generated by the server, wherein the protective action is determined by comparing the assessment score against an individually specified end-user rule, and wherein at least two client machines have different rules, and wherein the end-users and the remote sites websites are different and unrelated types of entities.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the protective action prevents the specific client machine from connecting to the ones of the particular remote websites that have an undesirable assessment score generated by the server.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the protective action filters specific content or instructions received from the ones of the particular remote websites that have an undesirable assessment score generated by the server.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the assessment scores are generated based on data regarding a percentage of end-users who assess a particular remote website as being a trusted site or a suspicious site.

5. A computer-implemented method of screening remote site connections, the method comprising:

(a) each of a plurality of users of respective client machines creating a first list of particular remote websites which the user trusts, wherein for at least some of the remote websites on the first lists, there are list entries for the same remote websites on the lists of a plurality of the client machines;

(b) each of the plurality of client machine users creating a second list of particular remote websites which the user does not trust, wherein for at least some of the particular remote websites on the second lists, there are list entries for the same remote websites on the lists of a plurality of client machines;

(c) a remote entity receiving the first and second lists from each of the client machines and storing the first and second lists in a database;

(d) the remote entity aggregating and quantitatively assessing the first and second lists to generate a community aggregate trust assessment for the particular remote websites and transmitting the community aggregate trust assessment of the particular remote websites to the client machines; and

(e) each specific client machine selectively taking protective action against ones of the particular remote websites based on one or more of (i) the first list created by the specific client machine, (ii) the second list created by the specific client machine, and (iii) the community aggregate trust assessment, wherein the client machine users and the remote websites are different and unrelated types of entities.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the protective action prevents the specific client machine from connecting to the ones of the particular remote websites that are on the second list or have an undesirable aggregate trust assessment.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the protective action filters specific content or instructions received from the ones of the particular remote websites that are on the second list or have an undesirable aggregate trust assessment.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein the quantitative assessment is based on a percentage of client machines that put a remote website on the first or second lists.

9. A computer-implemented method of screening remote site connections, the method comprising:

(a) receiving at a server from a plurality of end-users, data based on a plurality of end-user assessments of particular remote websites, each end-user being associated with a specific client machine which is in communication with the server, wherein for at least some of the remote websites, the server receives end-user assessment data for the same remote websites from a plurality of end-users;

(b) for each particular remote website, the server generating assessment scores based on the number of the end-users who trust the particular remote website, and the number of the end-users who do not trust the particular remote site website, wherein each of the assessment scores is a ratio of end-users;

(c) the server transmitting the assessment scores to the client machines; and

(d) each specific client machine selectively taking protective action against ones of the particular remote websites that have an undesirable assessment score generated by the server, wherein the protective action is determined by comparing the assessment score against an individually specified end-user rule, and wherein at least two client machines have different rules, and wherein the end-users and the remote websites are different and unrelated types of entities.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the protective action prevents the specific client machine from connecting to the ones of the particular remote websites that have an undesirable assessment score generated by the server.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the protective action filters specific content or instructions received from the ones of the particular remote websites that have an undesirable assessment score generated by the server.

12. A system for screening remote connections, the system comprising:

(a) a plurality of client machines; and

(b) a server in communication with the client machines, the server receiving data based on a plurality of end-user assessments of particular remote websites, each end-user being associated with a specific one of the client machines, wherein for at least some of the remote websites, the server receives end-user assessment data for the same remote website from a plurality of end-users and wherein;

(i) the server generates assessment scores for the particular remote websites based on the data, wherein each of the assessment scores is a ratio of end-users;

(ii) the server transmits the assessment scores to the client machines; and

(iii) each specific client machine selectively takes protective action against ones of the particular remote websites that have an undesirable assessment score generated by the server, wherein the protective action is determined by comparing the assessment score against an individually specified end-user rule, and wherein at least two client machines have different rules, the end-users and the remote websites being different and unrelated types of entities.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the protective action prevents the specific client machine from connecting to the ones of the particular remote websites that have an undesirable assessment score generated by the server.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein the protective action filters specific content or instructions received from the ones of the particular remote websites that have an undesirable assessment score generated by the server.

15. A system for screening remote site connections, the system comprising:

(a) a plurality of client machines; and

(b) a server in communication with the client machines, wherein;

(i) the server receives from each specific client machine a first list of particular remote websites which a user of the specific client machine trusts and a second list of particular remote websites which the user does not trust, wherein for at least some of the particular remote websites on the first and second lists, the server receives a remote site list entry for the same remote site website from a plurality of client machines;

(ii) the server aggregates and quantitatively assesses the first and second lists to generate a community aggregate trust assessment for the particular remote websites and transmits the community aggregate trust assessments to the client machines; and

(iii) each specific client machine selectively takes protective action against ones of the particular remote websites based on one or more of (I) the first list created by the specific client machine, (II) the second list created by the specific client machine, and (III) the community aggregate trust assessment, wherein the client machine users and the remote websites are different and unrelated types of entities.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the protective action prevents each specific client machine from connecting to the ones of the particular remote websites that are on the second list or have an undesirable aggregate trust assessment.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein the protective action filters specific content or instructions received from the ones of the particular remote websites that are on the second list or have an undesirable aggregate trust assessment.

18. A system for screening remote site connections, the system comprising:

(a) a plurality of client machines that generate data based on a plurality of end-user assessments of particular remote websites, each end-user being associated with a specific one of the client machines, wherein for at least some of the remote websites, end user-assessment data is generated for the same remote website from a plurality of end-users; and

(b) a server in communication with the client machines, the server receiving the data based on a plurality of end-user assessments of particular remote websites, wherein;

(i) the server generates assessment scores for the particular remote websites based on the number of the end-users who trust the particular remote websites, and the number of the end-users who do not trust the particular remote websites, wherein each of the assessment scores is a ratio of end-users;

(ii) the server transmits the assessment scores to the client machines; and

(iii) each specific client machine selectively takes protective action against ones of the particular remote websites that have an undesirable assessment score generated by the server, wherein the protective action is determined by comparing the assessment score against an individually specified end-user rule, and wherein at least two client machines have different rules, the end-users and the remote websites being different and unrelated types of entities.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the protective action prevents the specific client machine from connecting to the ones of the particular remote websites that have an undesirable assessment score generated by the server.

20. The system of claim 18 wherein the protective action filters specific content or instructions received from the ones of the particular remote websites that have an undesirable assessment score generated by the server.