Method and system for protecting a computer and a network from hostile downloadables

• US 7,613,926 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2006
• Issued: 11/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Finjan Holdings, Inc. (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Finjan Software Limited (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Vered, Nimrod Itzhak, Touboul, Shlomo, Kroll, David R., Edery, Yigal Mordechai
• Primary Examiner(s): Revak; Christopher A
• Application Number:
  US11/370,114
• Publication Number:
  US 20060149968A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,337 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 713/181
• 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 21/52 during program execution, e.g. stack integrity ; Preventing unwanted data erasure; Buffer overflow
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2119 Authenticating web pages, e.g. with suspicious links
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2141 Access rights, e.g. capability lists, access control lists, access tables, access matrices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1441 Countermeasures against malicious traffic countermeasures against attacks on cryptographic mechanisms H04L9/002
• 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 63/168 above the transport layer

Abstract

Protection systems and methods provide for protecting one or more personal computers (“PCs”) and/or other intermittently or persistently network accessible devices or processes from undesirable or otherwise malicious operations of Java™ applets, ActiveX™ controls, JavaScript™ scripts, Visual Basic scripts, add-ins, downloaded/uploaded programs or other “Downloadables” or “mobile code” in whole or part. A protection engine embodiment provides, within a server, firewall or other suitable “re-communicator,” for monitoring information received by the communicator, determining whether received information does or is likely to include executable code, and if so, causes mobile protection code (MPC) to be transferred to and rendered operable within a destination device of the received information, more suitably by forming a protection agent including the MPC, protection policies and a detected-Downloadable. An MPC embodiment further provides, within a Downloadable-destination, for initiating the Downloadable, enabling malicious Downloadable operation attempts to be received by the MPC, and causing (predetermined) corresponding operations to be executed in response to the attempts, more suitably in conjunction with protection policies.

Claims

1. A computer-based method, comprising the steps of:

receiving an incoming Downloadable;

performing a hashing function on the incoming Downloadable to compute an incoming Downloadable ID;

retrieving security profile data for the incoming Downloadable from a database of Downloadable security profiles indexed according to Downloadable IDs, based on the incoming Downloadable ID, the security profile data including a list of suspicious computer operations that may be attempted by the Downloadable;

appending a representation of the retrieved Downloadable security profile data to the incoming Downloadable, to generate an appended Downloadable; and

transmitting the appended Downloadable to a destination computer.

2. The computer-based method of claim 1 wherein the Downloadable includes an applet.

3. The computer-based method of claim 1 wherein the Downloadable includes an active control.

4. The computer-based method of claim 1 wherein the Downloadable includes program script.

5. The computer-based method of claim 1 wherein suspicious computer operations include calls made to an operating system, a file system, a network system, and to memory.

6. The computer-based method of claim 1 wherein the Downloadable security profile data includes a URL from where the Downloadable originated.

7. The computer-based method of claim 1 wherein the Downloadable security profile data includes a digital certificate.

8. A system for managing Downloadables, comprising:

a receiver for receiving an incoming Downloadable;

a Downloader identifier for performing a hashing function on the incoming Downloadable to compute an incoming Downloadable ID;

a database manager for retrieving security profile data for the incoming Downloadable from a database of Downloadable security profiles indexed according to Downloadable IDs, based on the incoming Downloadable ID, the security profile data including a list of suspicious computer operations that may be attempted by the Downloadable;

a file appender coupled with said receiver for appending are presentation of the Downloadable security profile data to the incoming Downloadable, to generate an appended Downloadable; and

a transmitter coupled with said file appender, for transmitting the appended Downloadable to a destination computer.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the Downloadable includes an applet.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the Downloadable includes an active control.

11. The system of claim 8 wherein the Downloadable includes program script.

12. The system of claim 8 wherein suspicious computer operations include calls made to an operating system, a file system, a network system, and to memory.

13. The system of claim 8 wherein the Downloadable security profile data includes a URL from where the Downloadable originated.

14. The system of claim 8 wherein the Downloadable security profile data includes a digital certificate.

15. A computer-based method, comprising the steps of:

receiving an incoming Downloadable;

performing a hashing function on the incoming Downloadable to compute an incoming Downloadable ID;

retrieving security profile data for the incoming Downloadable from a database of Downloadable security profiles indexed according to Downloadable IDs, based on the incoming Downloadable ID, the security profile data including a list of suspicious computer operations that may be attempted by the Downloadable; and

transmitting the incoming Downloadable and a representation of the retrieved Downloadable security profile data to a destination computer, via a transport protocol transmission.

16. The computer-based method of claim 15 wherein the Downloadable includes an applet.

17. The computer-based method of claim 15 wherein the Downloadable includes an active control.

18. The computer-based method of claim 15 wherein the Downloadable includes program script.

19. The computer-based method of claim 15 wherein suspicious computer operations include calls made to an operating system, a file system, a network system, and to memory.

20. The computer-based method of claim 15 wherein the Downloadable security profile data includes a URL from where the Downloadable originated.

21. The computer-based method of claim 15 wherein the Downloadable security profile data includes a digital certificate.

22. A system for managing Downloadables, comprising:

a receiver for receiving an incoming Downloadable;

a Downloadable identifier for performing a hashing function on the incoming Downloadable to compute an incoming Downloadable ID;

a database manager for retrieving security profile data for the incoming Downloadable from a database of Downloadable security profiles indexed according to Downloadable IDs, based on the incoming Downloadable ID, the security profile data including a list of suspicious computer operations that may be attempted by the Downloadable; and

a transmitter coupled with said receiver, for transmitting the incoming Downloadable and a representation of the retrieved Downloadable security profile data to a destination computer, via a transport protocol transmission.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein the Downloadable includes an applet.

24. The system of claim 22 wherein the Downloadable includes an active control.

25. The system of claim 22 wherein the Downloadable includes program script.

26. The system of claim 22 wherein suspicious computer operations include calls made to an operating system, a file system, a network system, and to memory.

27. The system of claim 22 wherein the Downloadable security profile data includes a URL from where the Downloadable originated.

28. The system of claim 22 wherein the Downloadable security profile data includes a digital certificate.

29. A computer-readable storage medium storing program code for causing at least one computing device to:

receive an incoming Downloadable;

perform a hashing function on the incoming Downloadable to compute an incoming Downloadable ID;

retrieve security profile data for the incoming Downloadable from a database of Downloadable security profiles indexed according to Downloadable IDs, based on the incoming Downloadable ID, the security profile data including a list of suspicious computer operations that may be attempted by the Downloadable;

append a representation of the retrieved Downloadable security profile data to the incoming Downloadable, to generate an appended Downloadable; and

transmit the appended Downloadable to a destination computer.

30. A computer-readable storage medium storing program code for causing at least one computing device to:

receive an incoming Downloadable;

perform a hashing function on the incoming Downloadable to compute an incoming Downloadable ID;

retrieve security profile data for the incoming Downloadable from a database of Downloadable security profiles indexed according to Downloadable IDs, based on the incoming Downloadable ID, the security profile data including a list of suspicious computer operations that may be attempted by the Downloadable; and

transmit the incoming Downloadable and a representation of the retrieved Downloadable security profile data to a destination computer, via a transport protocol transmission.