Indicating Website reputations during Website manipulation of user information

• US 8,516,377 B2
• Filed: 09/15/2012
• Issued: 08/20/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: McAfee, LLC
• Original Assignee: McAfee, Inc. (McAfee, LLC)
• Inventors: Dixon, Christopher John, Pinckney, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): BAUTISTA, XIOMARA L
• Application Number:
  US13/621,037
• Publication Number:
  US 20130014020A1
• Time in Patent Office: 339 Days
• Field of Search: 715/700, 715/733, 715/738, 715/764, 715/765, 715/835, 715/846, 705/1.1, 705/26.1, 705/35, 705/44, 709/201, 709/203, 709/217, 709/219, 713/200, 713/201, 707/781, 707/783
• US Class Current: 715/738
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/95 Retrieval from the web
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/44 Program or device authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2119 Authenticating web pages, e.g. with suspicious links
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2139 Recurrent verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1441 Countermeasures against malicious traffic countermeasures against attacks on cryptographic mechanisms H04L9/002
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1483 service impersonation, e.g. phishing, pharming or web spoofing detection of rogue wireless access points H04W12/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers

Abstract

An aspect of the present invention relates to methods and systems involving receiving an indicator of an attempted interaction of a client computing facility with an item of content associated with a website and presenting an indicator of reputation to a client computing facility attempting to interact with the web content. The indicator of reputation may be based at least in part upon whether an entity associated with the web content seeks to manipulate a user in order to obtain information from the user.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving an indicator of an attempted interaction of a client device with an item of content associated with a network site; and

presenting an indicator of reputation to the client device, wherein the indicator of reputation is based at least in part upon whether the network site encourages a user to subscribe to an item or a service requiring recurring payments.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the indicator of reputation is further based at least in part upon whether an entity associated with the item of content seeks to manipulate a user in order to obtain information from the user.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the entity purports to be an administrator of a different entity.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the item of content associated with the network site is an email purporting to request a password from a user.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the entity unnecessarily requests a credit card number of a user.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the entity unnecessarily requests a password of a user.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the entity offers an item of consideration in exchange for information of a user.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the entity engages in a communication that encourages a user to open an attachment.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein the entity engages in a communication that encourages a user to download a file.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the item of content is a webpage.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the network site presents a link or advertisement to redirect the user to another network site.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the link is a false error window.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the link is a false advertisement.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the redirection is to a network site with an unfavorable reputation.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the network site is a website.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the network site includes a server.

17. A storage device having program instructions stored therein that when executed by a processor perform operations, comprising:

receiving an indicator of an attempted interaction of a client device with an item of content associated with a network site; and

presenting an indicator of reputation to the client device, wherein the indicator of reputation is based at least in part upon whether the network site encourages a user to subscribe to an item or a service requiring recurring payments.

18. The storage device of claim 17, wherein the indicator of reputation is further based at least in part upon whether an entity associated with the item of content seeks to manipulate a user in order to obtain information from the user.

19. A server comprising:

a memory configured to store data, and

a processor operable to execute instructions associated with the data, the network analyzer being configured to;

receive an indicator of an attempted interaction of a client device with an item of content associated with a network site; and

present an indicator of reputation to the client device, wherein the indicator of reputation is based at least in part upon whether the network site encourages a user to subscribe to an item or a service requiring recurring payments.

20. The server of claim 19, wherein the indicator of reputation is further based at least in part upon whether an entity associated with the item of content seeks to manipulate a user in order to obtain information from the user.