System and method of monitoring and controlling application files

• US 8,701,194 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2011
• Issued: 04/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Forcepoint LLC
• Original Assignee: Forcepoint LLC
• Inventors: Kester, Harold M., Dimm, John Ross, Anderson, Mark Richard, Hegli, Ronald B
• Primary Examiner(s): Zee, Edward
• Application Number:
  US13/230,661
• Publication Number:
  US 20120005212A1
• Time in Patent Office: 946 Days
• Field of Search: 726/22, 726/24, 726/25, 713/187, 713/188, 713/189, 713/191, 713/193
• US Class Current: 726/24
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/50 Monitoring users, programs or devices to maintain the integrity of platforms, e.g. of processors, firmware or operating systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/55 Detecting local intrusion or implementing counter-measures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/56 Computer malware detection or handling, e.g. anti-virus arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/57 Certifying or maintaining trusted computer platforms, e.g. secure boots or power-downs, version controls, system software checks, secure updates or assessing vulnerabilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A system and method for updating a system that controls files executed on a workstation. The workstation includes a workstation management module configured to detect the launch of an application. A workstation application server receives data associated with the application from the workstation. This data can include a hash value. The application server module can determine one or more categories to associate with the application by referencing an application inventory database or requesting the category from an application database factory. The application database factory can receive applications from multiple application server modules. The application database factory determines whether the application was previously categorized by the application database factory and provides the category to the application server module. Once the application server module has the category, it forwards a hash/policy table to the workstation management module. Upon receipt of the hash/policy table, the workstation management module applies the policy that is associated with the launched application to control access to the application on the workstation.

Claims

1. A method for updating a system which controls spyware programs on a computer, the method comprising:

receiving an identifier from a first computer, the identifier being associated with a spyware program on the first computer;

associating a category with the identifier if the category was not previously associated with the identifier;

sending at least the category associated with the identifier to a second computer for scanning the second computer for the spyware program associated with the identifier; and

providing instructions to the second computer to scan for the spyware program based at least in part on the associated category, the scan occurring independent of whether the spyware program is executed.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying the results of the scan on the second computer.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein associating the category with the identifier is performed at a remote computer from the first computer.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

identifying a second spyware program stored on a third computer;

determining whether the second spyware program is associated with a category;

if the second spyware program is associating with a second category, applying one or more policies associated with the second category;

if the second spyware program is not categorized, adding a second identifier indicative of the second spyware program to a database; and

uploading the database including the second identifier to a remote computer.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the second spyware program on the third computer is in the database.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the association of a category is based, at least in part, on a frequency of requested execution of the spyware application.

7. A method for updating a system which controls spyware programs on a computer, the method comprising:

receiving a database of identifiers at a database factory, the database being determined at least in part by a comparison between an identifier associated with a software program and a database at a first computer;

collecting information relating to the software program associated with the identifier;

categorizing the software program associated with the identifier based at least in part on the collected information; and

providing the identifier to a second computer for scanning the second computer for the categorized software program associated with the identifier, the scanning occurring independent of whether the categorized software program is executed.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising providing the category associated with the software program to the first computer.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising determining access privileges for the software program at the first computer based on the category associated with the software program.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the collected information is from the Internet.

11. The method of claim 7 further comprising searching the Internet for at least a portion of the collected information.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the information relating to the software program is collected from the first computer.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein the information relating to the software program is determined from the software program.

14. The method of claim 7, wherein categorizing the software program is performed at least in part by a user.

15. A system for sharing a software database between a plurality of computers across a network, the system comprising:

a first computer having a first database and a software program, the first database including identifiers associated with software programs and associated with categories, the first database not including an identifier associated with the software program;

a second computer having a second database, the second database including a first identifier associated with the software program on the first computer, the second computer being configured to collect information relating to the first identifier and determine a category to associate with the first identifier based at least in part on the collected information; and

a third computer receiving at least the first identifier and the category determined by the second computer and scanning for the software program associated with the received first identifier, the scanning occurring independent of whether the software program is executed.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the first computer further comprises a policy associated with the category determined by the second computer.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the first computer is configured to apply the policy associated with the category.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the first computer is configured to receive the category associated with the software program.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the third computer comprises a third database including identifiers associated with software programs and associated with categories, the third computer being configured to update the third database with the first identifier and the category received from the second computer.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the third computer is configured to apply a policy associated with the first identifier and the category received from the second computer.