System and method for adapting an internet filter

• US 8,751,514 B2
• Filed: 08/26/2011
• Issued: 06/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Forcepoint LLC
• Original Assignee: Forcepoint LLC
• Inventors: Kester, Harold, Ruskin, Dan, Lee, Chris, Anderson, Mark
• Primary Examiner(s): Mofiz, Apu
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Cindy
• Application Number:
  US13/219,415
• Publication Number:
  US 20110307513A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,019 Days
• Field of Search: 707/769, 707/781, 707/754
• US Class Current: 707/754
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0227 Filtering policies mail message filtering H04L51/212
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access

Abstract

A system and method for updating a filtering system which controls access to a website/page between a local area network (LAN) and an Internet. The LAN includes an Internet gateway system coupled to a workstation and configured to receive a URL request. The system controls access to the website/page associated with the URL based on one or more categories that are associated with the URL. The Internet gateway system can determine the category that is associated with the URL by referencing a master database or requesting the category from a database factory. The database factory can receive URLs from multiple Internet gateway systems. The database factory determines whether the identifier was previously categorized by the database factory and provides the category to the Internet gateway system. Once the Internet gateway system has the category, it applies rules associated with the category and user to filter access to the requested website/page.

Claims

1. A database factory for updating a filtering system which controls a computer'"'"'s access to a wide area network (WAN) of websites/pages, the database factory comprising:

a hardware processor;

a hardware memory, operably coupled to the hardware processor, and configured to store instructions for the hardware processor, the hardware memory comprising;

an upload/download module configured to cause the processor to receive an identifier associated with a website/page accessed by the computer whose access to the wide area network is controlled by the filtering system and information associated with the identifier;

an identifier processing module configured to cause the processor to determine whether the identifier is categorized based at least in part on the identifier and the associated information, wherein the identifier processing module is configured to compare the identifier to information stored in the database to determine if the identifier is categorized;

a categorization module configured to cause the processor to categorize the identifier based at least in part on one of;

the identifier, the website associated with the identifier, and information associated with the identifier; and

a database configured to receive information relating to the categorized identifier.

2. The database factory of claim 1, wherein the upload/download module is configured to download at least a portion of the database to the filtering system.

3. The database factory of claim 1, wherein the information associated with the identifier comprises as least one of:

a request frequency, an indicator, a trace ID, and a primary language.

4. The database factory of claim 1, wherein the categorization module comprises an automated engine configured to categorize the identifier.

5. The database factory of claim 4, wherein the automated engine is configured to determine a statistical probability or a multidimensional vector during the categorization process.

6. The database factory of claim 1, wherein the categorization module uses one of word analysis, adaptive learning systems, and image analysis to categorize the identifier.

7. The database factory of claim 1, wherein the categorization module is further configured to determine whether a human checker is required to review the category of the identifier.

8. The database factory of claim 1, wherein the categorization module comprises a language analyzer configured to determine the language of the website/page associated with the identifier.

9. The database factory of claim 1, wherein the information associated with the identifier indicates a frequency at which the identifier is requested by the computer, and wherein the identifier processing module merges and sorts identifiers and associated information received from at least two computers based on the frequency.

10. The database factory of claim 1, wherein the database factory is further configured to find an identifier through one of:

a domain name system, an interne search engine, mining high trafficked website/page directories, and receiving suggested websites/pages.

11. A method of processing an identifier associated with a website/page accessed by a computer having network access to a wide area network (WAN), the access controlled by a filtering system, the method comprising:

receiving the identifier associated with a website/page accessed by the computer whose network access to the wide area network is controlled by the filtering system;

determining whether the identifier is categorized at least in part by comparing the identifier to a database;

if the identifier is not categorized, categorizing the identifier;

adding information relating to the identifier and to the categorization of the identifier to the database; and

downloading at least a portion of the database to a computer, the downloaded portion comprising information relating to the identifier and to the categorization of the identifier.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

processing information associated with the identifier; and

merging and sorting identifiers and information associated with the identifiers from at least two computers.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein an automated engine categorizes the identifier.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein categorizing the identifier comprises performing language analysis to determine the language of the website/page associated with the identifier.

15. A method of categorizing identifiers associated with a website/page at a database factory, the method comprising:

receiving collection data at the database factory,

processing the collection data to identify at least one identifier;

processing the collection data to identify at least one indication of a frequency of access of the website/page associated with the at least one identifier;

merging and sorting the collection data based on the at least one indication of a frequency of access;

if the identifier is not categorized, categorizing the identifier based on the merging and sorting; and

updating a database with the categorized identifier.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising downloading at least a portion of the updated database to a computer.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein processing the collection data comprises decrypting and uncompressing the collection data.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein categorizing the identifier includes receiving categorization input from a human.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the collection data is associated with user requested websites/pages.