Secure browser

• US 9,055,048 B2
• Filed: 02/04/2009
• Issued: 06/09/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Questionmark Computing Limited (Learnosity Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Questionmark Computing Limited (Learnosity Ltd.)
• Inventors: Shepherd, Eric Robert, Roberts, Paul, Kleeman, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Shih, Haoshian
• Application Number:
  US12/365,665
• Publication Number:
  US 20090138804A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,316 Days
• Field of Search: 713/169, 713/151, 434/322, 434/362, 726/6, 715/741, 715/742
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/62 Protecting access to data via a platform, e.g. using keys or access control rules
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6209 to a single file or object, e.g. in a secure envelope, encrypted and accessed using a key, or with access control rules appended to the object itself
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/168 above the transport layer

Abstract

A method for interacting with a user, comprising communicating with at least one cooperative server through a normal browser; automatically receiving encrypted data having an associated received type code indicative of a requirement for a secure browser having restricted functionality with respect to a functionality of the normal browser; selectively and automatically invoking the secure browser for handling of the received encrypted data based on the received type code associated with the received encrypted data; receiving the encrypted data with the invoked secure browser for handling thereof, wherein the received encrypted data is not available for use by the user in the normal browser and the invoked secure browser imposes restrictions on availability outside of the secure browser of decrypted data derived from the encrypted data; and communicating an input from the user, through the secure browser, to the at least one cooperative server.

Claims

1. A method for interacting with a user, comprising:

communicating with a client and at least one cooperative server through a normal web browser, wherein the communication with the client and the at least one cooperative server through the normal web browser includes sending, from the normal browser at the client to the at least one cooperative server, a normal IP command when selecting a normal URL through the normal web browser;

in response to the at least one cooperative server receiving the normal IP command from the normal URL selected through the normal browser at the client,

receiving, at the client, an associated type code indicative of a requirement for a secure web browser having restricted functionality with respect to a functionality of the normal web browser;

launching the secure web browser at the client for handling secure content, wherein the secure web browser is automatically launched at the client based at least in part on the type code received at the client in response to the at least one cooperative server receiving the normal IP command from the normal URL selected through the normal browser at the client;

requesting, by the secure web browser from the at least one cooperative server, the secure content associated with the type code, wherein the secure content is requested by the secure web browser in response to the at least one cooperative server receiving the normal IP command from the normal URL selected through the normal browser at the client;

receiving the secure content with the launched secure web browser for handling the secure content, wherein the secure content is not available for use by the user in the normal web browser and the launched secure web browser imposes restrictions on availability outside of the secure web browser of data derived from the secure content; and

communicating an input from the user, through the secure web browser, to the at least one cooperative server.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising limiting access of the user, with the secure web browser, to documents outside of a specified set.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising authenticating the secure web browser, to assure that the secure web browser having the restricted functionality is authentic and available for handling of the secure content.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the secure web browser lacks one or more of the following functions:

print, save, cache, cut and copy, wherein the restrictions prevent one or more other applications from implementing the one or more lacking functions.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising transforming, by the secure web browser, text information into graphic objects for handling by the client.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising restricting termination of the secure web browser by the secure web browser.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the secure web browser comprises an applet executing within an environment of the normal web browser.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the normal web browser provides data export support functionality and the secure web browser has restricted data export functionality with respect to the data export functionality of the normal web browser, and

wherein the secure content is encrypted according to a public key-private key protocol.

9. A computer program product residing on a non-transitory computer readable medium having a plurality of instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

communicating with a client and at least one cooperative server through a normal web browser, wherein the communication with the client and the at least one cooperative server through the normal web browser includes sending, from the normal browser at the client to the at least one cooperative server, a normal IP command when selecting a normal URL through the normal web browser;

in response to the at least one cooperative server receiving the normal IP command from the normal URL selected through the normal browser at the client,

receiving, at the client, secure content having an associated type code indicative of a requirement for a secure web browser having restricted functionality with respect to a functionality of the normal web browser;

launching the secure web browser at the client for handling the received secure content, wherein the secure web browser is automatically launched at the client based at least in part on the type code received at the client in response to the at least one cooperative server receiving the normal IP command from the normal URL selected through the normal browser at the client;

requesting, by the secure web browser from the at least one cooperative server, the secure content associated with the type code, wherein the secure content is requested by the secure web browser in response to the at least one cooperative server receiving the normal IP command from the normal URL selected through the normal browser at the client;

receiving the secure content with the launched secure web browser for handling the secure content, wherein the secure content is not available for use by the user in the normal web browser and the launched secure web browser imposes restrictions on availability outside of the secure web browser of data derived from the secure content; and

communicating an input from the user, through the secure web browser, to the at least one cooperative server.

10. A method for interacting with a user, comprising:

communicating with a client and at least one cooperative server through a normal web browser, wherein the communication with the client and the at least one cooperative server through the normal web browser includes sending, from the normal browser at the client to the at least one cooperative server, a normal IP command when selecting a normal URL through the normal web browser;

in response to the at least one cooperative server receiving the normal IP command from the normal URL selected through the normal browser at the client,

receiving, at the client, an associated type code indicative of a requirement for a secure web browser having restricted functionality with respect to a functionality of the normal web browser;

launching the secure web browser at the client for handling the received secure content, wherein the secure web browser is automatically launched at the client based at least in part on the type code received at the client in response to the at least one cooperative server receiving the normal IP command from the normal URL selected through the normal browser at the client.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the secure web browser provides restricted navigational functionality with respect to navigational functionality of the normal web browser.

12. The method according to claim 10, further comprising, when the secure web browser is launched, limiting access of the user to a set of documents within a predetermined set.

13. The method according to claim 10, further comprising authenticating the secure web browser with a remote server prior to presenting decrypted content of the secure content to a user at the client.

14. The method according to claim 10, wherein the secure web browser prevents use of one or more of the following functions:

save, copy, and navigate to unrestricted documents.

15. The method according to claim 10, further comprising restricting, by the secure web browser, termination of the secure web browser.

16. The method according to claim 10, wherein encrypted information to encrypt the secure content is encrypted using a public key-private key protocol.

17. The method according to claim 10, wherein encrypted information to encrypt the secure content is encrypted using a shared secret protocol.

18. The method according to claim 10, wherein the secure web browser is granted exclusive control over graphic user interface functionality of the client when launched.

19. The method according to claim 10, further comprising authenticating the at least one cooperative server by the secure web browser prior to presenting decrypted information to decrypt the secure content to the client.

20. A computer program product residing on a non-transitory computer readable medium having a plurality of instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

communicating with a client and at least one cooperative server through a normal web browser, wherein the communication with the client and the at least one cooperative server through the normal web browser includes sending, from the normal browser at the client to the at least one cooperative server, a normal IP command when selecting a normal URL through the normal web browser;

in response to the at least one cooperative server receiving the normal IP command from the normal URL selected through the normal browser at the client,

receiving, at the client, an associated type code indicative of a requirement for a secure web browser having restricted functionality with respect to a functionality of the normal web browser;

launching the secure web browser at the client for handling the received secure content, wherein the secure web browser is automatically launched at the client based at least in part on the type code received at the client in response to the at least one cooperative server receiving the normal IP command from the normal URL selected through the normal browser at the client.

21. An automated computer system for interacting with a user, comprising:

a processor of a client computer configured to execute a normal web browser configured to communicate with at least one cooperative server, wherein the communication with the client and the at least one cooperative server through the normal web browser includes sending, from the normal browser at the client to the at least one cooperative server, a normal IP command when selecting a normal URL through the normal web browser;

in response to the at least one cooperative server receiving the normal IP command from the normal URL selected through the normal browser at the client,

a communications interface of the client computer configured to receive, at the client, an associated type code indicative of a requirement for a secure web browser having restricted functionality with respect to a functionality of the normal web browser;

and

wherein the processor is further configured to launch the secure web browser at the client computer for handling secure content, wherein the secure web browser is automatically launched at the client based at least in part on the type code received at the client in response to the at least one cooperative server receiving the normal IP command from the normal URL selected through the normal browser at the client.

22. The automated computer system of claim 21 wherein the normal URL includes at least one parameter indicating a particular assessment to be run as the secure content.