Detecting device masquerading in application programming interface (API) transactions
US10715548B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 16, 2017 |
| Grant date | Jul 14, 2020 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 7, 2038 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04L63/1425
- WIPO fieldDigital communication
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
This disclosure describes a technique to determine whether a client computing device accessing an API is masquerading its device type (i.e., pretending to be a device that it is not). To this end, and according to this disclosure, the client performs certain processing requested by the server to reveal its actual processing capabilities and thereby its true device type, whereupon—once the server learns the true nature of the client device—it can take appropriate actions to mitigate or prevent further damage. To this end, during the API transaction the server returns information to the client device that causes the client device to perform certain computations or actions. The resulting activity is captured on the client computing and then transmitted back to the server, which then analyzes the data to inform its decision about the true client device type. Thus, when the server detects the true client device type (as opposed to the device type that the device is masquerading to be), it can take appropriate action to defend the site.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.