Method and apparatus for look-ahead security scanning
US8037527B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 1, 2005 |
| Grant date | Oct 11, 2011 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 16, 2029 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04L63/145
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method and apparatus for look-ahead security. Within a document (e.g., a web page, a word processing document, a list of electronic mail messages), a link to other content or another document is selected and the content is identified before a user clicks on the link to open the content. The content is placed into a safe cache that prevents the content from adversely affecting the user's computing device. The content is scanned and/or its behavior is analyzed to detect any security threats or undesirable content (e.g., viruses, worms, scripts, adware, spyware, pornography). Results of the analysis may be collected at a central server. The link or an associated indicator may be configured to indicate whether a threat is present; more information may be provided as desired. A user may be provided with various options to ignore a threat, disable the link, etc.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.