System and method for securing a browser against font usage fingerprinting
AssigneeCapital One Services, LLC
InventorsAbdelkader Benkreira, Michael Mossoba, Joshua Edwards
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In a method for securing a web browser, display instructions for displaying web content are received from a content server by a web browser operating on a client computing device. The web browser creates a document object using the display instructions and determines from the document object whether one or more of the display instructions meet font profiling criteria selected to identify attempts to profile font display characteristics of the web browser. Responsive to a determination that font profiling criteria are met, the web browser alters a character display of the document object and implements the document object for displaying the web content on the client computing device.
Claims20
A system for securing a web browser, the system comprising:
- a client computing device comprising a data processor, a data storage module, and a display, the data processor being programmed to perform operations comprising:
- receiving, from a content server by a web browser operating on the client computing device, a set of display instructions to display web content on the display of the client computing device;
- creating a display object using the set of display instructions;
- reviewing the display object by the web browser to determine whether one or more instructions of the set of display instructions meet font profiling criteria;
- responsive to a determination that font profiling criteria are met, altering the display object by the web browser to change a display of one or more font characters requested in the set of display instructions;
- and
- executing the altered display object,
- wherein the font profiling criteria include at least two of the set consisting of
- identification of an instruction to display one or more font characters in a manner that is not visible to a user of the client computing device,
- identification of an instruction to transmit back to the server dimensional information for the displayed one or more font characters,
- identification of an instruction to use a font that has a browser use frequency less than a minimum use frequency, and
- identification of instructions to use a number of fonts in excess of a predetermined font usage limit.
A method for securing a web browser, the method comprising:
- receiving display instructions for displaying web content from a content server by a web browser operating on a client computing device;
- creating, by the web browser, a document object using the display instructions;
- determining, by the web browser from the document object, whether one or more of the display instructions meet font profiling criteria selected to identify attempts to profile font display characteristics of the web browser;
- responsive to a determination that font profiling criteria are met, altering, by the web browser, a character display of the document object;
- and
- implementing the document object for displaying the web content on the client computing device
- wherein the font profiling criteria include at least two of the set consisting of
- identification of an instruction to display one or more font characters in a manner that is not visible to a user of the client computing device,
- identification of an instruction to transmit back to the server dimensional information for the displayed one or more font characters,
- identification of an instruction to use a font that has a browser use frequency less than a minimum use frequency, and
- identification of instructions to use a number of fonts in excess of a predetermined font usage limit.
A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing instructions that, when executed by a data processor, cause the data processor to perform operations comprising:
- receiving display instructions for displaying web content from a content server;
- creating a document object using the display instructions;
- determining, from the document object, whether one or more of the display instructions meet font profiling criteria selected to identify attempts to profile font display characteristics;
- responsive to a determination that font profiling criteria are met, altering a character display of the document object;
- and
- implementing the document object for displaying the web content,
- wherein the font profiling criteria include at least two of the set consisting of
- identification of an instruction to display one or more font characters in a manner that is not visible to a user,
- identification of an instruction to transmit back to the server dimensional information for the displayed one or more font characters,
- identification of an instruction to use a font that has a browser use frequency less than a minimum use frequency, and
- identification of instructions to use a number of fonts in excess of a predetermined font usage limit.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.