Search Ranger System and Double-Funnel Model for Search Spam Analyses and Browser Protection
AssigneeMicrosoft Corporation
InventorsYi-Min Wang, Ming Ma
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An exemplary method for defeating server-side click-through cloaking includes retrieving a search results page to set a browser variable, inserting a link to a page into the search results page and clicking through to the page using the inserted link. An exemplary method for investigating client-side cloaking includes providing script associated with a suspected spam URL, modifying the script to de-obfuscate the script and executing the modified script to reveal cloaking logic associated with the script. Other methods, systems, etc., are also disclosed.
Claims14
A method, implemented at least in part by a computing device, for defeating click-through cloaking, the method comprising:
- retrieving a search results page to set a browser variable;
- inserting a link to a page into the search results page;
- and
- clicking through to the page using the inserted link.
A method, implemented at least in part by a computing device, for defeating click-through cloaking, the method comprising:
- performing a search using a search engine to generate search results;
- identifying a page in the search results as a suspected spam page;
- initiating a direct visit to the suspect spam page without clicking through the search results;
- inserting a fabricated value in a Referrer field of a HTTP header;
- and
- visiting the suspect spam page without clicking through the search results.
A method, implemented at least in part by a computing device, for tagging a URL as a spam suspect, the method comprising:
- providing a URL;
- scanning the URL and recording a scan result;
- scanning the URL using an anti-cloaking mechanism and recording an anti-cloaking scan result;
- comparing the scan result and the anti-cloaking scan result;
- and
- based on the comparison, determining if the URL is a spam suspect.
A method, implemented at least in part by a computing device, for tagging URLs as spam suspects, the method comprising:
- providing a group of URLs;
- scanning the URLs and recording a scan result for each URL;
- scanning the URLs using an anti-cloaking mechanism and recording an anti-cloaking scan result for each URL;
- for each URL, comparing the scan result and the anti-cloaking scan result;
- and
- for each URL, based on the comparison, determining if the URL is a spam suspect.
A method, implemented at least in part by a computing device, for investigating client-side cloaking, the method comprising:
- providing script associated with a suspected spam URL;
- modifying the script to de-obfuscate the script;
- and
- executing the modified script to reveal cloaking logic associated with the script.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.