Back to results
US 8,146,164 B2Granted
Method and apparatus for thwarting spyware
OwnerKobi O. Eshun, Donald W. Mahurininventors
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A trusted apparatus including an input filter, security mode indicator working with a proxy node thwart the possibility of spyware being able to observe user input when a security mode signal indicates security mode asserted. The trusted apparatus may further include any combination of the user input device, the proxy node, and a router. A personal computing device may include the trusted apparatus. The proxy node may include the router. The proxy node operates to create an authentic response based upon the authentic input from the input filter, and may be operated to create revenue, which is also a product of these processes.
Claims45
A trusted apparatus, comprising:
- hardware including at least one input filter, a security mode indicator and a security mode controller;
- the at least one input filter and the security mode indicator, both responding to a security mode signal provided by the security mode controller;
- wherein said input filter, further comprises:
- at least one input coupling for at least one user input device;
- a personal device interface for providing a surrogate data to a personal computing device after a field request is received from a browser operating on said personal computing device and when said security mode signal indicates said security mode asserted,
- wherein said surrogate data is not an authentic data when said security mode asserted;
- and
- a secure channel interface to a secure channel that sends said authentic data to an intended recipient of a network communication without said authentic data being sent to any component of said personal computing device and with said authentic data based upon at least one input symbol from at least one of said user input devices while said security mode signal indicates said security mode asserted and after said field request received;
- wherein the surrogate data is provided to the personal computing device in place of the authentic data;
- wherein the trusted apparatus communicates with the intended recipient of the network communication over a network and via a proxy node;
- wherein said security mode indicator responds to said security mode signal to report when said security mode signal indicates said security mode asserted;
- with said proxy node configured to insert itself between the intended recipient of the network communication with said personal computing device,
- said browser detects the presence of said proxy node between said personal computing device and said intended recipient of the network communication and issues a warning that there is a man-in-the-middle, and
- with said security mode indicator configured to indicate that said proxy node as said man in-the-middle is trusted based upon said security mode asserted.
11 more elements
A method, comprising the step of:
- operating a trusted apparatus as hardware, including the steps of
- providing by a security mode controller of a security mode signal received by a security mode indicator;
- responding by said security mode indicator to said security mode signal being asserted by reporting when said security mode signal is asserted;
- responding by at least one input filter to said security mode signal being asserted, further comprising the steps of
- operating by said input filter of a coupling to at least one user input device to receive at least one input symbol from said user input device and creating a surrogate data different from an authentic data based upon said input symbol when said security mode is asserted;
- operating a personal device interface by said input filter for providing said surrogate data to a personal computing device after a field request is received from a browser operating on said personal computing device and when said security mode signal indicates said security mode asserted,
- with said surrogate data provided to said personal computing device in place of said authentic data;
- operating a secure channel interface, by said input filter, that sends said authentic data to an intended recipient of a network communication without said authentic data being sent to any component of said personal computing device while said security mode signal indicates said security mode asserted and after said field request received,
- with said intended recipient configured to, respond to said authentic data by producing an authentic response;
- responding by said security mode indicator to a warning of a man-in-the-middle from said browser detecting a proxy node between said personal computing device and said intended recipient and issues, further comprising indicating by said security mode indicator that said proxy node as said man-in-the-middle is trusted based upon said security mode asserted.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.