Preventing exposure of private information
AssigneeSymantec Corporation
InventorsAdam Schepis, Keith Newstadt
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A client communicates with private websites and/or public websites via a network. The client includes a security engine that prevents a user from unknowingly exposing private information. The security engine monitors web browsing for user submittal of information to a website. The security engine determines a category for the website and analyzes the information submitted to the website. The security engine determines if there is a risk of exposing information from the submittal and performs enforcement if it is determined that there is a risk.
Claims14
A computer-implemented method for preventing a user from exposing private information on a website, the method comprising:
- receiving information from a user for submission to a website;
- determining a category associated with the website to which the user is submitting the information, the category associated with the website indicating whether the website publicly exposes information submitted to the website or whether the website includes private information that should not be publically exposed;
- determining a category associated with the information indicating whether the information should not be publically exposed or whether the information has already been publically exposed;
- comparing the category associated with the website and the category associated with the information;
- determining that submitting the information to the website is a security risk based on the comparison indicating that the category associated with the website indicates that the website publicly exposes information submitted to the website and that the category associated with the information indicates that the information should not be publicly exposed;
- and
- performing an enforcement action responsive to determining that submitting the information to the website is a security risk.
A computer-implemented system for preventing a user from exposing private information on a website, comprising:
- a computer processor;
- and
- a computer-readable storage medium storing computer program code configured to execute on the computer processor, the computer program code when executed performing steps comprising:
- receiving information from a user for submission to a website;
- determining a category associated with the website to which the user is submitting the information, the category associated with the website indicating whether the website publicly exposes information submitted to the website or whether the website includes private information that should not be publically exposed;
- determining a category associated with the information indicating whether the information should not be publically exposed or whether the information has already been publically exposed;
- comparing the category associated with the website and the category associated with the information;
- determining that submitting the information to the website is a security risk based on the comparison indicating that the category associated with the website indicates that the website publicly exposes information submitted to the website and that the category associated with the information indicates that the information should not be publicly exposed;
- and
- performing an enforcement action responsive to determining that submitting the information to the website is a security risk.
A computer program product having a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable code for preventing a user from exposing private information on a website, the code when executed performing steps comprising:
- receiving information from a user for submission to a website;
- determining a category associated with the website to which the user is submitting the information, the category associated with the website indicating whether the website publicly exposes information submitted to the website or whether the website includes private information that should not be publically exposed;
- determining a category associated with the information indicating whether the information should not be publically exposed or whether the information has already been publically exposed;
- comparing the category associated with the website and the category associated with the information;
- determining that submitting the information to the website is a security risk based on the comparison indicating that the category associated with the website indicates that the website publicly exposes information submitted to the website and that the category associated with the information indicates that the information should not be publicly exposed;
- and
- performing an enforcement action responsive to determining that submitting the information to the website is a security risk.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.