Secure systems, software, and methods for verifying user-agent string by interrogation

A non-transitory computer-readable storage media encoded with a computer program including instructions executable by a processor to create an application for verifying a user-agent string, the application comprising:

• a. an inventory of user-agent verification questions;
• b. a software module configured to generate a user-agent verification quiz, the quiz comprising at least one user-agent verification question drawn from the inventory of questions;
• c. a software module configured to transmit the quiz to an unverified user-agent, the transmitted quiz comprising a cryptographically secured signature;
• d. a software module configured to receive a response to the quiz, the response comprising a reported user-agent string, wherein the user-agent string, which does not include any personally identifiable information, is reported by the user-agent to publicly characterize said user-agent, a result for each question, and the cryptographically secured signature;
• e. a software module configured to validate the response;
• f. a software module configured to compare each result to a result expected from the reported user-agent string;
• and
• g. a software module configured to provide a verification token to the user-agent if each result matches the corresponding expected result.

A computer-implemented system comprising:

• a. a digital processing device comprising an operating system configured to perform executable instructions and a memory device;
• b. a computer program including instructions executable by the digital processing device to create an application for verifying a user-agent string, the application comprising:
• i. a software module configured to transmit a quiz to an unverified user-agent, the quiz comprising at least one user-agent verification question drawn from an inventory of user-agent verification questions and a cryptographically secured signature;
• ii. a software module configured to receive a response to the quiz, the response comprising a reported user-agent string, wherein the user-agent string, which does not include any personally identifiable information, is reported by the user-agent to publicly characterize said user-agent, a result for each question, and the cryptographically secured signature;
• and
• iii. a software module configured to compare each result to a result expected from the reported user-agent string to verify the fidelity of the reported user-agent string.

A computer-implemented method for verifying a user-agent string comprising the steps of:

• a. generating, by a computer, a user-agent verification quiz, the quiz comprising at least one user-agent verification question drawn from an inventory of user-agent verification questions;
• b. transmitting, by the computer, the quiz to an unverified user-agent, the transmitted quiz comprising a cryptographically secured signature;
• c. receiving, at the computer, a response to the quiz, the response comprising a reported user-agent string, wherein the user-agent string, which does not include any personally identifiable information, is reported by the user-agent to publicly characterize said user-agent, a result for each question, and the cryptographically secured signature;
• d. validating, by the computer, the response to the quiz utilizing the cryptographically secured signature;
• and
• e. comparing, by the computer, each result to a result expected from the reported user-agent string to verify the fidelity of the reported user-agent string.