Webroot Inc.

Webroot Software, Inc.

Harry Murphey McCloy, Iii

Robert Edward Adams

Joe Jaroch

Craig Mitchell Shifman

A protection module operates to analyze threats, at the protocol level (e.g., at the HTML level), by intercepting all requests that a browser engine resident in a computing device sends and receives, and the protection agent completes the requests without the help of the browser engine. And then the protection module analyzes and/or modifies the completed data before the browser engine has access to it, to, for example, display it. After performing all of its processing, removing, and/or adding any code as needed, the protection module provides the HTML content to the browser engine, and the browser engine receives responses from the protection agent as if it was speaking to an actual web server, when in fact, browser engine is speaking to an analysis engine of the protection module.

Proactive browser content analysis

A method and system for identifying network addresses associated with suspect network destinations is described. One embodiment receives a target Uniform Resource Locator (URL) to be analyzed; segments the target URL into a set of component parts; classifies each component part in the set of component parts as a primary domain, a subdomain, or a page; hashes each component part in the set of component parts to produce a hash value for that component part; compares the hash values of the set of component parts from the target URL with hash values stored in a database, the hash values stored in the database having been obtained by segmenting, classifying, and hashing, in the same manner as the target URL, each of a set of URLs known to be associated with suspect network destinations; computing a score that indicates the extent to which the hash values of the set of component parts from the target URL match hash values stored in the database; and taking corrective action, when the score satisfies a predetermined criterion. In one embodiment, taking correction action includes notifying a user that the target URL is believed to be associated with a suspect network destination. In another embodiment, taking corrective action includes blocking a network connection between a computer and the network destination associated with the target URL.

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Longmont, CO, United States of America

Harry Murphey McCloy, Iii