System and method for indicating security
View Patent ↗A universal indicator may be provided to users accessing content over a network to help the users identify which content is safe and which content is not. The indicator may be a positive indicator for safe sites, or a negative indicator for unsafe sites, and may be conspicuously positioned on a portion of the browser to alert users which Internet sites are safe. The positive icon may be displayed only if all of a predetermined set of criteria are met, wherein the predetermined criteria consider network vulnerabilities, server vulnerabilities, and unscrupulous business practice vulnerabilities.
1. A method for indicating a level of network security, the method comprising:
receiving a request to access content of the network;
determining, using a processor:
whether the network over which the content is accessed includes vulnerabilities;
whether a server through which the content is provided includes vulnerabilities; and
whether, based on consumer reports, a business associated with the content is unreliable, the consumer reports including shipping records, user reviews, and responses by the business's customer service;
selecting a first indicator if each of the determinations by the processor is negative;
selecting a second indicator if any of the determinations by the processor are positive; and
transmitting the selected indicator for display.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising maintaining a record of the determinations made by the processor.
3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising periodically updating the record.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the indicator is universal across a plurality of different browsers.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first indicator and second indicator are selectable by a user.
6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing detailed information regarding the determinations made by the processor.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining whether the network over which the content is accessed includes vulnerabilities comprises determining whether the content meets a predetermined set of network security criteria.
8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the predetermined set of network security criteria comprises:
the content has a current, active SSL certificate encrypting a connection between a source of the content and a client device;
the content is using an approved encryption algorithm to encrypt the connection; and
the content does not have mixed scripting.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining whether a server through which the content is provided includes vulnerabilities comprises determining whether the content is included on a safe-browsing blacklist.
10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising downloading the safe-browsing blacklist.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining whether any reports of unscrupulous business activities are associated with the content comprises at least one of:
determining whether the content is listed on a site whitelist, wherein the site whitelist identifies businesses that have been verified; and
determining whether information associated with the content is included in spam e-mails.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the determining is performed at a user device.
13. A device for indicating a level of security, the system comprising:
a memory storing information for indicating the level of security; and
a processor coupled to the memory and configured to:
receive a request to access content of the network;
determine whether the network over which the content is accessed includes vulnerabilities;
determine whether a server through which the content is provided includes vulnerabilities;
determine whether, based on consumer reports, a business associated with the content is unreliable, the consumer reports including shipping records, user reviews, and responses by the business's customer service;
select a first indicator if each of the determinations by the processor is negative;
select a second indicator if any of the determinations by the processor are positive; and
transmit the selected indicator for display.
14. The device of claim 13 , wherein the device is a client device.
15. The device of claim 13 , wherein the device is a server.
16. The device of claim 13 , wherein the first indicator and the second indicator are icons.
17. The device of claim 13 , wherein the first indicator and the second indicator are banners including text.
18. The device of claim 13 , wherein the information stored in the memory for indicating the level of security includes resources associated with the requested content.
19. The device of claim 18 , wherein the resources comprise at least one of safe-browsing blacklists, site whitelists, consumer reports, and reports of spam e-mails.
20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium on which computer readable instructions of a program are stored, the instructions, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method of indicating a level of network security, the method comprising:
receiving a request to access content of the network;
determining whether the network over which the content is accessed includes vulnerabilities;
determining whether a server through which the content is provided includes vulnerabilities;
determining whether, based on consumer reports, a business associated with the content is unreliable, the consumer reports including shipping records, user reviews, and responses by the business's customer service;
selecting a first indicator if each of the determinations by the processor is negative;
selecting a second indicator if any of the determinations by the processor are positive; and
transmitting the selected indicator for display.