URL evaluation for mobile web browsers
A computer readable medium causing a processor to evaluate a URL: when an evaluation resides in a cache, determine whether the URL is safe based on the evaluation, and when an evaluation does not reside in cache: perform an evaluation for the URL using one or more virus scanners, store the evaluation in the cache and determine whether the URL is safe based on the evaluation, when the URL is safe, load and display the web page for the URL, and when the URL is not safe, block the web page for the URL from being loaded and displayed, further determine whether a QA check criterion is met, if so, send the URL to an evaluator for behavioral analysis of the web page of the URL, and store results of the behavioral analysis of the web page of the URL, received from the evaluator, in a QA database.
1. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions, which, when executed by a processor of an electronic device, cause the processor to dynamically inspect uniform resource locators (URLs) for respective web pages, comprising:
receive as input a time series of URLs for respective web pages, the URLs denoted URL 1 , URL 2 , . . . ;
inspect the time series of URLs, comprising, for each URL n :
when a risk level evaluation for URL n resides in a cache, determine whether URL n is deemed safe based on the cached risk level evaluation; and
when a risk level evaluation for URL n does not reside in cache:
perform a risk level evaluation for URL n using one or more virus scanners;
store the risk level evaluation for URL n in the cache; and
determine whether URL n is deemed safe based on the performed risk level evaluation;
when URL n is deemed safe, load and display the web page for URL n ; and
when URL n is not deemed safe, block the web page for URL n from being loaded and displayed; and
further inspect the time series of URL n , comprising:
regardless of whether URL n is deemed safe or is not deemed safe, determine whether a quality assurance (QA) sample selection criterion is met for URL n ;
when the QA sample selection criterion is met, send URL n to an evaluator server for behavioral analysis identifying suspicious operations performed by content of the web page for URL n ,
wherein the QA sample selection criterion is to select every N th URL for behavioral analysis evaluation, where N is a positive integer.
2. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein the instructions further cause the processor to display a bar with URL evaluation data for a pre-configured period of time, at the bottom of the displayed web page for URL n .
3. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein the processor receives URL n as input, in response to activation of a user interface control displayed below a currently displayed web page.
4. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein the instructions further cause the processor to generate an audible alert when the web page of URL n is blocked from being loaded and displayed.
5. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein the instructions further cause the processor to immediately load and display the web page of URL n when URL n is known to be trusted.
6. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions, which, when executed by a processor of an electronic device, cause the processor to dynamically inspect uniform resource locators (URLs) for respective web pages, comprising:
receive as input a time series of URLs for respective web pages, the URLs denoted URL 1 , URL 2 , . . . ;
inspect the URLs, comprising, for each URL n :
when a risk level evaluation for URL n resides in a cache, determine whether URL n is deemed safe based on the cached risk level evaluation; and
when a risk level evaluation for URL n does not reside in cache:
perform a risk level evaluation for URL n using one or more virus scanners;
store the risk level evaluation for URL n in the cache; and
determine whether URL n is deemed safe based on the performed risk level evaluation;
when URL n is deemed safe, load and display the web page for URL n ; and
when URL n is not deemed safe, block the web page for URL n from being loaded and displayed; and
further inspect the URL n , comprising:
regardless of whether URL n is deemed safe or is not deemed safe, determine whether a quality assurance (QA) sample selection criterion is met for URL n ;
when the QA sample selection criterion is met, send URL n to an evaluator server for behavioral analysis identifying suspicious operations performed by content of the web page for URL n ,
wherein the QA sample selection criterion is to randomly select URLs for behavioral analysis evaluation.
7. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 6 wherein the instructions further cause the processor to display a bar with URL evaluation data for a pre-configured period of time, at the bottom of the displayed web page for URL n .
8. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 6 wherein the processor receives URL n as input, in response to activation of a user interface control displayed below a currently displayed web page.
9. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 6 wherein the instructions further cause the processor to generate an audible alert when the web page of URL n is blocked from being loaded and displayed.
10. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 6 wherein the instructions further cause the processor to immediately load and display the web page of URL n when URL n is known to be trusted.