Method, system and computer program product for tagging content on uncontrolled Web application

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9401929-B2
Application number	US-201313755537-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 31, 2013
Priority date	Sep 17, 2008
Publication date	Jul 26, 2016
Grant date	Jul 26, 2016

Abstract

Communications by a device in a private network to a site operating outside of the network can be programmatically inspected. Unstructured data, including messages and application content, originating from outside of the network may be dynamically converted to structured data that can be tagged. Interactions and activities can be monitored and processed differently according to internal policies and/or business rules. For example, at least a portion of the structured data can be modified prior to forwarding to the device, access by the device to at least a portion of the structured data can be blocked or limited, access by the device to one or more features associated with the structured data can be blocked or limited, etc.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for controlling access to a web site, comprising:
performing, by a server computer in a network:
continuously monitoring, while a user interacts with a site, access to the site by a multi-mode Web application on a device within the network, the site operating outside of the network and not controlled by the network, wherein the multi-mode Web application appears and functions substantially same as a Web application controlled by the site which is accessed by the multi-mode Web application;
detecting, via the multi-mode Web application on the device, a particular type of user activity with the site operating outside of the network;
based on access by the device in the network to the site operating outside of the network, receiving unstructured data from outside of the network and responsive to the detection of the particular type of user activity with the site operating outside of the network, dynamically converting at least part of the unstructured data to structured data utilizing application element types, wherein the application element types are parsed from the unstructured data utilizing one or more filters specific to the site operating outside of the network, wherein the unstructured data comprises source code data for the Web application controlled by the site operating outside the network, and wherein the structured data comprises a controlled version of the Web application; and
applying a policy to the structured data, wherein the policy is internal to the network.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein applying the policy comprises blocking access by the device to the structured data or limiting access by the device to at least a portion of the structured data.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein applying the policy further comprises modifying at least a portion of the structured data prior to forwarding to the device in the network.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein applying the policy further comprises limiting access by the device to one or more features associated with the structured data.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein at least one of the one or more features associated with the structured data comprises posting or attempting to post content on the site operating outside of the network.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the site is a social media site operating outside of the network.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the unstructured data is received from the site operating outside of the network, and wherein the at least part of the unstructured data is dynamically converted to the structured data utilizing one or more of the application element types parsed from the unstructured data received from the site operating outside of the network.

8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the application element types are specific to the site operating outside of the network.

9. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising tagging the structured data, wherein tagging the structured data comprises utilizing one or more of the application element types parsed from the unstructured data.

10. The method according to claim 9 , further comprising:
tagging activities interacting with the site operating outside of the network; and
applying one or more policies to the tagged activities.

11. A computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions translatable by at least one processor, the instructions when translated causing a computer in a network to perform:
continuously monitoring, while a user interacts with a site, access to the site by a multi-mode Web application on a device within the network, the site operating outside of the network and not controlled by the network, wherein the multi-mode Web application appears and functions substantially same as a Web application controlled by the site which is accessed by the multi-mode Web application;
detecting, via the multi-mode Web application on the device, a particular type of user activity with the site operating outside of the network;
based on access by the device in network to the site operating outside of the network, receiving unstructured data from outside of the network and responsive to the detection of the particular type of user activity with the site operating outside of the network, dynamically converting at least part of the unstructured data to structured data utilizing application element types, wherein the application element types are parsed from the unstructured data utilizing one or more filters specific to the site operating outside of the network, wherein the unstructured data comprises source code data for the Web application controlled by the site operating outside the network, and wherein the structured data comprises a controlled version of the Web application; and
applying a policy to the structured data, wherein the policy is internal to the network.

12. The computer program product of claim 11 , wherein applying the policy further comprises blocking access by the device to the structured data or limiting access by the device to at least a portion of the structured data.

13. The computer program product of claim 11 , wherein applying the policy further comprises modifying at least a portion of the structured data prior to forwarding to the device in the network.

14. The computer program product of claim 11 , wherein applying the policy further comprises limiting access by the device to one or more features associated with the structured data.

15. The computer program product of claim 14 , wherein at least one of the one or more features associated with the structured data comprises posting or attempting to post content on the site operating outside of the network.

16. The computer program product of claim 11 , wherein the site is a social media site operating outside of the network.

17. The computer program product of claim 11 , wherein the unstructured data is received from the site operating outside of the network, and wherein the at least part of the unstructured data is dynamically converted to the structured data utilizing one or more of the application element types parsed from the unstructured data received from the site operating outside of the network.

18. The computer program product of claim 17 , wherein the application element types are specific to the site operating outside of the network.

19. The computer program product of claim 11 , wherein the instructions when translated further cause the computer in the network to perform:
tagging the structured data, wherein tagging the structured data comprises utilizing one or more of the application element types parsed from the unstructured data.

20. The computer program product of claim 19 , wherein the instructions when translated further cause the computer in the network to perform:
tagging activities interacting with the site operating outside of the network; and
applying one or more policies to the tagged activities.

21. A system comprising:
at least one processor; and
at least one non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions translatable by the at least one processor, the instructions when translated causing a computer in a network to perform:
continuously monitoring, while a user interacts with a site, access to the site by a multi-mode Web application on a device within the network, the site operating outside of the network and not controlled by the network, w

Assignees

• Socialware Inc
• Proofpoint Inc

Inventors

• Cooper Cameron Blair

Classifications

• H04L67/535

  Tracking the activity of the user (network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34) · CPC title

• H04L63/20 Primary

  for managing network security; network security policies in general (filtering policies H04L63/0227) · CPC title

• H04L63/105

  Multiple levels of security · CPC title

• H04L63/104

  Grouping of entities · CPC title

• G06F17/30861

  Physics · mapped topic