Symantec Patent Grants

Systems and methods for performing application container introspection

Granted: October 15, 2019
Patent Number: 10447720
The disclosed computer-implemented method for performing application container introspection may include (1) identifying a request issued by an application launched from an application container, (2) determining that the request calls a function that facilitates transferring data between the application container and at least one external data source, and then in response to determining that the request calls the function, (3) directing the request to a function library that includes a…

Systems and methods for recovering encrypted information

Granted: October 15, 2019
Patent Number: 10447671
The disclosed computer-implemented method for recovering encrypted information may include (i) identifying an untrusted application that uses a known cryptographic function, (ii) hooking the known cryptographic function used by the untrusted application to execute decryption-facilitation code when the untrusted application attempts to encrypt data, where the decryption-facilitation code reduces the difficulty of later decrypting data encrypted by the untrusted application, (iii)…

Decrypting network traffic on a middlebox device using a trusted execution environment

Granted: October 15, 2019
Patent Number: 10447663
Decrypting network traffic on a middlebox device using a trusted execution environment (TEE). In one embodiment, a method may include loading a kernel application inside the TEE, loading a logic application outside the TEE, intercepting, by the logic application, encrypted network traffic, forwarding, from the logic application to the kernel application, the encrypted network traffic, decrypting, at the kernel application, the encrypted network traffic, inspecting, at the kernel…

Systems and methods for preventing vulnerable files from being opened

Granted: October 15, 2019
Patent Number: 10445516
A computer-implemented method for preventing vulnerable files from being opened may include (1) registering a security application as a universal file opener, (2) receiving, at the security application, a request to open a file, (3) identifying at least one other application on the computing device that is capable of opening the file, (4) determining, based on a security analysis, that there is a security risk in opening the file with the other application that is capable of opening the…

Systems and methods for performing human-verification procedures

Granted: October 15, 2019
Patent Number: 10445481
The disclosed computer-implemented method for performing human-verification procedures may include (1) detecting, at a computing device, an attempt to access a computing resource that is to be protected from being accessed by automated bots, (2) in response to detecting the attempt to access the computing resource, presenting, on the computing device, an audiovisual display that is configured to produce at least one expected reaction from human users, the expected reaction being…

Systems and methods for customizing user icons

Granted: October 15, 2019
Patent Number: 10444938
A computer-implemented method for customizing user icons may include (1) detecting that a user has accessed an application, (2) automatically capturing an image of the user in response to detecting that the user has accessed the application, (3) abstracting the image of the user to produce a customized representation of the user, and (4) overlaying the abstracted image of the user onto an icon within the application. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also…

Systems and methods for determining the reputations of unknown files

Granted: October 8, 2019
Patent Number: 10437994
The disclosed computer-implemented method for determining the reputations of unknown files may include (1) identifying a file that was downloaded by the computing device from an external file host, (2) creating a node that represents the file in a dynamic file relationship graph, (3) connecting the node in the dynamic file relationship graph with at least one other node that represents an attribute of the external file host, and (4) labeling the node with a reputation score calculated…

Systems and methods for mapping internet protocol addresses for an organization

Granted: October 8, 2019
Patent Number: 10440047
The disclosed computer-implemented method for mapping Internet Protocol addresses for an organization may include (1) receiving information for an organization from an organizational server, (2) extracting data from a plurality of server data sources associated with the information, (3) mapping the data from the plurality of sever data sources to the information, and (4) determining, based at least in part on the mapped data, a list of IP addresses identifying one or more relationships…

Using recognized backup images for recovery after a ransomware attack

Granted: October 8, 2019
Patent Number: 10438000
The content of each specific image file in a user's backup set (or other type of file set on an endpoint) is analyzed, for example during a backup of the endpoint. Each analyzed image file is categorized based on the results of analyzing its content. The analysis can be in the form identifying one or more objects graphically represented in given image files, and the categorization of image files can be based on these identified graphically represented object(s). Subsequently (for example…

Runtime malware detection

Granted: October 8, 2019
Patent Number: 10437999
A method for runtime malware detection is described. In one embodiment, the method may include classifying a first file as clean and a second file as malware, performing a sample execution of the first and second files, identifying system processes called during sample executions of the first and second files, mapping each system process of the host operating system to a position on an image matrix, indicating each system process called during the sample execution of the first file in a…

Smart cover components for security policy enforcement

Granted: October 8, 2019
Patent Number: 10437988
Systems, apparatuses, methods, and computer readable mediums for utilizing smart components to monitor connected devices. In one embodiment, a system includes a computing device and a covering device which covers at least a portion of the computing device. The computing device includes one or more input/output (I/O) interfaces. The covering device may be a smart cover, a security screen protector, or other type of smart covering component. The covering device intercepts, via a first I/O…

Systems and methods for protecting data affected by system changes

Granted: October 8, 2019
Patent Number: 10437683
The disclosed computer-implemented method for protecting data affected by system changes may include (i) receiving, at an installation application, a request to perform a system change on an endpoint computing device, (ii) identifying, via the installation application, one or more data items currently installed on the endpoint computing device that will be modified when the system change is performed, (iii) using the installation application to protect the data items such that the system…

Dynamic workspace modification

Granted: October 8, 2019
Patent Number: 10437439
A method for providing one or more dynamic modifications relating to an electronic device are described. In some embodiments, methods may include receiving a workspace framework, receiving one or more applications relating to the workspace framework, receiving user input, and modifying at least one of the workspace framework and the one or more applications based at least in part on receiving the user input.

Systems and methods for strong information about transmission control protocol connections

Granted: October 1, 2019
Patent Number: 10432720
The disclosed computer-implemented method for storing information about transmission control protocol connections may include (1) configuring a server with a transmission control protocol stack that is an alternative to a default transmission control protocol stack of an operating system of the server, (2) receiving, at the server, a request to establish a transmission control protocol connection with the server, (3) routing the request through the alternative transmission control…

Systems and methods for automated classification of application network activity

Granted: October 1, 2019
Patent Number: 10430442
The disclosed computer-implemented method for automated classification of application network activity may include (1) building a lexicon dictionary that comprises lexical keywords, wherein network streams whose headers contain a given lexical keyword represent communications of an activity type that is associated with the given lexical keyword in the lexicon dictionary, (2) identifying, at a network vantage point, a network stream that represents a communication between an application…

Systems and methods for detecting anomalous behavior in shared data repositories

Granted: September 24, 2019
Patent Number: 10425435
The disclosed computer-implemented method for detecting anomalous behavior in shared data repositories may include (i) identifying a shared data repository that comprises files, (ii) monitoring access to the files for a predetermined time period in order to determine which files are accessed by each user, (iii) creating a graph of the access to the files, wherein each vertex represents a user and each edge that connects two vertices represents that one or more files were accessed by both…

Automated classification of mobile app battery consumption using simulation

Granted: September 24, 2019
Patent Number: 10423514
Techniques for automated classification of mobile applications (“apps”) battery consumption using simulation are disclosed. In one embodiment, a system for automated classification of mobile app battery consumption using simulation includes an app analyzer for performing an analysis of the app; and a classification engine for classifying the app into a battery consumption category based on the analysis performed using the app analyzer. In one embodiment, a process for automated…

Systems and methods for analyzing emotional responses to online interactions

Granted: September 17, 2019
Patent Number: 10419375
The disclosed computer-implemented method for analyzing emotional responses to online interactions may include (1) identifying an online interaction of a user, (2) detecting an emotional response of the user to the online interaction by monitoring one or more emotional indicators of the user during the online interaction and determining, based on an evaluation of the one or more emotional indicators, that the emotional response of the user is outside an expected range, and (3) performing…

Handling computer security incidents through a unified conversational agent

Granted: September 17, 2019
Patent Number: 10418036
The present disclosure relates to security incident analysis systems, and more specifically to searching across multiple security incident analysis systems through a unified conversational agent. One example method generally includes receiving, from a client device, a natural language command requesting information about a security incident from a first incident analysis system. One or more keywords related to the security incident are extracted from the natural language command. The…

Systems and methods for controlling auxiliary device access to computing devices based on device functionality descriptors

Granted: September 10, 2019
Patent Number: 10409734
The disclosed computer-implemented method for controlling auxiliary device access to computing devices based on device functionality descriptors may include (i) detecting a connection of an auxiliary device to a client computing device, (ii) receiving a set of functionality descriptors from the auxiliary device, each functionality descriptor of the set of functionality descriptors identifying a separate functionality of the auxiliary device, (iii) determining whether the set of…