Abstract: Solutions (including inter alia, systems, methods and software) for dealing with online fraud. Certain of these solutions provide enhanced responses to an identified instance of online fraud. Such enhanced responses can incorporate one or more of a variety of strategies for defeating an attempt by a server to filter and/or otherwise avoid responses to its fraudulent activity. Merely by way of example, responses may be disguised (e.g., by transmitting the responses from a variety of computers, by transmitting responses that appear to originate from a computer different than the actual source of the responses, etc.). In some cases, a response strategy may be implemented that forces the server (and/or an operator thereof) to choose between accepting the responses and blocking potential responses from the targets of the fraudulent scheme.

Abstract: Various embodiments of the invention provide solutions (including inter alia, systems, methods and software) for dealing with online fraud. In particular, various embodiments of the invention provide advanced responses to an identified instance of online fraud. Such advanced responses can incorporate one or more of a variety of strategies for defeating an attempt by a server to filter and/or otherwise avoid responses to its fraudulent activity. Merely by way of example, in accordance with some embodiments, one or more HTTP responses to a server's request (such as an online form, etc.) may be submitted and/or transmitted for reception by the server. In some cases, each of the submitted responses may appear to comprise valid information responsive to the server's request. In other cases, one or more countermeasures may be implemented to defeat an attempt by a phisher (or any other operator of an illegitimate server) to filter responses.

Abstract: Various embodiments of the invention provide solutions (including inter alia, systems, methods and software) for dealing with online fraud. In particular, various embodiments of the invention can provide early warning of an online fraud, for instance by finding suspicious domains and/or monitoring those domains for activity. If a suspicious domain shows activity (for example, if a web site associated with the domain becomes active), one or more actions may be taken with respect to the domain.

Abstract: A system for searching and reporting an incidence of at least one trademark, tradename, celebrity name, and/or famous name on the Internet, which includes a computer system having a connection to the Internet, and a software program executing on the computer system. The software program is adapted to receive an input of at least one trademark, tradename, celebrity name, and famous name to be searched. The software program then creates a search string including at least one trademark, tradename, celebrity name, and famous name. The software program also receives a URL address of a Web page on the Internet to be searched. The software program accesses and searches the Web page for hits corresponding to the search string, and then provides the search results of identified hits within the Web page.

Abstract: Various embodiments of the invention provide solutions (including inter alia, systems, methods and software) for dealing with online fraud. Some embodiments function to access and/or obtain information from (and/or receive data from) a data source; the data might, for example, indicate a possible instance of online fraud. Certain embodiments, therefore, can be configured to analyze the data, e.g., to determine whether the data indicate a likely instance of online fraud. Such instances may be further investigated, and/or a response may be initiated. Data sources can include, without limitation, web pages, email messages, online chat sessions, domain zone files, newsgroups (and/or postings thereto), etc. Data obtained from the data sources can include, without limitation, suspect domain registrations, uniform resource locators, references to trademarks, advertisements, etc.

Abstract: Various embodiments of the invention provide devices, methods, systems and software for detecting, analyzing and/or responding to a fraudulent activity. In particular embodiments, an email message incoming to an organization may be analyzed to determine whether such messages are returned messages, which might indicate a delivery failure of an original message. Because the returned message is received by the organization, it may be likely that the original message purported to originate from the organization. If the original message did not in fact originate from the organization, that fact might indicate that the original message is part of a fraudulent activity. In such case, the fraudulent activity might be investigated, and/or a response to the fraudulent activity may be imitated and/or undertaken.

Abstract: Various embodiments of the invention provide solutions (including inter alia, systems, methods and software) for dealing with online fraud. In particular, various embodiments of the invention provide ways to incite unsolicited email messages (such as spam messages, phish messages, etc.). In accordance with some embodiments, a bait email address may be planted in a particular location on the Internet. In particular embodiments, the location of the planted email address may be tracked in order to determine which locations are relatively more likely to generate unsolicited email messages. In other embodiments, domains likely to host the bait email addresses receiving unsolicited messages may be obtained. In some cases, unsolicited messages may be analyzed and/or otherwise processed to determine whether the messages are possibly associated with a fraudulent activity. Such analysis may lead to the investigation of one or more web sites and/or to the initiation of a response against a fraudulent activity.

Abstract: Various embodiments of the invention provide solutions (including inter alia, systems, methods and software) for dealing with online fraud. In particular, various embodiments of the invention provide enhanced responses to an identified instance of online fraud. Such enhanced responses can incorporate one or more of a variety of strategies for defeating an attempt by a server to filter and/or otherwise avoid responses to its fraudulent activity. Merely by way of example, responses may be disguised (e.g., by transmitting the responses from a variety of computers, by transmitting responses that appear to originate from a computer different than the actual source of the responses, etc.). In some cases, a response strategy may be implemented that forces the server (and/or an operator thereof) to choose between accepting the responses and blocking potential responses from the targets of the fraudulent scheme.

Abstract: Various embodiments of the invention provide solutions (including inter alia, systems, methods and software) for dealing with online fraud. In particular, various embodiments of the invention provide advanced responses to an identified instance of online fraud. Such advanced responses can incorporate one or more of a variety of strategies for defeating an attempt by a server to filter and/or otherwise avoid responses to its fraudulent activity. Merely by way of example, in accordance with some embodiments, one or more HTTP responses to a server's request (such as an online form, etc.) may be submitted and/or transmitted for reception by the server. In some cases, each of the submitted responses may appear to comprise valid information responsive to the server's request. In other cases, one or more countermeasures may be implemented to defeat an attempt by a phisher (or any other operator of an illegitimate server) to filter responses.

Abstract: Various embodiments of the invention provide solutions (including inter alia, systems, methods and software) for dealing with online fraud. In particular, various embodiments of the invention provide enhanced responses to an identified instance of online fraud. Such enhanced responses can incorporate one or more of a variety of strategies for defeating an attempt by a server to filter and/or otherwise avoid responses to its fraudulent activity. Merely by way of example, responses may be disguised (e.g., by transmitting the responses from a variety of computers, by transmitting responses that appear to originate from a computer different than the actual source of the responses, etc.). In accordance with various embodiments of the invention, a variety of responsive strategies may be implemented. Merely by way of example, a plurality of substantially simultaneous HTTP requests may be transmitted to a server engaged in fraud.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide novel systems, software and methods for gathering information about online entities and for identifying, evaluating and scoring such entities. Merely by way of example, the trustworthiness of an online entity, such as a domain, can be evaluated based information known about other online entities (e.g., the owner of the domain, other domains) associated with that domain. In an aspect of the invention, for example, publicly-available data (and, in some cases, other data) can be obtained and correlated to reveal previously-unknown associations between various online entities, despite, in some cases, the attempts of those entities to obscure such associations. This can facilitate the evaluation of such entities. For instance, if a new domain is registered, there generally is little basis on which to evaluate the trustworthiness of that domain (other than facially-apparent characteristics, such as the domain name itself), since it has not yet begun operating.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide methods, systems, and software for implementing evaluating online entities and/or for providing a trust score for such entities. The trust score may provide an indication of the trustworthiness of the online entity. In some cases, data may be obtained from a variety of sources, and such data may be used to evaluate an online entity and/or to provide a score for the entity. In an aspect of the invention, a plurality of trust scores, each of which related to a behavioral characteristic and/or a category of activity, may be assigned to a particular entity. Such scores may be stored in one or more data stores and/or may be provided to others.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide methods, systems, software for providing, distributing and/or using trust scores for online entities. In accordance with various embodiments, one or more trust score servers may be configured to provide trust scores, perhaps in response to a request (e.g., from another trust scores server, from a client, from a border device, etc.). In other embodiments, a computer (e.g., a border device, a client, etc.) may maintain a local cache of trust scores. In some cases, a computer may request a trust score for a particular online entity in response to receiving, detecting and/or attempting to transmit a communication with that online entity.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention provide methods, systems, and software for implementing trust policies. Such policies may be implemented in a variety of ways, including at one or more border devices, client computers, etc. In accordance with various embodiments, a communication between a client computer (and/or application) and an online entity may be monitored and/or otherwise detected. The online entity may be identified, and/or one or more trust scores associated with the online entity may be obtained. Based on the trust scores, as well, perhaps as the nature of the communication, an action (such as allowing the communication, blocking the communication, quarantining the communication, warning a user, administrator, etc.) may be taken. In some cases, a trust policy may be consulted to determine what action should be taken with respect to a given communication.

Abstract: Various embodiments of the invention provide methods, systems and software for analyzing data. In particular embodiments, for example, a set of data about a web site may be analyzed to determine whether the web site is likely to be illegitimate (e.g., to be involved in a fraudulent scheme, such as a phishing scheme, the sale of gray market goods, etc.). In an exemplary embodiment, a set of data may be divided into a plurality of components (each of which, in some cases, may be considered a separate data set). Merely by way of example, a set of data may comprise data gathered from a plurality of data sources, and/or each component may comprise data gathered from one of the plurality of data sources. As another example, a set of data may comprise a document with a plurality of sections, and each component may comprise one of the plurality of sections.

Abstract: Various embodiments of the invention provide solutions (including inter alia, systems, methods and software) for dealing with online fraud. In particular, various embodiments of the invention can provide early warning of an online fraud, for instance by finding suspicious domains and/or monitoring those domains for activity. If a suspicious domain shows activity (for example, if a web site associated with the domain becomes active), one or more actions may be taken with respect to the domain.