Patents Assigned to Symantec
  • Patent number: 8949720
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method for managing access-control settings may include identifying an initial access-control setting that controls a user's access to a computing resource. The method may also include displaying, via a graphical user interface, a representation of the computing resource. The method may further include receiving input that resizes the representation of the computing resource from an initial size to a new size, detecting the new size of the representation of the computing resource, and modifying the initial access-control setting to establish an updated access-control setting that corresponds to the new size of the representation of the computing resource. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Symantec Corporation
    Inventors: Aravinthan Narayanan, Yadvinder Bhatia
  • Patent number: 8949653
    Abstract: Various systems and methods for evaluating and controlling high-availability configuration. For example, one method can involve detecting fault tolerance parameters that can be available within a datacenter. The method also involves identifying a set of fault tolerance parameters that applies to an application. Identifying the fault tolerance parameters that apply to the application involves detecting whether the application is associated with one or more high-availability applications. The method also involves generating an index value for the application. The index value is based on the fault tolerance parameters associated with the application and provides an objective measure of the fault tolerance of the application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Symantec Corporation
    Inventors: Rohan Kumar Kayan, Ravikant Ambadas Gedam, Santosh Kumar Konduru
  • Patent number: 8949325
    Abstract: A digital identity device automatically discovers a current environmental context in order to dynamically generate a digital persona that is appropriate and specific to that context. The digital identity device can also output physical tokens that are appropriate or specific to the identity context.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Symantec Corporation
    Inventors: Brian Hernacki, William E. Sobel, Luigi Mercone
  • Patent number: 8949371
    Abstract: A server system identifies structured data for protection and creates an index of the structured data, the index comprising a set of Bloom filters. The server system distributes the index to an endpoint device to enable the endpoint device to monitor for structured data occurring in free text data associated with the endpoint device. The endpoint device may load, from the index file, a set of Bloom filters into memory and identify free text data for monitoring. The endpoint device may then determine whether the free text data contains at least a portion of the structured data using the set of Bloom filters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Symantec Corporation
    Inventor: Vikram Shrowty
  • Patent number: 8949187
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method may include performing an evaluation of the computing system's health. The computer-implemented method may also include comparing results of the evaluation with the results of at least one prior evaluation of the computing system's health and then determining, based on the comparison, that a current state of health of the computing system is healthier than at least one prior state of health of the computing system. In addition, the computer-implemented method may include creating a backup of the computing system. A computer-implemented method for managing backups of a computing system based on health information is also disclosed. Corresponding systems and computer-readable media are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Symantec Corporation
    Inventors: Sourabh Satish, William E. Sobel
  • Patent number: 8949979
    Abstract: It is detected whenever the user of the local computer system views online content that provides an entryway to a remote application. When such a detection occurs, data concerning the remote application is collected and transmitted to a central repository. The central repository receives and aggregates such collected data from a plurality of sources. It is detected when the user of the local computer system is being prompted to activate a new remote application, and aggregated data concerning the new remote application is retrieved from the central repository. The aggregated data concerning the new remote application is analyzed, and responsive to the analyzing it is determined whether the new remote application is benign. Responsive to determining that the new remote application is not benign, the new remote application can be blocked, and/or a warning can be output to the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Symantec Corporation
    Inventor: Keith Newstadt
  • Patent number: 8949955
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for time-based one-time password generation using a wireless communications device for two-factor authentication are described. The computer-implemented method comprising detecting launch of a security code generation application on a wireless communications device, generating a first unique security code upon launching the application, displaying the first security code on the wireless communications device, determining based on time whether to generate a new unique security code, and displaying the new unique security code.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Symantec Corporation
    Inventors: Maryam Najafi, Len Osamu Toyoshiba
  • Patent number: 8950005
    Abstract: A web page running on a client computing device accesses a web application hosted by a remote server. The local application receives data from the web application. The client computing device uses a data loss prevention (DLP) policy to determine whether the web application is a sensitive web application. In response to determining that the web application is a sensitive web application, the client computing device restricts a capability of at least one of the local application or the client computing device to perform one or more operations associated with the data received from the web application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2015
    Assignee: Symantec Corporation
    Inventor: Milind Torney
  • Patent number: 8943281
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for optimizing a backup chain using synthetic backups is described. In one embodiment, a method for creating synthetic incremental backups to optimize a backup chain comprises accessing a backup chain, which further comprises a plurality of incremental backups and determining schedule information defining a number of incremental backups to use to create one or more synthetic incremental backups representing the plurality of incremental backups from the backup chain, wherein the number of backups is defined by a numerical progression.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2015
    Assignee: Symantec Corporation
    Inventor: Russell R. Stringham
  • Patent number: 8943546
    Abstract: A system and method for detecting and protecting against potential data loss from unknown applications is described. In one embodiment, a method includes detecting, by a client computing device, that a local application has accessed a document on the client computing device, determining that the document contains sensitive data according to one or more endpoint data loss prevention (DLP) polices, determining that the local application and a type of the document is not included in a whitelist of the DLP policies, capturing visual data pertaining to one or more operations that the application performs on the document, and sending the captured visual data to a server.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2015
    Assignee: Symantec Corporation
    Inventor: Rupesh Khetawat
  • Patent number: 8943019
    Abstract: A system and method for migrating file systems is provided. A file system migration operation copies a plurality of files from a first file system to a second file system. A request to access one of the files being migrated during the file system migration operation results in the creation of a pseudo vnode for the file being requested in the second file system. The pseudo vnode is created prior to creating a vnode for the file in the second file system. In addition, the pseudo vnode is associated with a vnode of the file at the first file system. Information identifying the pseudo vnode is then returned to the application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2015
    Assignee: Symantec Corporation
    Inventors: Kedar Patwardhan, Neha Naik, Sanjay Kumar Jain, Sushil Sarjerao Patil
  • Patent number: 8941863
    Abstract: Techniques for image copying optimization are disclosed. In one particular exemplary embodiment, the techniques may be realized as a method for image copying optimization comprising receiving a request to copy a plurality of images, copying one or more of the plurality of images, deferring synchronization for each of the one or more of the plurality of images, receiving an indication to stop deferring synchronization, and synchronizing the one or more copied images of the plurality of images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2015
    Assignee: Symantec Corporation
    Inventors: Raymond Wesley Gilson, Thomas William Schlender
  • Patent number: 8943337
    Abstract: Various techniques for managing power consumption of computing devices within a data protection system are disclosed. For example, one method involves accessing policy information, which the policy information indicates when one or more data protection system activities should be performed and identifies whether a computing device is participating in the data protection system activities. Based upon this policy information, the method then identifies whether power consumption of the computing device can be reduced. In response to identifying that the power consumption of the computing device can be reduced, a power management command is automatically sent via a network. Performance of the power management command reduces the power consumption of the computing device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2015
    Assignee: Symantec Corporation
    Inventor: Jeremy Dean Swift
  • Patent number: 8942972
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method for data loss prevention may include 1) identifying a network configured with a data loss prevention system including at least one data loss prevention policy directed to textual data expressed in a primary natural language, 2) identifying a textual object subject to a data loss prevention assessment within the network, 3) determining that the textual object includes a textual component that is not expressed in the primary natural language, 4) in response to determining that the textual object includes the textual component, translating the textual component from a secondary natural language that the data loss prevention policy does not recognize into the primary natural language that the data loss prevention policy does recognize, and 5) after translating the textual component into the primary natural language, applying the data loss prevention policy to a modified textual object including the translated textual component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2015
    Assignee: Symantec Corporation
    Inventors: Abhijit Limaye, Anand Bodke
  • Patent number: 8943587
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method for performing selective deep packet inspection may include 1) identify a traffic flow that includes a stream of data packets, 2) sample at least one packet from the stream of data packets, 3) analyze the sampled packet using a computing resource to determine whether the traffic flow is trustworthy, 4) determine that the traffic flow is trustworthy based on analyzing the sampled packet, and 5) divert the traffic flow to a hardware accelerator in response to determining that the traffic flow is trustworthy. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2015
    Assignee: Symantec Corporation
    Inventor: Shaun Cooley
  • Patent number: 8938808
    Abstract: A method for using virtualization to implement information rights management. The method may include: 1) intercepting, at a virtualization module, a request from an application to access data; 2) querying an information-rights-management database for a virtualization policy associated with the access request; 3) receiving, at the virtualization module, the virtualization policy from the information-rights-management database; and 4) controlling access to the data by applying the virtualization policy to the access request in a manner that is transparent to the application. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2015
    Assignee: Symantec Corporation
    Inventors: Michael Spertus, Denis Serenyi, Brian Witten
  • Patent number: 8938369
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method for ensuring that critical computing decisions are intentionally made may include (1) detecting a request from a user to perform a computing act, (2) measuring, using a biofeedback sensor coupled to the computing device, physiological activity of the user that is indicative of a concentration level of the user, (3) determining, based on the measured physiological activity of the user, the user's concentration level, (4) identifying a requisite concentration level associated with the requested computing act, (5) determining whether the user's concentration level satisfies the requisite concentration level associated with the requested computing act, and then (6) preventing the requested computing act from occurring if the user's concentration level fails to satisfy the requisite concentration level associated with the requested computing act. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2015
    Assignee: Symantec Corporation
    Inventor: William E. Sobel
  • Patent number: 8938492
    Abstract: A method and system for enabling efficient review of media objects associated with a client device is described. In one embodiment, a computer-implemented method includes detecting a media object associated with the client device, automatically generating a reduced version of the detected media object, and transmitting the reduced version to a remote data storage location over a network connection from the client device to be reviewed by a user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2015
    Assignee: Symantec Corporation
    Inventor: John Patrick Kelly
  • Patent number: 8938782
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method for providing network access control in virtual environments. The method may include: 1) injecting a transient security agent into a virtual machine that is running on a host machine; 2) receiving, from the transient security agent, an indication of whether the virtual machine complies with one or more network access control policies; and 3) controlling network access of the virtual machine based on the indication of whether the virtual machine complies with the one or more network access control policies. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed herein.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2015
    Assignee: Symantec Corporation
    Inventors: Sanjay Sawhney, Matthew Conover, Bruce Montague
  • Patent number: 8938508
    Abstract: A computer correlates web and email attributes to detect spam. A security module on a client collects attributes of a web site to which an email address was submitted and attributes of an email message sent to the email address that was previously submitted. The security module analyzes the attributes of the web site and the email message to determine whether the email message was sent to the email address responsive to the submission of the email address to the web site. Based on the analysis, the security module determines whether the email message is spam. A machine learning module on a security server establishes training data describing the attributes of the web site to which email addresses were submitted and attributes of legitimate emails received in response to the address submissions. The machine learning module generates an attributes classifier for the security module for spam detection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2015
    Assignee: Symantec Corporation
    Inventors: Bruce McCorkendale, Shaun Cooley