Patents Assigned to Symantec
  • Patent number: 8745742
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method for processing web content may comprise receiving web content encoded with malicious steganographic code. Before presenting the web content, the method may comprise modifying the web content to create modified content such that information conveyed by the malicious steganographic code is at least partially corrupted in the modified content. Additionally, a functionality of the modified content may be at least substantially similar to a functionality of the web content following modification of the web content to create the modified content. Various other methods, computer-readable media, and systems are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Assignee: Symantec Corporation
    Inventors: Sourabh Satish, William E. Sobel, Bruce McCorkendale
  • Patent number: 8745001
    Abstract: A method, apparatus and computer-readable storage medium for ascertaining a set of preliminary characteristics of a first data structure and, responsive to determining that the set of preliminary characteristics matches a set of characteristics of a reference data structure, determining that a secondary characteristic of the first data structure indicates a replacement of the first data structure with the reference data structure is disclosed. Embodiments of the present invention further include replacing the first data structure with the reference data structure, in response to determining that the secondary characteristic of the first data structure indicates the replacement of the first data structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Assignee: Symantec Operating Corporation
    Inventor: Cassio B. Goldschmidt
  • Patent number: 8743712
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method for aggregating data for at least one resource in a target group of resources is described. At least one resource in a target group of resources is monitored. Data from the at least one resource are collected in accordance with a single metric. The data collected from the at least one resource are aggregated. A predefined operation is executed on the aggregated data. A single instance of data representative of the aggregated data collected from the at least one resource in the target group of resources is generated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Assignee: Symantec Corporation
    Inventor: Dahir Herzi
  • Patent number: 8745416
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method for secure third-party data storage may include 1) identifying, at a server-side computing device, a request from a client system to access an encrypted file stored under a user account, 2) identifying, in response to the request, an asymmetric key pair designated for the user account that includes an encryption key and a decryption key that has been encrypted with a client-side key, 3) receiving, from the client system, the client-side key, 4) decrypting the decryption key with the client-side key, and 5) using the decryption key to access an unencrypted version of the encrypted file. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Assignee: Symantec Corporation
    Inventor: Walter Bogorad
  • Patent number: 8745055
    Abstract: In order to clustering documents, document vectors are formed for each of a plurality of documents of a corpus and plurality of reference vectors is generated. The document vectors are then compared to the reference vectors to generate similarity values for each of the document vectors. The document vectors are then sorted based on the similarity values for the document vectors to form a sorted list. Clusters are then formed based on the similarity between adjacent document vectors in the sorted list.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Assignee: Symantec Operating Corporation
    Inventor: Eduardo Suarez
  • Patent number: 8745002
    Abstract: A partial replication step shot method. The method includes receiving a first snapshot at a first time from a replication source and receiving a set of data objects from the replication source that have been modified during a time period between the first time and a subsequent second time. A second snapshot is generated at the second time on the replication source by using the set of data objects. An application is mounted onto the second snapshot prior to the set of data objects being received to completion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Assignee: Symantec Corporation
    Inventors: Kadir Ozdemir, James Cross
  • Patent number: 8745616
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method for verifying the trustworthiness of code prior to issuing code-signing certificates may include (1) receiving a request from a software publisher to sign code, the request including a copy of the code and a digital signature that verifies the integrity of the code, (2) prior to signing the code, verifying the trustworthiness of the code based at least in part on an analysis of the copy of the code included within the request, (3) upon verifying the trustworthiness of the code, signing the code by generating a digitally signed trustworthiness certificate for the code that certifies that the code is trustworthy, and then (4) providing the trustworthiness certificate to the software publisher to enable the software publisher to attest that the code is trustworthy. Various additional methods, systems, and encoded computer-readable media are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Assignee: Symantec Corporation
    Inventor: William Deacon
  • Publication number: 20140150081
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method for eliminating redundant security analyses on network data packets may include (1) intercepting, at a networking device, at least one network data packet destined for a target computing device, (2) identifying a security system installed on the target computing device, (3) determining that the security system installed on the target computing device does not satisfy a predefined security standard, and then (4) performing a security analysis that satisfies the predefined security standard on the network data packet at the networking device based at least in part on determining that the security system installed on the target computing device does not satisfy the predefined security standard. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 27, 2012
    Publication date: May 29, 2014
    Applicant: Symantec Corporation
    Inventor: Symantec Corporation
  • Patent number: 8739284
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method for blocking and removing Internet-traversing malware may include: 1) identifying a persistent storage object of an Internet client application, 2) identifying an attempt by an executable object to access the persistent storage object, 3) determining that the executable object is not authorized to access the persistent storage object, and then 4) performing a security action based on the determination. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2014
    Assignee: Symantec Corporation
    Inventor: Patrick Gardner
  • Patent number: 8738585
    Abstract: A system and method for restoring site collections stored in different content databases of a web application are disclosed. A restoration GUI may be displayed. Displaying the restoration GUI may include determining a plurality of databases used for the web application. For each respective database of the plurality of databases, one or more site collections stored in the database may be determined. Displaying the graphical user interface may further comprise displaying an aggregated view of the site collections stored in each database of the plurality of databases. The aggregated view may enable each site collection to be selected for restoration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2014
    Assignee: Symantec Corporation
    Inventors: Lijo J. Abraham, Ynn-Pyng Tsaur, Baishen Zhu, Lee M. Doucette, Deepak Saraf, Steven R. Devos
  • Patent number: 8739056
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method to display a dynamic list of virtual objects is described. An activity relating to a management object is detected. A dynamic list of virtual objects is displayed on a screen. The virtual objects are possible recipients of the management object. A determination is made as to whether the activity relating to the management object is terminated. The display of the dynamic list of virtual objects on the screen is terminated when the activity relating to the management object is terminated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2014
    Assignee: Symantec Corporation
    Inventors: Alan Palmer, Preston Rowlette, David Watson
  • Patent number: 8738581
    Abstract: Various systems and methods for using multiple clients for data backup are described. For example, one method involves accessing a namespace, where the namespace indicates locations of files. At least a portion of the namespace is divided into sets, where the sets correspond to a subset of the files. The files of the subset are accessed by plurality of nodes, and the accessing is based on the sets. Each of the nodes accesses the files of the subset. The nodes are used to store, at data storage, the files of the subset.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2014
    Assignee: Symantec Corporation
    Inventors: Mehul R. Choube, Gaurav Malhotra, Shyam Prakash Velupula, Nitin Suresh Supekar
  • Patent number: 8738871
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for creating and utilizing a map of files related to a virtual disk of a virtual machine. In one embodiment, the method comprises inspecting file system entries within at least one volume of the virtual disk; converting information related to file system entries into a map, where the map comprises file locations within a physical disk for the files related to the virtual disk. In another embodiment, the method comprises examining a map of an image of at least a portion of a virtual disk, accessing the image, extracting and utilizing at least one file. In yet another embodiment, the method comprises creating a map related to an image representing stored files in a virtual disk, storing the map and the image, selecting a file, examining the map, accessing the image, extracting the file from the image and restoring the file to a storage system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2014
    Assignee: Symantec Corporation
    Inventors: Timothy Michael Naftel, David Teater
  • Patent number: 8738764
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method may associate a communication-control policy with a contact. The computer-implemented method may identify a first communication made via a first communication mechanism. The computer-implemented method may also identify a first alias associated with the first communication. The computer-implemented method may determine that the first alias is an alias of the contact. The computer-implemented method may apply the communication-control policy to the first communication, wherein the associating, the identifying the first communication, the identifying the first alias, the determining, and the applying may be performed by a communication-control computing system. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2014
    Assignee: Symantec Corporation
    Inventors: Adam Schepis, Keith Newstadt
  • Publication number: 20140143869
    Abstract: Clients send telemetry data to a cloud server, where the telemetry data includes security-related information such as file creations, timestamps and malware detected at the clients. The cloud server analyzes the telemetry data to identify malware that is currently spreading among the clients. Based on the analysis of the telemetry data, the cloud server segments malware definitions in a cloud definition database into a set of local malware definitions and a set of cloud malware definitions. The cloud server provides the set of local malware definitions to the clients as a local malware definition update, and replies to cloud definition lookup requests from clients with an indication of whether a file identified in a request contains malware. If the file is malicious, the client remediates the malware using local malware definition update.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 20, 2012
    Publication date: May 22, 2014
    Applicant: SYMANTEC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Symantec Corporation
  • Publication number: 20140143828
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method for enabling community-tested security features for legacy applications may include: 1) identifying a plurality of client systems, 2) identifying a legacy application on a client system within the plurality of client systems, 3) identifying a security-feature-enablement rule for the legacy application, 4) enabling at least one security feature for the legacy application by executing the security-feature-enablement rule, 5) determining the impact of the security-feature-enablement rule on the health of the legacy application, and then 6) relaying the impact of the security-feature-enablement rule on the health of the legacy application to a server. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 24, 2014
    Publication date: May 22, 2014
    Applicant: Symantec Corporation
    Inventors: William E. Sobel, Sourabh Satish
  • Patent number: 8732821
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for preventing accidental disclosure of confidential information via visual representation objects is described. In one embodiment, the method includes establishing pattern information with respect to confidential information, wherein the confidential information is used to authenticate users, monitoring a visual representation object having an input focus associated with a user interface, wherein the visual representation object receives input data, comparing the input data with the pattern information to identify at least one unobscured portion of the confidential information and producing indicia of detection of the at least one unobscured portion of the confidential information on the visual representation object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: Symantec Corporation
    Inventor: Michael Spertus
  • Patent number: 8732834
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method for detecting illegitimate applications may include 1) identifying an installation of an application on a computing system, 2) determining, in response to identifying the installation of the application, that at least one system file with privileged access on the computing system has changed prior to the installation of the application, 3) determining that the application is illegitimate based at least in part on a time of the installation of the application relative to a time of a change to the system file, and 4) performing a remediation action on the application in response to determining that the application is illegitimate. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: Symantec Corporation
    Inventors: Jun Mao, Bruce McCorkendale, Barry Laffoon, Abubakar Wawda
  • Patent number: 8732354
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for controlling access to a storage area network among a group of hosts in a distributed computing environment. A host requests access to the storage area network by issuing an input/output request, and the input/output request is intercepted at the dynamic multipath (DMP) layer. The DMP layer checks the input/output request against an access control list. The DMP layer can grant or deny the input/output request from the host system. If the input/output request is granted, then the DMP layer passes on the input/output request to the HBA driver layer and the host is allowed to access the storage area network. If the request to access the storage area network is denied, the DMP management layer can initiate an appropriate response, such as a security procedure or generation of an error message alerting a user the request has been denied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: Symantec Operating Corporation
    Inventor: Tommi Salli
  • Patent number: 8732217
    Abstract: A method for identifying data for relocation in a multivolume file system. The method includes generating a file location map, the file location map containing a list of the locations of files that occupy space on each of a plurality of volumes of the file system, wherein The file system comprising least a first volume and a second volume. The method further includes updating the file location map in accordance with changes in a file change log for the file system, and identifying data residing on the first volume of the file system by scanning the file location map. Using the identified data, a ratio of per-file activity during a first time period relative to overall file system activity over a second time period is calculated to derive a file activity ratio for each of the files of the identified data. Files are then selected for relocation based on the file activity ratio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2014
    Assignee: Symantec Corporation
    Inventors: Murthy V. Mamidi, Kadir Ozdemir, Charles Silvers, Paul Massiglia, Anindya Banerjee, Ronald Karr