Patents by Inventor Anthony John Merry

Anthony John Merry has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 10979449
    Abstract: A file system extension for an endpoint controls access to files by selectively decrypting files under certain conditions. Where a pattern of access to the files suggests malicious and/or automated file access activity, the file system extension may limit the rate of file access by regulating the rate at which decryption is provided to requesting processes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2021
    Assignee: Sophos Limited
    Inventors: Russell Humphries, Kenneth D. Ray, Anthony John Merry, Harald Schutz
  • Patent number: 10834061
    Abstract: Rules are applied at a network perimeter to outbound network communications that contain file attachments. The rules may, in a variety of circumstances, require wrapping of an outbound file from the endpoint in a portable encrypted container. The network perimeter may be enforced locally at the endpoint, or at any network device between the endpoint and a recipient.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: Sophos Limited
    Inventors: Russell Humphries, Gordon Sullivan, Kenneth D. Ray, Anthony John Merry, Harald Schütz, Andreas Berger
  • Patent number: 10691824
    Abstract: Securing an endpoint against exposure to unsafe content includes encrypting files to prevent unauthorized access, and monitoring an exposure state of a process to potentially unsafe content by applying behavioral rules to determine whether the exposure state is either exposed or secure, where (1) the process is initially identified as secure, (2) the process is identified as exposed when the process opens a network connection to a URL that is not internal to an enterprise network of the endpoint and that has a poor reputation, (3) the process is identified as exposed when it opens a file identified as exposed, and (4) the process is identified as exposed when another exposed process opens a handle to the process. Access to the files may be restricted when the process is exposed by controlling access through a file system filter that conditionally decrypts files for the process according to its exposure state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2020
    Assignee: Sophos Limited
    Inventors: Kenneth D. Ray, Andrew J. Thomas, Anthony John Merry, Harald Schütz, Andreas Berger, John Edward Tyrone Shaw
  • Patent number: 10686827
    Abstract: An endpoint encrypts local files with a key to protect file contents. If the endpoint or processes on the endpoint becomes exposed to potentially harmful locations or resources, the key can be revoked to prevent access to encrypted files on the endpoint. In order to facilitate continued operation of the endpoint, files that are currently open can be encrypted with a second key so that the corresponding data is isolated from the other encrypted files while remaining accessible to current users.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2020
    Assignee: Sophos Limited
    Inventors: Harald Schutz, Anthony John Merry, Kenneth D. Ray, Andreas Berger
  • Patent number: 10681078
    Abstract: A file system extension for an endpoint controls access to files by selectively decrypting files under certain conditions. Where a pattern of access to the files suggests malicious and/or automated file access activity, the file system extension may limit the rate of file access by regulating the rate at which decryption is provided to requesting processes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2020
    Assignee: Sophos Limited
    Inventors: Russell Humphries, Kenneth D. Ray, Anthony John Merry, Harald Schutz
  • Patent number: 10657277
    Abstract: Securing an endpoint against exposure to unsafe content includes encrypting files to prevent unauthorized access, and monitoring an exposure state of a process to potentially unsafe content by applying behavioral rules to determine whether the exposure state is either exposed or secure, where (1) the process is initially identified as secure, (2) the process is identified as exposed when the process opens a network connection to a URL that is not internal to an enterprise network of the endpoint and that has a poor reputation, (3) the process is identified as exposed when it opens a file identified as exposed, and (4) the process is identified as exposed when another exposed process opens a handle to the process. Access to the files may be restricted when the process is exposed by controlling access through a file system filter that conditionally decrypts files for the process according to its exposure state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2020
    Assignee: Sophos Limited
    Inventors: Kenneth D. Ray, Andrew J. Thomas, Anthony John Merry, Harald Schütz, Andreas Berger, John Edward Tyrone Shaw
  • Patent number: 10650154
    Abstract: Securing an endpoint against malicious activity includes encrypting a plurality of files on an endpoint to prevent unauthorized access to the plurality of files, receiving a request to access a file from a process executing on the endpoint, decrypting the file for the process, and monitoring a security state of the process. If the security state becomes a compromised state, a technique involves maintaining access to any open files (including the file decrypted for the process), prohibiting access to other files, and initiating a remediation of the process by facilitating a restart of the process. If the remediation is successful, access by the process to the plurality of files may be restored.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2020
    Assignee: Sophos Limited
    Inventors: Kenneth D. Ray, Andrew J. Thomas, Anthony John Merry, Harald Schütz, Andreas Berger, John Edward Tyrone Shaw
  • Patent number: 10628597
    Abstract: On an endpoint that encrypts local files to protect against data leakage and other harmful malware events, newly detected files are dynamically encrypted when they are detected as long as the endpoint is not compromised. If a compromised state is detected, the newly detected file will not be added to the encrypted files until the endpoint can be remediated and the compromised state resolved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2020
    Assignee: Sophos Limited
    Inventors: Andreas Berger, Harald Schutz, Kenneth D. Ray, Anthony John Merry, Norbert Gruber, Markus Hein, Gerald Wintersberger, Artur Wenzel
  • Patent number: 10558800
    Abstract: Threat detection instrumentation is simplified by providing and updating labels for computing objects in a context-sensitive manner. This may include simple labeling schemes to distinguish between objects, e.g., trusted/untrusted processes or corporate/private data. This may also include more granular labeling schemes such as a three-tiered scheme that identifies a category (e.g., financial, e-mail, game), static threat detection attributes (e.g., signatures, hashes, API calls), and explicit identification (e.g., what a file or process calls itself). By tracking such data for various computing objects and correlating these labels to malware occurrences, rules can be written for distribution to endpoints to facilitate threat detection based on, e.g., interactions of labeled objects, changes to object labels, and so forth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2020
    Assignee: Sophos Limited
    Inventors: Kenneth D. Ray, Daniel Salvatore Schiappa, Simon Neil Reed, Mark D. Harris, Neil Robert Tyndale Watkiss, Andrew J. Thomas, Robert W. Cook, Harald Schütz, John Edward Tyrone Shaw, Anthony John Merry
  • Publication number: 20200036747
    Abstract: A file system extension for an endpoint controls access to files by selectively decrypting files under certain conditions. Where a pattern of access to the files suggests malicious and/or automated file access activity, the file system extension may limit the rate of file access by regulating the rate at which decryption is provided to requesting processes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 1, 2019
    Publication date: January 30, 2020
    Inventors: Russell Humphries, Kenneth D. Ray, Anthony John Merry, Harald Schutz
  • Patent number: 10469522
    Abstract: A file system extension for an endpoint controls access to files by selectively decrypting files under certain conditions. Where a pattern of access to the files suggests malicious and/or automated file access activity, the file system extension may limit the rate of file access by regulating the rate at which decryption is provided to requesting processes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2019
    Assignee: Sophos Limited
    Inventors: Russell Humphries, Kenneth D. Ray, Anthony John Merry, Harald Schutz
  • Publication number: 20190253399
    Abstract: Rules are applied at a network perimeter to outbound network communications that contain file attachments. The rules may, in a variety of circumstances, require wrapping of an outbound file from the endpoint in a portable encrypted container. The network perimeter may be enforced locally at the endpoint, or at any network device between the endpoint and a recipient.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 14, 2019
    Publication date: August 15, 2019
    Inventors: Russell Humphries, Gordon Sullivan, Kenneth D. Ray, Anthony John Merry, Harald Schütz, Andreas Berger
  • Publication number: 20190228172
    Abstract: Securing an endpoint against exposure to unsafe content includes encrypting files to prevent unauthorized access, and monitoring an exposure state of a process to potentially unsafe content by applying behavioral rules to determine whether the exposure state is either exposed or secure, where (1) the process is initially identified as secure, (2) the process is identified as exposed when the process opens a network connection to a URL that is not internal to an enterprise network of the endpoint and that has a poor reputation, (3) the process is identified as exposed when it opens a file identified as exposed, and (4) the process is identified as exposed when another exposed process opens a handle to the process. Access to the files may be restricted when the process is exposed by controlling access through a file system filter that conditionally decrypts files for the process according to its exposure state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 15, 2019
    Publication date: July 25, 2019
    Inventors: Kenneth D. Ray, Andrew J. Thomas, Anthony John Merry, Harald Schütz, Andreas Berger, John Edward Tyrone Shaw
  • Patent number: 10263966
    Abstract: Rules are applied at a network perimeter to outbound network communications that contain file attachments. The rules may, in a variety of circumstances, require wrapping of an outbound file from the endpoint in a portable encrypted container. The network perimeter may be enforced locally at the endpoint, or at any network device between the endpoint and a recipient.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2019
    Assignee: Sophos Limited
    Inventors: Russell Humphries, Gordon Sullivan, Kenneth D. Ray, Anthony John Merry, Harald Schutz, Andreas Berger
  • Publication number: 20180276378
    Abstract: Threat detection instrumentation is simplified by providing and updating labels for computing objects in a context-sensitive manner. This may include simple labeling schemes to distinguish between objects, e.g., trusted/untrusted processes or corporate/private data. This may also include more granular labeling schemes such as a three-tiered scheme that identifies a category (e.g., financial, e-mail, game), static threat detection attributes (e.g., signatures, hashes, API calls), and explicit identification (e.g., what a file or process calls itself). By tracking such data for various computing objects and correlating these labels to malware occurrences, rules can be written for distribution to endpoints to facilitate threat detection based on, e.g., interactions of labeled objects, changes to object labels, and so forth.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 3, 2018
    Publication date: September 27, 2018
    Inventors: Kenneth D. Ray, Daniel Salvatore Schiappa, Simon Neil Reed, Mark D. Harris, Neil Robert Tyndale Watkiss, Andrew J. Thomas, Robert W. Cook, Harald Schütz, John Edward Tyrone Shaw, Anthony John Merry
  • Patent number: 9984248
    Abstract: Securing an endpoint against exposure to unsafe content includes encrypting files to prevent unauthorized access, and monitoring an exposure state of a process to potentially unsafe content by applying behavioral rules to determine whether the exposure state is either exposed or secure, where (1) the process is initially identified as secure, (2) the process is identified as exposed when the process opens a network connection to a URL that is not internal to an enterprise network of the endpoint and that has a poor reputation, (3) the process is identified as exposed when it opens a file identified as exposed, and (4) the process is identified as exposed when another exposed process opens a handle to the process. Access to the files may be restricted when the process is exposed by controlling access through a file system filter that conditionally decrypts files for the process according to its exposure state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Assignee: Sophos Limited
    Inventors: Kenneth D. Ray, Andrew J. Thomas, Anthony John Merry, Harald Schütz, Andreas Berger, John Edward Tyrone Shaw
  • Patent number: 9965627
    Abstract: Threat detection instrumentation is simplified by providing and updating labels for computing objects in a context-sensitive manner. This may include simple labeling schemes to distinguish between objects, e.g., trusted/untrusted processes or corporate/private data. This may also include more granular labeling schemes such as a three-tiered scheme that identifies a category (e.g., financial, e-mail, game), static threat detection attributes (e.g., signatures, hashes, API calls), and explicit identification (e.g., what a file or process calls itself). By tracking such data for various computing objects and correlating these labels to malware occurrences, rules can be written for distribution to endpoints to facilitate threat detection based on, e.g., interactions of labeled objects, changes to object labels, and so forth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2018
    Assignee: Sophos Limited
    Inventors: Kenneth D. Ray, Daniel Salvatore Schiappa, Simon Neil Reed, Mark D. Harris, Neil Robert Tyndale Watkiss, Andrew J. Thomas, Robert W. Cook, Harald Schütz, John Edward Tyrone Shaw, Anthony John Merry
  • Publication number: 20180075249
    Abstract: Securing an endpoint against exposure to unsafe content includes encrypting files to prevent unauthorized access, and monitoring an exposure state of a process to potentially unsafe content by applying behavioral rules to determine whether the exposure state is either exposed or secure, where (1) the process is initially identified as secure, (2) the process is identified as exposed when the process opens a network connection to a URL that is not internal to an enterprise network of the endpoint and that has a poor reputation, (3) the process is identified as exposed when it opens a file identified as exposed, and (4) the process is identified as exposed when another exposed process opens a handle to the process. Access to the files may be restricted when the process is exposed by controlling access through a file system filter that conditionally decrypts files for the process according to its exposure state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 20, 2017
    Publication date: March 15, 2018
    Inventors: Kenneth D. Ray, Andrew J. Thomas, Anthony John Merry, Harald Schütz, Andreas Berger, John Edward Tyrone Shaw
  • Publication number: 20170359370
    Abstract: A file system extension for an endpoint controls access to files by selectively decrypting files under certain conditions. Where a pattern of access to the files suggests malicious and/or automated file access activity, the file system extension may limit the rate of file access by regulating the rate at which decryption is provided to requesting processes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 10, 2016
    Publication date: December 14, 2017
    Inventors: Russell Humphries, Kenneth D. Ray, Anthony John Merry, Harald Schutz
  • Publication number: 20170302458
    Abstract: On an endpoint that encrypts local files to protect against data leakage and other harmful malware events, newly detected files are dynamically encrypted when they are detected as long as the endpoint is not compromised. If a compromised state is detected, the newly detected file will not be added to the encrypted files until the endpoint can be remediated and the compromised state resolved.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 14, 2016
    Publication date: October 19, 2017
    Inventors: Andreas Berger, Harald Schutz, Kenneth D. Ray, Anthony John Merry, Norbert Gruber, Markus Hein, Gerald Wintersberger, Artur Wenzel