Abstract: Described is a method of assigning a network address to a trap, the network address being a dark address of a virtual private network. The network traffic destined for the network address is monitored and a classification of the network traffic is determined. After the classification, a predetermined response is executed based on the classification of the traffic.

Abstract: Described is a system and method for determining a classification of an application that includes initiating a stress test on the application, the stress test including a predetermined number of stress events, wherein the stress events are based on a network impairment. A response by the application to each stress event is identified and the application is classified as a function of the response into one of a first classification and a second classification, the first classification indicative of a normal application and the second classification indicative of an undesired application. If, the application is in the second classification, a network response procedure is executed.

Abstract: Described is a method of assigning a network address to a trap, the network address being a dark address of a virtual private network. The network traffic destined for the network address is monitored and a classification of the network traffic is determined. After the classification, a predetermined response is executed based on the classification of the traffic.

Abstract: A system to detect anomalies in internet protocol (IP) flows uses a set of machine-learning (ML) rules that can be applied in real time at the IP flow level. A communication network has a large number of routers equipped with flow monitoring capability. A flow collector collects flow data from the routers throughout the communication network and provides them to a flow classifier. At the same time, a limited number of locations in the network monitor data packets and generate alerts based on packet data properties. The packet alerts and the flow data are provided to a machine learning system that detects correlations between the packet-based alerts and the flow data to thereby generate a series of flow-level alerts. These rules are provided to the flow time classifier. Over time, the new packet alerts and flow data are used to provide updated rules generated by the machine learning system.

Abstract: A system to detect anomalies in internet protocol (IP) flows uses a set of machine-learning (ML) rules that can be applied in real time at the IP flow level. A communication network has a large number of routers that can be equipped with flow monitoring capability. A flow collector collects flow data from the routers throughout the communication network and provides them to a flow classifier. At the same time, a limited number of locations in the network monitor data packets and generate alerts based on packet data properties. The packet alerts and the flow data are provided to a machine learning system that detects correlations between the packet-based alerts and the flow data to thereby generate a series of flow-level alerts. These rules are provided to the flow time classifier. Over time, the new packet alerts and flow data are used to provide updated rules generated by the machine learning system.

Abstract: Methods, systems, and products protect personally identifiable information. Many websites acquire the personally identifiable information without a user's knowledge or permission. Here, though, the user may control what personally identifiable information is shared with any website.

Abstract: A method and system for distributing content on a network through network-wide transactions is disclosed. The method and system monitors the network using triggered measurement of the performance of an element of the network, dynamically computing, based on the monitoring, the regions of the network with available performance capacity for the transaction to proceed at a given time, determining, based on the computing, a scheduled time for the transaction to proceed, and distributing the content according to a schedule related to the scheduled time.

Abstract: Described is a system and method for determining a classification of an application that includes initiating a stress test on the application, the stress test including a predetermined number of stress events, wherein the stress events are based on a network impairment. A response by the application to each stress event is identified and the application is classified as a function of the response into one of a first classification and a second classification, the first classification indicative of a normal application and the second classification indicative of an undesired application. If, the application is in the second classification, a network response procedure is executed.

Abstract: A negotiation-based mechanism enables a user to share personally identifiable information with a requesting website, for example, a third party website such as an aggregator website that might be gathering information about the user. The user, rather than being limited to a pre-set collection of privacy options, is free to negotiate with the requesting website and agree to share more or less information with based on the user's trust of the requesting website.

Abstract: A method and system for distributing content on a network through network-wide transactions is disclosed. The method and system monitors the network using triggered measurement of the performance of an element of the network, dynamically computing, based on the monitoring, the regions of the network with available performance capacity for the transaction to proceed at a given time, determining, based on the computing, a scheduled time for the transaction to proceed, and distributing the content according to a schedule related to the scheduled time.

Abstract: A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a process that reduces a sampling size of a total population of on-line social network users based on a comparison of seed information to a population of on-line social network users. The reduced sampling of on-line social network users is compared to a social graph of the on-line social network users, wherein the social graph is obtained from an algorithm applied to the reduced sampling of the on-line social network users. An outlier is determined in the reduced sampling of on-line social network users based on relationships between the on-line social network users. The determining of the outlier is also based on one of ambient or publicly available information combined with an intra-graph property of the on-line social network users, wherein the outlier does not conform to the social graph. Additional embodiments are disclosed.

Abstract: Described is a system and method for determining a classification of an application that includes initiating a stress test on the application, the stress test including a predetermined number of stress events, wherein the stress events are based on a network impairment. A response by the application to each stress event is identified and the application is classified as a function of the response into one of a first classification and a second classification, the first classification indicative of a normal application and the second classification indicative of an undesired application. If, the application is in the second classification, a network response procedure is executed.

Abstract: A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a process that obtains seed information including privacy profile settings of on-line social network users. The seed information is compared to a random population of on-line social network users and a sampling size of a total population is reduced according to the comparison. The reduced sampling is compared to one of a social graph, a generalized profile of an on-line user, or a combination thereof. The social graph is determined from a randomized-walk algorithm applied to an on-line social network of the users and an outlier is identified in the reduced sampling based on relationships between the on-line social network users. Additional embodiments are disclosed.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for enabling peer networks to reduce the exchange of unwanted traffic are disclosed. For example, the method receives at least one of: a source Internet Protocol (IP) address or a source IP address prefix that has been identified as a source of the unwanted traffic, by an originating peer network from a terminating peer network. The method then blocks the unwanted traffic destined to the terminating peer network by the originating peer network.

Abstract: Described is a method of assigning a network address to a trap, the network address being a dark address of a virtual private network. The network traffic destined for the network address is monitored and a classification of the network traffic is determined. After the classification, a predetermined response is executed based on the classification of the traffic.

Abstract: In embodiments of the disclosed technology, a plurality of ratings of, for example, websites is received, wherein each rating is associated with a category and a rater, and each rater is associated with at least one group. A selection of a category is received from the user, wherein the user is associated with at least one group. One website location, or a plurality of website locations, is provided in the category to the user, based on at least one rating of the plurality of ratings provided by at least one of the raters, wherein at least one group associated with the rater and at least one group associated with the user are the same group.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for enabling peer networks to reduce the exchange of unwanted traffic are disclosed. For example, the method receives at least one of: a source Internet Protocol (IP) address or a source IP address prefix that has been identified as a source of the unwanted traffic, by an originating peer network from a terminating peer network. The method then blocks the unwanted traffic destined to the terminating peer network by the originating peer network.

Abstract: A technique for providing information via a data network is disclosed. A first server transmits an identifier to a client, where the identifier is mappable to a uniform resource locator (URL) associated with content stored on a second server. The client transmits the identifier to a second server. The second server maps the identifier to its associated URL, retrieves the content associated with the URL, and transmits the content to the client. Various types of mappings are disclosed, including encryption and predetermined mappings.

Abstract: Described is a method of assigning a network address to a trap, the network address being a dark address of a virtual private network. The network traffic destined for the network address is monitored and a classification of the network traffic is determined. After the classification, a predetermined response is executed based on the classification of the traffic.

Abstract: Disclosed are method and apparatus for identifying members of a social network who have a high likelihood of providing a useful response to a query. A query engine examines the personal pages of a set of members and automatically gleans semantic information relevant to the query. From the automatically-gleaned semantic information, a score indicative of the likelihood that the member may provide a useful response is calculated.