Abstract: Monitoring for potential misuses of identity information is disclosed. A profile comprising a user's identity information is received. An indication from a third party website that at least a portion of the identity information in the user's profile is being or has been provided to register at the third party website, alter user information stored by the third party website, or both is received. Whether the indicated use of the identity information is a potential misuse is evaluated.

Abstract: Providing security for a network is disclosed. Network traffic associated with a host is monitored. If an activity pattern associated with a configuration change of the host is observed, access by the host to the network is restricted based at least in part on the observed activity pattern.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for identifying security risks in downloads may include (1) identifying a request to download a file that is subject to a security assessment, (2) determining that a first segment of the file is required for the security assessment, (3) based on determining that the first segment of the file is required for the security assessment, retrieving the first segment of the file before retrieving a second segment of the file, and (4) determining, based at least in part on the first segment, that the file includes a security risk. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing collaborative claim verification using an identification management (IDM) system. The IDM system collaborates with at least one trusted authority that provides information to a validity database within the IDM system. The database information collected from the at least one trusted authority is used to verify a user's entered identification information i.e., a user's identity claim. Such validation through a plurality of trusted authorities can provide a statistical truth to the identity claims provided by a user.

Abstract: By placing computer specific remotely originated application data under control of a central identity management system, users can seamlessly run remotely originated applications after logging on to different computers in the enterprise. Cached application content received from a streaming server or network file system, as well as additional application specific data (e.g., files created by the application, configuration changes made by the application on the local computer, etc.), can be configured as central identity management system profile object, using a central identity management system such as Active Directory. This data is thus automatically treated as part of the user settings/profile, and made available on any computer within the enterprise. This results in an optimal application experience for users, regardless of which managed computer they logon to within the enterprise.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for automating controlled computing environment protection is disclosed. In one embodiment, the method for automating controlled computing environment protection includes monitoring a controlled computing environment to process user activity information associated with a user computer and comparing the user activity information with abnormal behavior indicia to identify hostile user activity that denotes browser control circumvention.

Abstract: A streaming server which streams an application to a client computer (“endpoint”), as well as the client on which the streamed application runs, makes predictions as to what sections of the application the client is likely to execute in the future. Upon receipt of an indication (e.g., from a system administrator) of a planned service outage of the server or the network, the server transmits the application content that is predicted to be needed by the client during the outage in order to continue executing the application without interruption. The client receives and caches the content. Provided that the prediction is sufficiently accurate, the client can continue to seamlessly execute the application during the service outage.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for providing claim validation without storing user information within the IDM system. During enrollment, the IDM system creates a hash representative of the identification information provided by a user. The user information is discarded, i.e., not stored within the IDM system. Only a hash representing that information is stored within the system. Upon a user providing information to a service provider, the service provider requests that the user's information be authenticated by a third party IDS system. The service provider will request such authentication from the IDM system identified by the user. The IDM system generates, from the user's information that was provided to the service provider, a signed token that is sent to the user for use by the user to access the service provider's services. In this manner, the IDM system does not store identification information of the user.

Abstract: An execution environment of a computer computes an initial effective permissions set for managed code based on user identity evidence, code evidence and/or a security policy and executes the code with this permissions set. If the managed code requests a data access, the execution environment considers data evidence that indicates the trustworthiness of the requested data. The data evidence can be based on the source of the data, the location of the data, the content of the data itself, or other factors. The execution environment computes a new effective permissions set for the managed code based on the data evidence and the security policy. This new effective permissions set is applied to the managed code while the code accesses the data. The execution environment restores the initial permissions set once the managed code completes the data access.

Abstract: An unlabeled sample is classified using clustering. A set of samples containing labeled and unlabeled samples is established. Values of features are gathered from the samples contained in the datasets and a subset of features are selected. The labeled and unlabeled samples are clustered together based on similarity of the gathered values for the selected subset of features to produce a set of clusters, each cluster having a subset of samples from the set of samples. The selecting and clustering steps are recursively iterated on the subset of samples in each cluster in the set of clusters until at least one stopping condition is reached. The iterations produce a cluster having a labeled sample and an unlabeled sample. A label is propagated from the labeled sample in the cluster to the unlabeled sample in the cluster to classify the unlabeled sample.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for securing confidential data related to a user in a computer is described. In one example, rules are obtained that provide a representation of the confidential data. A storage system in the computer is searched using the rules to detect a file having at least a portion of the confidential data. The file is encrypted the in-place within the storage system using symmetric encryption based on a secret associated with the user.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for defragmenting virtual machine prefetch data. The method may include obtaining prefetch information associated with prefetch data of a virtual machine. The method may also include defragmenting, based on the prefetch information, the prefetch data on physical storage. The prefetch information may include a starting location and length of the prefetch data on a virtual disk. The prefetch information may include a geometry specification of the virtual disk. Defragmenting on physical storage may include placing the prefetch data contiguously on physical storage, placing the prefetch data in a fast-access segment of physical storage, and/or ordering the prefetch data according to the order in which it is accessed at system or application startup.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for determining whether an application impacts the health of a system may comprise detecting an application, performing a first system-health evaluation, allowing the application to install on the system, performing a second system-health evaluation after the application is installed on the system, and comparing the second system-health evaluation with the first system-health evaluation to determine whether the application impacted the health of the system. Exemplary methods for determining the potential impact of an application on the health of a system and for calculating a system-health-impact score for an application based on information gathered from a plurality of systems are also disclosed. Corresponding systems and computer-readable media are also disclosed.

Abstract: Techniques are disclosed for implementing dynamic endpoint management. In accordance with one embodiment, whenever an endpoint joins a managed network for the first time, or rejoins that network, a local security module submits a list of applications (e.g., all or incremental) to a security server. The server validates the list and sends back a rule set (e.g., allow/block rules and/or required application security settings) for those applications. If the server has no information for a given application, it may further subscribe to content from a content provider or service. When the server is queried regarding an unknown application, the server sends a query to the service provider to obtain a trust rating for that unknown application. The trust rating can then be used to generate a rule set for the unknown application. Functionality can be shifted from server to client, and vice-versa if so desired.

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.

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.

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.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for determining the impact of a software change on the health of a computing system or an application installed on the computing system may comprise identifying the software change, performing a first health evaluation, allowing the software change to occur, performing a second health evaluation, and then determining the impact of the new application by comparing the results of the second health evaluation with the results of the first health evaluation. Exemplary methods for providing guidance on the potential impact of a software change and for determining the health impact of a software change based on information obtained from a plurality of computing systems are also disclosed. Corresponding systems and computer-readable media are also disclosed.

Abstract: A method and system for protecting identity information comprises determining identity information required by a resource utilized by a user, determining strength of the identity information used by the user to access the resource, and performing an action in view of the strength.

Abstract: Installer package information is presented to a user in response to an attempted installation of an application on an endpoint. The attempted installation is detected and the installer package is identified to an information server. The installer package may be identified using a hash key or other unique identifier. In response, the information server provides to the endpoint information associated with the identified installer package based on information received from a plurality of other endpoints. The endpoint may also provide installation and application information related to the installer package to the information server. In one embodiment, when the information server obtains more than the threshold amount of information for an installer package, the information server may analyze the information and provide the analysis to requesting endpoints. The analysis may include the risk or performance impact of the installer package, or the category or functionality of the application.