Abstract: To provide validation information to web publishers indicative of the presence of operational malicious software protection systems on user computing devices, an evaluation system resident on a web publisher server can cause web content, including validation request data, to be transmitted from the publisher server to a computing device. A submission system resident on the computing device can analyze the web content for the validation request data, and can cause the validation information to be transmitted from the computing device to the evaluation system based on the analysis. Upon receiving the validation information, the evaluation system can analyze it to determine the likelihood that content delivered to the computing device will be viewed by a real user (and not by automated computer programs).

Abstract: To prepare computing devices (e.g., running Windows NT-based operating systems) for offline scanning, without the need for removable media, such as CDs and USB devices, and for users to modify the BIOS settings, parameters regarding a protected-mode operating system and the computing device are collected and verified while the protected-mode operating system is running on the computing device. A kernel of an alternate operating system (e.g., a Linux operating system) can be mapped to the memory of the device, shutdown of the protected-mode operating system can be initiated, a system environment for the alternate operating system kernel can be prepared, and control of the computing device can be transferred or passed to the alternate operating system kernel.