Credential Substitution Proxy for Secure Web Scraping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for developing and maintaining scripts to scrape information from sensitive servers expose user credentials and personally identifying information to developers, posing a security risk.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that generate and substitute dummy credentials for user credentials, using a browser executor instance to access sensitive information servers, masking and obfuscating personally identifying information to prevent exposure to developers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If developers access servers directly to test and maintain scraping scripts, then script development and maintenance can be performed, but user credentials and personally identifying information are exposed to developers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a proxy server as an intermediary between the developer's machine and the information server. The proxy server receives requests from the developer, substitutes dummy credentials for real user credentials, forwards the requests to the information server, and returns responses to the developer. This intermediary prevents direct exposure of user credentials and personally identifying information to developers while still enabling script development and maintenance operations.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If dummy credentials are used to mask user credentials, then security is improved, but the complexity of the system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates dummy credentials as copies or fake versions of real user credentials. These dummy credentials are substituted for real credentials in the proxy server, allowing the system to maintain security by preventing real credential exposure while using simple fake credential structures rather than complex authentication mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The proxy server acts as an intermediary that handles the credential substitution process. By centralizing this function in a dedicated server component, the patent manages system complexity through modular design rather than distributing complex security logic across multiple components.
3Adaptability or versatility
If real user credentials are transmitted to developer machines for script testing, then full access to server functionality is achieved, but security risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The proxy server serves as an intermediary that enables developers to access server functionality without receiving real user credentials. It forwards authenticated requests to the information server using real credentials while substituting these credentials with dummy versions before transmitting them to developer machines, thus maintaining both functionality access and security.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses dummy credentials as copies of real credentials that maintain the structural and functional appearance of real credentials for script testing purposes, while being completely harmless. These copies allow developers to test scripts with full functionality access while the actual real credentials never reach developer machines.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for substituting credentials that involves generating a response to a request associated with access to an information server, the response including a first page with one or more entry fields that each accept a developer credential of a set of developer credentials and with an entry field that accepts a first set of script commands; receiving a first developer credential of the set of developer credentials and the first set of script commands; wherein the first set of script commands include a first dummy credential of the set of dummy credentials; instantiating an executor instance that executes a browser; accessing, by the browser, a second page from the information server using a first credential of the set of user credentials; rendering, by the browser, the second page with a first dummy credential of the set of dummy credentials that is mapped to the first user credential of the set of user credentials; and transmitting a third page to the developer machine, the third page including a section that displays the second page rendered by the browser with the first dummy credential.