Detecting Unauthorized DNS Content Modifications
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users accessing online services often receive modified content from intermediaries, which can be malicious, altering search results, advertisements, or redirecting users to unintended destinations, making it difficult for service providers to ensure users receive unaltered data.
Innovation Solution
A system that collects network addresses from distributed clients, determines if obtained content is unauthorized, and identifies the source of such content by comparing it with authorized content from the original web service, using components like address collection, test content collection, unauthorized content determination, and source determination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If users access online services through intermediaries, then service accessibility and routing flexibility improve, but content integrity and reliability deteriorate due to unauthorized modifications
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by collecting network addresses and obtaining test content before actual user access occurs. It proactively identifies compromised intermediaries by comparing test content from different sources, allowing service providers to prevent unauthorized modifications before they reach users.
Solution Approach 2:
The system establishes a feedback loop where test content obtained through intermediaries is compared with authorized content from the original service. When discrepancies are detected, the system identifies the compromised intermediary and feeds this information back to update routing decisions, preventing future access through the same compromised path.
2Adaptability or versatility
If content is transmitted through multiple intermediaries, then routing flexibility and service reach improve, but detection of unauthorized modifications becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the content transmission path into individual intermediary hops. By obtaining test content through each intermediary separately and comparing results, it isolates which specific intermediary is causing unauthorized modifications, making detection easier despite multiple routing options.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces a monitoring intermediary that acts as a mediator between the service provider and multiple transmission intermediaries. This monitoring component collects test content through various intermediaries, compares it with authorized content, and identifies which intermediary is causing modifications, simplifying the detection process.
3Reliability
If service providers monitor content integrity through multiple intermediaries, then content reliability improves, but system complexity and measurement overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates copies of authorized content and transmits them through multiple intermediaries as test content. By comparing these copies with the original authorized content, it efficiently verifies content integrity without requiring complex real-time monitoring of actual user traffic, reducing system complexity while maintaining reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
A plurality of network addresses from a distributed client is obtained, at least a first portion of the obtained network addresses including resolved network address responses to distributed client requests for resolved network addresses corresponding to one or more network location indicators associated with a first web service. Test content is obtained, based on one or more of the network addresses included in the first portion. It is determined whether the obtained test content includes unauthorized content.