Financial Data Obfuscation via Dynamic Image Substitution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional security measures, such as SSL encryption and username/password authentication, are inadequate to prevent unauthorized HTML scraping of critical financial data, as they do not protect against unauthorized agents impersonating users to extract sensitive information from web pages.
Innovation Solution
A system that replaces critical data with images, dynamically generates image representations, and uses steganographical encryption to conceal data within cover images, preventing unauthorized scraping and ensuring secure data communication over networks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If SSL encryption and username/password authentication are used, then basic security is provided, but unauthorized HTML scraping can still occur and financial data can be extracted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional text-based data transmission with image-based data presentation. Instead of transmitting financial data as readable text that can be scraped, the system converts data into image format (graphs, charts, or obscured text images) that cannot be easily extracted by HTML scraping tools, thus substituting the mechanical data transmission approach with a visual representation approach.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs dynamic color changes and visual transformations to prevent scraping. Financial data is presented through dynamically generated images with varying colors, patterns, and visual elements that change with each page load, making it impossible for scrapers to extract consistent data through traditional text-based methods.
2Ease of operation
If financial data is displayed in plain text on web pages, then data accessibility is improved, but the data becomes vulnerable to scraping and unauthorized extraction
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes text-based data display with image-based visual representations. Financial data is rendered as images (charts, graphs, or text images) that maintain visual accessibility for human users while being immune to HTML scraping techniques that rely on text extraction and parsing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates visual copies of financial data in the form of dynamically generated images. Instead of displaying the actual text data that can be scraped, the system creates visual representations that convey the same information to human users but cannot be easily copied or extracted by automated scraping tools.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If static images are used to replace text characters, then scraping resistance is improved, but OCR technology can still extract the underlying data
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic image generation where the visual representation of financial data changes with each page load or session. Instead of using static images that could be cached and analyzed by OCR, the system continuously generates new visual representations, ensuring that even if one image is captured, the underlying data remains protected as it will be different in the next rendering.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs periodic regeneration of visual data representations. The images displaying financial data are regenerated at regular intervals or with each user interaction, creating a time-varying visual presentation that prevents OCR and scraping tools from extracting consistent, usable data over time.
Data Source
AI summary
One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that obscures critical information communicated over a network. During operation, the system receives a set of data and produces a file which represents a character in the data with at least one image, thereby avoiding representing the data in plain text and reducing the risk of scraping. The system then communicates the file to a client, thereby allowing the client to present the data using the embedded images.