Partner Browser Plugin for Secure Certificate Status Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems lack an optimal method for determining a website's secure certificate status, such as expiration or invalidity, and utilizing this information to market or provide secure certificates to website operators.
Innovation Solution
A system and method using a partner browser plugin that determines the secure certificate status of a website by transmitting a plugin with a unique identifier to a partner's browser, receiving the website's URL and secure certificate status, and storing this data on a server for further analysis and potential sales of secure certificates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a partner browser plugin is deployed to determine secure certificate status, then the ability to identify and market certificates to website operators is improved, but the system complexity and infrastructure requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a partner browser plugin as an intermediary component that runs on partners' existing browsers to collect certificate status data. This mediator approach allows the system to gather information without requiring direct integration with every website or certificate authority, thereby improving productivity while limiting the increase in overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The plugin leverages the partner's existing browser environment and resources to perform certificate status determinations. By utilizing the partner's computational infrastructure rather than requiring dedicated server resources for each determination, the system improves productivity without proportionally increasing device complexity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If plugin data collection and tracking infrastructure is implemented, then marketing capability for secure certificates is enhanced, but the cost and complexity of data management increase
Solution Approach 1:
The plugin is designed to serve multiple functions: it determines certificate status, identifies website operators, collects contact information, and enables marketing outreach. This multi-functionality allows the system to enhance marketing capability through a single integrated tool rather than requiring separate systems for each function, thereby limiting the increase in data management complexity.
3Loss of information
If comprehensive website monitoring is performed via plugin, then secure certificate status information is obtained, but the resource consumption and processing load increase
Solution Approach 1:
The plugin performs partial monitoring by focusing specifically on certificate status information rather than comprehensive website analysis. It collects only the necessary data elements (certificate validity, expiration dates, operator contact information) needed for marketing purposes, thereby obtaining complete certificate status information while limiting computational resource consumption to essential functions only.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems of the present inventions allow for determining website secure certificate status via a partner browser plugin. An exemplary system may comprise a server communicatively coupled to a network hosting a first website configured to receive a request for a plugin from a partner. The plugin may be configured to determine the secure certificate status of a second website browsed in a browser on the partner's computing device. The system further may comprise a plugin request processing module, perhaps running on the server, configured to receive a request for the plugin from the partner, code the plugin with a unique identifier identifying the partner, and transmit the coded plugin to the partner. A status receipt module, perhaps also running on the server, may be configured to receive, from the plugin, the second website's uniform resource locator and secure certificate status, and the partner's unique identifier. The status receipt module also may be configured to store the received data in a database running on the server.