Phishing Detection via Encoded Tracking Values
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for verifying website authenticity, such as public-key cryptography, are cumbersome for website operators and require user education, and existing solutions are not effective in detecting cloned websites that attackers use for phishing attempts.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a unique, encoded tracking value (ETV) and dynamic tracking code (DTC) into webpages, which are obfuscated to prevent detection by attackers, to validate the authenticity of websites and detect phishing attempts by comparing the ETV upon execution at the client device.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If public-key cryptography certificates are used to verify website identity, then website authenticity verification is improved, but device complexity and ease of operation deteriorate due to cumbersome certificate management and user education requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the core verification function from complex cryptographic certificates and implements a simplified tracking system. Instead of requiring full SSL certificate validation, the system embeds unique tracking values (ETV) and dynamic tracking codes (DTC) directly in webpage content, allowing verification without the overhead of certificate management infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses disposable, short-lived tracking values that are embedded in each webpage instance. These ETV and DTC components are lightweight, easily generated, and can be rotated frequently, replacing the need for long-lived, expensive cryptographic certificates while maintaining verification capability.
2Reliability
If public-key cryptography certificates are used to verify website identity, then website authenticity verification is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to user education requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The verification system operates automatically without requiring user intervention or understanding. The DTC embedded in the webpage self-validates the ETV in the background, and the browser automatically detects phishing attempts. Users simply interact with the website normally while the security verification happens transparently behind the scenes.
3Ease of manufacture
If traditional webpage delivery is used, then ease of manufacture is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to inability to detect cloned websites
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by embedding ETV and DTC into the webpage during the server-side generation process, before the page reaches the client. This proactive inclusion of verification mechanisms ensures that phishing detection capability is built-in without requiring changes to the core webpage creation workflow, maintaining ease of manufacture while adding security.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein are techniques for detecting phishing websites. In one embodiment, a method is disclosed comprising receiving, at a server, a request for a webpage from a client device; generating, by the server, and inserting an encoded tracking value (ETV) into the webpage; inserting, by the server, dynamic tracking code (DTC) into the webpage, the inserting of the DTC further comprising obfuscating the DTC; and returning, by the server, the webpage including the ETV and DTC to the client device, the DTC configured to execute upon receipt at the client device and validate the ETV upon executing.