Unauthorized Website Detection Using Content and Code Similarity

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Solution Overview

Problem

Unauthorized websites are difficult to identify due to their ability to mimic legitimate sites through similar layouts, underlying code changes, and domain name variations, posing risks to users and diverting customers to counterfeit products or stealing data.

Innovation Solution

A website detection system that analyzes website content and underlying source code similarities using string comparison, fuzzy hashing, and clustering to identify potentially unauthorized sites, followed by AI/ML and manual validation to confirm unauthorized sites.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Object-affected harmful factors

If unauthorized websites use similar layouts, language, images, and logos to mimic legitimate sites, then they can deceive users into providing sensitive information, but this makes detection and identification difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuser deceptionVSAvoidwebsite identification difficulty
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the website analysis into multiple independent components: domain name analysis, layout structure analysis, content analysis, and code analysis. Each component is evaluated separately and combined to form an overall assessment, making the detection process more effective despite the mimicking tactics

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies different analysis methods to different parts of the website: domain name verification for the address bar, structural analysis for layout, keyword matching for content, and code comparison for underlying implementation. This localized approach allows detection of unauthorized sites even when they mimic legitimate ones

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Object-affected harmful factors

If unauthorized websites use domain names similar to popular trusted websites, then users may be directed to unauthorized sites when mistyping addresses, but identifying these similar domain names requires complex comparison methods

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuser misdirectionVSAvoiddetection system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts and analyzes specific critical elements from domain names (such as key keywords, brand names, and structural patterns) separately from the complete domain name. This extraction approach simplifies the comparison process while maintaining effectiveness in identifying similar domain names

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary analysis layer that compares domain names against a database of known legitimate domain patterns and structures. This intermediary system facilitates the comparison without requiring direct complex pairwise comparisons of all possible domain name variations

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Measurement precision

If the website detection system compares website data to template data of known unauthorized sites, then it can identify potentially unauthorized sites, but this requires extensive data storage and processing resources

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveunauthorized site identification accuracyVSAvoiddata storage requirements
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates simplified template representations of unauthorized website patterns, layouts, and code structures that capture the essential characteristics without storing complete copies of entire websites. These templates serve as compact reference models for comparison

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

Solution Approach 2:

The patent transforms website data into standardized parameters and metrics (such as layout structure codes, content keyword frequencies, and code similarity scores) that can be stored and compared efficiently. This parameterization reduces storage requirements while maintaining detection accuracy

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS12568116B2System and method for searching for and identifying unauthorized websites
Publication Date: 2026.03.03 INTERCONTINENTAL EXCHANGE HOLDINGS INC
  • US12568116B2 patent drawing
  • US12568116B2 patent drawing
  • US12568116B2 patent drawing

AI summary

Methods and systems or searching for and identifying unauthorized websites. A website detection system may receive website data from a data provider via a communications network and store the website data in a website data database. The website detection system may compare the website data to template data of known unauthorized sites to determine a level of similarity, the template data stored in a template data database. The website detection system may create a list of potentially unauthorized sites based on the comparing and store the list of potentially unauthorized sites and associated website data in a potentially unauthorized sites database. The website detection system may reviewing the list of potentially unauthorized sites and associated website data to identify one or more unauthorized websites on the list of potentially unauthorized and store the one or more unauthorized websites and associated website data in the template data database.