Web Extension Control Bot for Sensitive Page Segmentation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Web browser extensions have the potential to interact with sensitive user content, posing security and sensitive content protection concerns, as they can access and manipulate web content, impacting the overall security of web browsing.

Innovation Solution

A Web Extension Control Bot (WEC-Bot) that analyzes web pages, identifies sensitive and non-sensitive content, and modifies the page to hide sensitive content, displaying it separately from non-sensitive content to ensure secure interaction with extensions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If web browser extensions are allowed to access and manipulate web content, then functionality and customization are enhanced, but security and sensitive content protection are compromised

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveextension functionalityVSAvoidsecurity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The web page is segmented into sensitive and non-sensitive portions, allowing extensions to access only the non-sensitive portions while the sensitive portions remain protected. This segmentation enables extensions to maintain their functionality on applicable content without exposing sensitive information.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system acts as an intermediary between the extension and the web page content, analyzing the page to identify sensitive portions and filtering what the extension can access. This intermediary layer allows the extension to function while protecting sensitive content from unauthorized access.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If sensitive content is hidden from extensions, then security is improved, but the extension's ability to process and interact with web content is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

ImprovesecurityVSAvoidextension processing capability

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The web page is divided into sensitive and non-sensitive segments, allowing extensions to process the non-sensitive segments fully while the sensitive segments are excluded. This ensures extensions maintain full productivity on applicable content without compromising security.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different portions of the web page are treated differently based on their sensitivity - non-sensitive portions are made fully accessible to extensions with high processing capability, while sensitive portions are protected. This local differentiation optimizes both security and extension productivity where applicable.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUS12530459B2Providing security with a web extension control bot

Publication Date: 2026.01.20 INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINE CORPORATION

AI summary

Provided are techniques for providing security with a Web Extension Control Bot (WEC-Bot). A request is transmitted for analysis of a web page that is associated with an extension and with a Uniform Resource Locator (URL). A sensitive sub web page with sensitive content and a non-sensitive sub web page with non-sensitive content for the web page are received. The non-sensitive sub web page is sent to the extension. Output is received from the extension for the non-sensitive sub web page. The sensitive sub web page is modified to hide the sensitive content. The web page is displayed with the output from the extension for the non-sensitive sub web page and with the modified sensitive sub web page.