Web Page Fingerprinting for Phishing Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current technologies lack effective methods to ensure that users access the intended website, as malicious software can alter web page content, leading to phishing scams and fraudulent information retrieval.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that create server-side and client-side fingerprints of web pages by injecting executable instructions, allowing comparison to detect any changes in web content, thereby ensuring the authenticity of the web page being accessed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If no content verification mechanism is implemented, then website accessibility and user convenience are maintained, but users are vulnerable to phishing scams and fraudulent information retrieval
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by injecting executable instructions into the web page during the initial page generation phase. These instructions are embedded before the user receives the page, enabling automatic fingerprint creation and comparison without requiring user intervention. This preliminary setup establishes the verification mechanism proactively, resolving the contradiction by preparing the reliability check in advance while maintaining user convenience.
Solution Approach 2:
The web page performs self-service verification through automatically executed instructions that create fingerprints and compare them against stored values. The system uses self-contained executable code embedded in the page that autonomously verifies its own integrity without external intervention. This self-service approach enhances reliability while avoiding the complexity of external verification systems, as the page validates itself using resources already available in the browser environment.
2Measurement precision
If fingerprint comparison is performed on every web page load, then detection precision of content changes is improved, but processing time and system resources increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts only the essential verification elements from the complete web page content. Instead of analyzing or comparing the entire page, it creates compact cryptographic fingerprints that represent the page's critical elements. This extraction approach maintains high detection precision by capturing essential content characteristics while significantly reducing processing time and resource requirements compared to full-page comparison.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transforms the web page content from its original complex form into a simplified parameter representation (fingerprint). By changing the parameter space from full HTML content to condensed hash values, the system achieves precise content change detection with minimal processing overhead. This parameter transformation allows rapid comparison operations that maintain accuracy while reducing time loss during page loads.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems are provided for detecting a change in web content of a web page. In particular, executable instructions may be inserted into a web page such that a first fingerprint of the web page is created when viewed on a client device. The first fingerprint may then be compared to a previously created fingerprint to determine if the web page has been modified. The fingerprints may be based on one or more elements of the web page.