Patent ID: 6735694
Filing Date: 2004-05-11
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
A method, operative at a certification server, of authenticating a copy of a Web page using information accessible from a public source, comprising the steps of:receiving from a client a signature generated by applying a given function to a Web page or portion thereof; generating a certification signature by retrieving the Web page using a Web page locator received from the client and applying the given function to the Web page or portion thereof; comparing the received signature to the certification signature to determine if the received signature and the certification signature match; in response to a determination that the received signature and the certification signature match, adding the received signature to a set of signatures stored on the certification server; in response to receipt at the certification server of a subsequent request to authenticate a copy of a Web page or portion thereof, determining whether application of the given function to the copy of the Web page or portion thereof generates a signature maintained in the set of signatures; in response to a determination that application of the given function to the copy of the Web page or portion thereof generates a signature maintained in the set of signatures, generating a given function of the set of signatures; and determining whether the given function of the set of signatures has a predetermined relationship to the information accessible from the public source wherein, if the given function of the set of signatures has the predetermined relationship to the information accessible from the public source, accepting the copy of the Web page or portion thereof as authentic.