Patent Publication Number: US-11030342-B1

Title: Systems and methods for controlling uploading of potentially sensitive information to the internet

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     When interacting with webpages and applications, users may provide personal information that may be sent, without the users&#39; knowledge or permission, to other computers that are beyond the users&#39; control. For example, while filling out forms on webpages, users may enter personal information, reconsider using the forms, and stop entering personal information midway through the forms. Some websites send the limited quantities of personal information that are entered to other computers that are beyond the users&#39; control. Some of the personal information that might be transferred without user knowledge or control may include identity verification information, birth dates, social security numbers, banking information, credit card numbers, passwords, citizenship information, marital status, and/or employment status. Additionally, applications and webpages providing photo filters to convert and display user-provided photos may send the input photos to other computers that are beyond the users&#39; control. Thus, though users may not intend to send the personal information, the websites and applications send the personal information anyway. Further, in some cases, users may never know that their personal information has been sent and may be forever out of the users&#39; control. The instant disclosure, therefore, identifies and addresses a need for systems and methods for controlling uploading of potentially sensitive information to the internet. 
     SUMMARY 
     As will be described in greater detail below, the instant disclosure describes various systems and methods for controlling uploading of potentially sensitive information to the internet. 
     In one example, a method for controlling uploading of potentially sensitive information to the internet may include (i) loading, at the computing device, at least a portion of a webpage and (ii) performing a security action including (A) converting, at the computing device, components of the webpage from an online status to an offline status, (B) receiving a sensitive information input to a respective offline component of the webpage, (C) converting, based on a stored user preference and in response to receiving the sensitive information input, the respective offline component to the online status, (D) buffering an outgoing network request including the sensitive information input, (E) receiving an approval input indicating approval to transmit the potentially sensitive information to the Internet, and/or (F) releasing the outgoing network request in response to receiving the approval input. 
     In some examples, the converting components may include (i) detecting when the webpage has substantially finished loading and/or (ii) initiating performing the converting in response to the detecting. In some embodiments, converting components of a webpage from an online status to an offline status may be performed by at least one of a browser extension, an operating system, and an application. 
     In an example, the webpage may include at least one of (i) a quick response code reader, (ii) a file encryption application, (iii) an encrypted messaging application, (iv) an address book uploading application, (v) an online code editor, (vi) a visual editor, (vii) a form, (viii) a photo processing application, (ix) a photo filter application, (x) a network permissions setting, and/or (xi) a password manager. 
     In an embodiment, the method may include identifying object tags in the webpage to identify field components of the webpage requesting entry of the potentially sensitive information. In some examples, the method may include temporarily blocking Internet access by the webpage in response to identifying the field components of the webpage requesting entry of the potentially sensitive information. 
     In some embodiments, the method may include converting the respective offline component to a user interface widget. In an example, the method may include displaying a padlock image substantially near an image of the respective offline component. In an embodiment, the method may include displaying an image of the respective offline component in a color contrasting with a color of a substantially adjacent component of the webpage. 
     In some examples, the method may include (i) identifying online and offline components of the webpage and/or (ii) displaying at least one identifier indicating which components of the webpage are online. In some embodiments, the method may include (i) marking an additional component of the webpage as for offline information only and/or (ii) blocking sensitive information entered into the additional component from being sent to the Internet. 
     In an example, the method may include, in response to the receiving the sensitive information input (i) generating a public-private key pair and/or (ii) encrypting the sensitive information input with the public-private key pair, where the sensitive information input must be encrypted prior to releasing the outgoing network request. 
     In an embodiment, the method may include detecting a type of action that the network request is performing. In some embodiments, the method may include passing the sensitive information input from an offline thread to an online thread in response to receiving the approval input. In an example, the method may include requesting, via a graphical user interface displayed on a display device, the approval input. 
     In one embodiment, a system for controlling uploading of potentially sensitive information to the internet may include at least one physical processor and physical memory that includes computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the physical processor, cause the physical processor to (i) load, at the system, at least a portion of a webpage and/or (ii) perform a security action including (A) converting, at the computing device, components of the webpage from an online status to an offline status, (B) receiving a sensitive information input to a respective offline component of the webpage, (C) converting, based on a stored user preference and in response to receiving the sensitive information input, the respective offline component to the online status, (D) buffering an outgoing network request including the sensitive information input, (E) receiving an approval input indicating approval to transmit the potentially sensitive information to the Internet, and/or (F) releasing the outgoing network request in response to receiving the approval input. 
     In some examples, the above-described method may be encoded as computer-readable instructions on a non-transitory computer-readable medium. For example, a computer-readable medium may include one or more computer-executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a computing device, may cause the computing device to (i) load, at the computing device, at least a portion of a webpage and/or (ii) perform a security action including (A) converting, at the computing device, components of the webpage from an online status to an offline status, (B) receiving a sensitive information input to a respective offline component of the webpage, (C) converting, based on a stored user preference and in response to receiving the sensitive information input, the respective offline component to the online status, (D) buffering an outgoing network request including the sensitive information input, (E) receiving an approval input indicating approval to transmit the potentially sensitive information to the Internet, and/or (F) releasing the outgoing network request in response to receiving the approval input. 
     Features from any of the embodiments described herein may be used in combination with one another in accordance with the general principles described herein. These and other embodiments, features, and advantages will be more fully understood upon reading the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The accompanying drawings illustrate a number of example embodiments and are a part of the specification. Together with the following description, these drawings demonstrate and explain various principles of the instant disclosure. 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an example system for controlling uploading of potentially sensitive information to the internet. 
         FIG. 2  is a block diagram of an additional example system for controlling uploading of potentially sensitive information to the internet. 
         FIG. 3  is a flow diagram of an example method for controlling uploading of potentially sensitive information to the internet. 
         FIG. 4  is a diagram of an example form on an example webpage to which the provided techniques may be applied for controlling uploading of potentially sensitive information to the internet. 
         FIG. 5  is a diagram of an example form to which an example of the provided techniques is applied for controlling uploading of potentially sensitive information to the internet. 
         FIG. 6  is a block diagram of an example computing system capable of implementing one or more of the embodiments described and/or illustrated herein. 
         FIG. 7  is a block diagram of an example computing network capable of implementing one or more of the embodiments described and/or illustrated herein. 
     
    
    
     Throughout the drawings, identical reference characters and descriptions indicate similar, but not necessarily identical, elements. While the example embodiments described herein are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail herein. However, the example embodiments described herein are not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed. Rather, the instant disclosure covers all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the appended claims. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS 
     The present disclosure is generally directed to systems and methods for controlling uploading of potentially sensitive information to the internet. 
     Many modern application platforms such as desktop computing devices, mobile computing devices, and Internet-accessing devices do not distinguish between components that have access to the Internet and components that do not have access to the Internet. While it may sometimes be possible to limit the Internet access of a particular application (e.g., through firewall tools, browser extensions, etc.), traditional techniques do not determine which portions of applications may interact with the Internet. These traditional all-or-nothing approaches to network access result in users never being sure whether a specific piece of sensitive information they have entered may be sent to servers via the Internet. 
     Traditional approaches have led to numerous privacy leaks and several well-known malicious attacks. For example, faulty password manager and browser-level autofill attacks may allow websites to harvest credentials. Further, applications may send far more data than expected, which may enable creating user profiles that malicious actors may sell. Other examples include barcode code readers (e.g., QR code readers) that may read sensitive data and store the sensitive data on remote servers without user permission and/or user control. Moreover, conventional techniques may not guarantee that applications and/or webpages are performing client-side encryption prior to sending sensitive information and/or passwords via the Internet. In some cases, conventional techniques may send passwords via the Internet in plain text form. 
     The present disclosure is generally directed to mitigating these concerns by providing systems and methods for controlling uploading of potentially sensitive information to the internet. In some examples, provided are offline execution environments that enable applications and/or webpages to process user information locally while not allowing the user information to leave the user computer device without user approval for online communication. In some embodiments, the provided techniques may be provided by operating systems, applications, web browser extensions, plug-ins, mobile device software, the like, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the provided techniques may be provided with or without permission of developers of related software. In some examples, provided are techniques that expose actions of contravening applications to users. 
     In some embodiments, provided techniques may empower application developers to distinguish between offline and online components of applications (e.g., by identifying which components are offline only components). In some examples, provided techniques may provide tools to detect accidental privacy leakage (e.g., applications will not work when offline components are accessed by online components). Further, splitting trust between applications developers, operating system developers, and browser developers may provide users with confidence that applications function with minimal (if any) privacy leakage. Also, when application developers must run third-party instructions, running these instructions in offline environments may provide users with additional protections. In some embodiments, the provided techniques may enable reviewers and automatic checkers of applications and/or webpages to flag problematic applications and/or webpages as being insensitive to user privacy. 
     In some examples, offline execution environments may be provided in any of mobile phone applications, web browsers, and/or desktop applications. In some examples, user interfaces and/or information entry fields may have special indicators showing that certain information may not be transferred via the Internet (e.g., to servers). 
     In some embodiments, provided techniques may provide language-level (e.g., taint tracking) restrictions. In some examples, provided techniques may mark variables as including offline data (e.g., at the language level) and may indicate that variables that interact with marked variables may also be tainted. In some examples, these tainted variables may have access to message-passing interfaces and/or the Internet disabled. 
     In some examples, provided techniques may provide one-way message passing and output-only (i.e., write-only) user interface fields. For example, user interface models may provide “offline-output” fields for user interfaces, where threads in offline execution environments may write. Threads in offline execution environments may receive data from outside of the offline execution environments but may not be capable of sending data out. 
     In some embodiments, provided techniques may provide platform-level differential privacy or data-independent computing. Similar to cryptography, platforms may be entrusted to perform correct computation, thus “laundering” the contents into aggregate statistics which may then be used on servers. An example of this is the generation of public-private key pairs, where only the public key is extractable after the operation has completed. 
     In some examples, provided techniques may provide user interface widgets that are “local-read-only” and that may only be read from offline execution environments to get user input. The semantics for this in HTML might look like:
         &lt;input offline-only=“true” type=“file” name=“picture” id=“picture”/&gt;
 
In some examples, to visually distinguish these elements, the elements may incorporate a padlock design (e.g., similar to the padlock design indicated when using HTTPS). In some embodiments, there may be some platform-level indicators that users are typing in an offline-only field, such as a change in the browser color (e.g., similar to the switch-over to Incognito mode/private browsing). In some examples, browser-level gadgets may be used to submit offline-only fields to online components.
       

     By doing so, the systems and methods described herein may improve the security of computing devices and/or provide targeted protection against privacy leakage, malware, and/or malicious users. In some examples, the systems and methods described herein may advantageously help users identify online and offline components of user interfaces. In some embodiments, the systems and methods described herein may advantageously help software developers produce privacy-preserving applications. In some embodiments, the systems and methods described herein may advantageously provide taint tracking to identify locations of sensitive information during executing applications. As such, the provided techniques may advantageously protect users by beneficially reducing security risks posed by privacy leakage, malicious processes, and/or malicious users. 
     The following will provide, with reference to  FIGS. 1-2 , detailed descriptions of example systems for controlling uploading of potentially sensitive information to the internet. Detailed descriptions of corresponding computer-implemented methods will also be provided in connection with  FIGS. 3-5 . In addition, detailed descriptions of an example computing system and network architecture capable of implementing one or more of the embodiments described herein will be provided in connection with  FIGS. 6 and 7 , respectively. 
       FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an example system  100  for controlling uploading of potentially sensitive information to the internet. As illustrated in this figure, example system  100  may include one or more modules  102  for performing one or more tasks. As will be explained in greater detail below, modules  102  may include a loading module  104 , a performing module  106 , a first converting module  108 , a first receiving module  110 , a second converting module  112 , a buffering module  114 , a second receiving module  116 , and/or a releasing module  118 . Although illustrated as separate elements, one or more of modules  102  in  FIG. 1  may represent portions of a single module or application. In certain embodiments, one or more of modules  102  in  FIG. 1  may represent one or more software applications or programs that, when executed by a computing device, may cause the computing device to perform one or more tasks. For example, and as will be described in greater detail below, one or more of modules  102  may represent modules stored and configured to run on one or more computing devices, such as the devices illustrated in  FIG. 2  (e.g., computing device  202  and/or server  206 ). One or more of modules  102  in  FIG. 1  may also represent all or portions of one or more special-purpose computers configured to perform one or more tasks. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , example system  100  may also include one or more tangible storage devices, such as storage device  120 . Storage device  120  generally represents any type or form of volatile or non-volatile storage device or medium capable of storing data and/or computer-readable instructions. In one example, storage device  120  may store, load, and/or maintain information indicating one or more of a webpage  121 , a security action  122 , components  123  of a webpage (e.g., webpage  121 ), a sensitive information input  124 , an offline component  125  (e.g., of a webpage), a user preference  126  (e.g., for automatically converting an offline component to an online component in response to receiving a sensitive information input or not automatically converting an offline component to an online component in response to receiving a sensitive information input), an outgoing network request  127 , an approval input  128  (e.g., indicating approval to transmit potentially sensitive information to and/or via the Internet), and/or an online component  129  (e.g., of a webpage). In some examples, storage device  120  may generally represent multiple storage devices. Examples of storage device  120  include, without limitation, Random Access Memory (RAM), Read Only Memory (ROM), flash memory, Hard Disk Drives (HDDs), Solid-State Drives (SSDs), optical disk drives, caches, a cloud-based storage device, variations or combinations of one or more of the same, and/or any other suitable storage memory. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , example system  100  may also include one or more physical processors, such as physical processor  130 . Physical processor  130  generally represents any type or form of hardware-implemented processing unit capable of interpreting and/or executing computer-readable instructions. In one example, physical processor  130  may access and/or modify one or more of modules  102  stored in memory  140 . Additionally or alternatively, physical processor  130  may execute one or more of modules  102  to facilitate controlling uploading of potentially sensitive information to the internet. Examples of physical processor  130  include, without limitation, microprocessors, microcontrollers, Central Processing Units (CPUs), Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) that implement softcore processors, Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), portions of one or more of the same, variations or combinations of one or more of the same, and/or any other suitable physical processor. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , example system  100  may also include one or more memory devices, such as memory  140 . Memory  140  generally represents any type or form of volatile or non-volatile storage device or medium capable of storing data and/or computer-readable instructions. In one example, memory  140  may store, load, and/or maintain one or more of modules  102 . Examples of memory  140  include, without limitation, Random Access Memory (RAM), Read Only Memory (ROM), flash memory, Hard Disk Drives (HDDs), Solid-State Drives (SSDs), optical disk drives, caches, variations or combinations of one or more of the same, and/or any other suitable storage memory. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , example system  100  may also include one or more network adapters, such as network adapter  150 . In some examples, network adapter  150  may be a physical network adapter connected to a physical network (e.g., network  204  in  FIG. 2 ). 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , example system  100  may also include one or more display devices, such as display  160 . Display  160  generally represents any type or form of device capable of visually displaying information (e.g., to a user). In some examples, display  160  may present a graphical user interface. In non-limiting examples, display  160  may present at least a portion of information indicating one or more of webpage  121 , security action  122 , components  123 , sensitive information input  124 , offline component  125 , user preference  126 , outgoing network request  127 , approval input  128 , and/or online component  129 . 
     Example system  100  in  FIG. 1  may be implemented in a variety of ways. For example, all or a portion of example system  100  may represent portions of example system  200  in  FIG. 2 . As shown in  FIG. 2 , system  200  may include a computing device  202  in communication with a server  206  via a network  204 . In one example, all or a portion of the functionality of modules  102  may be performed by computing device  202 , server  206 , and/or any other suitable computing system. As will be described in greater detail below, one or more of modules  102  from  FIG. 1  may, when executed by at least one processor of computing device  202  and/or server  206 , enable computing device  202  and/or server  206  to control uploading of potentially sensitive information to the Internet. For example, and as will be described in greater detail below, one or more of modules  102  may cause computing device  202  and/or server  206  to (i) load at least a portion of webpage  121  and (ii) perform security action  122  including (A) converting components of webpage  121  from an online status to an offline status, (B) receiving sensitive information input  124  to respective offline component  125  of webpage  121 , (C) converting, based on stored user preference  126  and in response to receiving sensitive information input  124 , respective offline component  125  to the online status, (D) buffering outgoing network request  127  including sensitive information input  124 , (E) receiving approval input  128  indicating approval to transmit potentially sensitive information  124  to the Internet, and (F) releasing outgoing network request  127  in response to receiving approval input  128 . 
     Computing device  202  generally represents any type or form of computing device capable of reading computer-executable instructions. In some examples, computing device  202  may represent a computer running security software, such as privacy software. Additional examples of computing device  202  include, without limitation, laptops, tablets, desktops, servers, mobile devices, cellular phones, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), multimedia players, embedded systems, wearable devices (e.g., smart watches, smart glasses, etc.), smart vehicles, smart packaging (e.g., active or intelligent packaging), gaming consoles, so-called Internet-of-Things devices (e.g., smart appliances, etc.), variations or combinations of one or more of the same, and/or any other suitable computing device. 
     Network  204  generally represents any medium or architecture capable of facilitating communication or data transfer. In one example, network  204  may facilitate communication between computing device  202  and server  206 . In this example, network  204  may facilitate communication or data transfer using wireless and/or wired connections. Examples of network  204  include, without limitation, an intranet, a Wide Area Network (WAN), a Local Area Network (LAN), a Personal Area Network (PAN), the Internet, Power Line Communications (PLC), a cellular network (e.g., a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) network), portions of one or more of the same, variations or combinations of one or more of the same, and/or any other suitable network. 
     Server  206  generally represents any type or form of computing device that is capable of reading computer-executable instructions. In some examples, server  206  may represent a computer running security software, such as privacy software. Additional examples of server  206  include, without limitation, security servers, application servers, web servers, storage servers, and/or database servers configured to run certain software applications and/or provide various security, web, storage, and/or database services. Although illustrated as a single entity in  FIG. 2 , server  206  may include and/or represent a plurality of servers that work and/or operate in conjunction with one another. 
       FIG. 3  is a flow diagram of an example computer-implemented method  300  for controlling uploading of potentially sensitive information to the internet. The steps shown in  FIG. 3  may be performed by any suitable computer-executable code and/or computing system, including system  100  in  FIG. 1 , system  200  in  FIG. 2 , and/or variations or combinations of one or more of the same. In one example, each of the steps shown in  FIG. 3  may represent an algorithm whose structure includes and/or is represented by multiple sub-steps, examples of which will be provided in greater detail below. In some examples, techniques applicable to websites may be applied to applications to control uploading of potentially sensitive information to the Internet. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , at step  302  one or more of the systems described herein may load (e.g., at a computing device), at least a portion of webpages and/or applications. The systems described herein may perform step  302  in a variety of ways. For example, loading module  104  may, as part of computing device  202  in  FIG. 2 , load at least a portion of webpage  121 . 
     In some examples, the webpage may include at least one of (i) a quick response code reader, (ii) a file encryption application, (iii) an encrypted messaging application, (iv) an address book uploading application, (v) an online code editor, (vi) a visual editor, (vii) a form, (viii) a photo processing application, (ix) a photo filter application, (x) a network permissions setting, and/or ( 11 ) a password manager. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , at step  304  one or more of the systems described herein may perform security actions (e.g., including at least one of steps  306 ,  308 ,  310 ,  312 ,  314 , and/or  316 ). The systems described herein may perform step  304  in a variety of ways. For example, performing module  106  may, as part of computing device  202  in  FIG. 2 , perform security action  122 . 
     In examples, security actions may include prophylactic measures taken to safeguard electronic information. Prophylactic measures may include acts undertaken to prevent, detect, and/or mitigate vulnerabilities of electronic computing devices, to implement computer security policies (e.g., detecting privacy leakage), to detect malicious activities on electronic computing devices, and/or to thwart malicious activities on electronic computing devices. 
     In some examples, method  300  may further include performing at least one security action in response to detecting privacy leakage, detecting vulnerabilities of electronic computing devices, detecting potential security risks directed toward the electronic computing devices, detecting malicious activity directed toward the electronic computing devices, or a combination thereof. In some examples, security actions may be performed in an attempt to ameliorate potential security risks. For example, performing modules may identify potential security risks and in response performing modules may perform security actions in attempts to ameliorate the potential security risks. Security actions may include pausing and/or stopping acts by users and/or autonomous processes executing on computers. 
     Security actions may also include notifying users of potential security risks (e.g., via graphical user interfaces depicted on displays). In some examples, security actions may include preventing data entry into user interfaces and/or displaying warnings on user displays. In additional examples, the security actions may include displaying, on user displays, warnings indicating that user approval is required to upload sensitive information to the Internet. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , at step  306  one or more of the systems described herein may convert components of the webpages and/or the applications from an online status to an offline status. The systems described herein may perform step  306  in a variety of ways. For example, first converting module  108  may, as part of computing device  202  in  FIG. 2 , convert components of webpage  121  from an online status to an offline status. 
     In some examples, the converting components of the webpage and/or application from the online status to the offline status may include (i) detecting when the webpage and/or an application has substantially finished loading and/or (ii) initiating performing the converting in response to the detecting. Fields on the webpage and attribute names may be identified, such as by natural language interpretation of the attribute names. 
     In some embodiments, converting components of the webpage from the online status to the offline status may be performed by at least one of a browser extension, an operating system, and/or an application. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , at step  308  one or more of the systems described herein may receive sensitive information inputs to respective offline components of the webpages and/or applications. The systems described herein may perform step  308  in a variety of ways. For example, first receiving module  110  may, as part of computing device  202  in  FIG. 2 , receive sensitive information input  124  to respective offline component  125  of webpage  121 . 
     In some embodiments, method  300  may include identifying object tags in the webpage and/or application to identify field components of the webpage and/or application requesting entry of the potentially sensitive information. In some examples, method  300  may include temporarily blocking Internet access by the webpage and/or application in response to identifying the field components of the webpage and/or application requesting entry of the potentially sensitive information. 
     In some examples, method  300  may include requesting, via a graphical user interface displayed on a display device, the sensitive information input. 
     In some embodiments, method  300  may include converting the respective offline component to a user interface widget. 
     In an example, method  300  may include displaying a padlock image substantially near an image of the respective offline component. In an embodiment, method  300  may include displaying an image of the respective offline component in a color contrasting with a color of a substantially adjacent component of the webpage and/or user interface. 
     In some examples, method  300  may include (i) identifying online and offline components of the webpage and/or (ii) displaying at least one identifier indicating which components of the webpage are online. 
     In some embodiments, method  300  may include (i) marking an additional component of the webpage as for offline information only and/or (ii) blocking sensitive information entered into the additional component from being sent to the Internet. 
     In an example, method  300  may include, in response to the receiving the sensitive information input (i) generating a public-private key pair and/or (ii) encrypting the sensitive information input with the public-private key pair. In some embodiments, the sensitive information input must be encrypted prior to releasing the outgoing network request. In some examples, users may approve releases of sensitive information only after the sensitive information is encrypted. In some embodiments, this technique may provide users with confidence that their sensitive information is encrypted (e.g., by platforms, operating systems, browsers, the like, or a combination thereof) before being released. In some examples, this technique may advantageously provide users with confidence that their sensitive information is substantially always encrypted before being released. In an example, in encrypted messaging applications, the provided techniques may advantageously instill user confidence by releasing sensitive information only in encrypted messages. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , at step  310  one or more of the systems described herein may convert (e.g., based on a stored user preference and in response to receiving the sensitive information input) the respective offline components to the online status. The systems described herein may perform step  310  in a variety of ways. For example, second converting module  112  may, as part of computing device  202  in  FIG. 2 , convert, based on stored user preference  126  and in response to receiving sensitive information input  124 , respective offline component  125  to the online status. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , at step  312  one or more of the systems described herein may buffer outgoing network requests including the sensitive information inputs. The systems described herein may perform step  312  in a variety of ways. For example, buffering module  114  may, as part of computing device  202  in  FIG. 2 , buffer outgoing network request  127  including sensitive information input  124 . 
     In some embodiments, method  300  may include detecting a type of action that the network request is performing. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , at step  314  one or more of the systems described herein may receive approval inputs indicating approvals to transmit the potentially sensitive information to the Internet. The systems described herein may perform step  314  in a variety of ways. For example, second receiving module  116  may, as part of computing device  202  in  FIG. 2 , receive approval input  128  indicating approval to transmit potentially sensitive information  124  to the Internet. 
     In some examples, method  300  may include requesting, via a graphical user interface displayed on a display device, the approval input. In some embodiments, method  300  may include a browser and/or application providing a visual indication (e.g., via a display) that actuating an input approval image will submit sensitive information (e.g., in fields that are offline) to another computing device (e.g., via the Internet). In some examples, approval input images (e.g., buttons, drop-down boxes, file upload images, file selection images, an image, the like, or a combination thereof) may be added to webpages in locations substantially near at least some input field components of the webpages. In some embodiments, approval input images may be provided on a per-form basis. In some embodiments, approval input images may be provided on a per-website basis. In some examples, users may actuate approval input images to submit approval inputs. In some examples, failing to actuate approval input images denies (e.g., by default) submitting approval inputs. In some embodiments, approval input images may be provided to approve sending sensitive information to and/or from other applications on mobile devices. In some examples, approval input images may be provided to approve sending sensitive information to and/or from other webpages on mobile devices. 
     We turn now to examples in  FIGS. 4-5 .  FIG. 4  is a diagram of an example form  400  on an example webpage to which the provided techniques may be applied for controlling uploading of potentially sensitive information to the internet.  FIG. 5  is a diagram  500  of the example form  400  to which an example of the provided techniques is applied for controlling uploading of potentially sensitive information to the internet. Diagram  500  depicts results of applying at least portions of method  300  to example form  400 , such as of (i) converting components of webpage from  400  an online status to an offline status, (ii) receiving sensitive information inputs to respective offline components of the webpage, and (iii) requesting, via a graphical user interface, approval input (i.e., with “Track” buttons). When users actuate approval input images, the users may submit approval inputs for sensitive information input into respective input field objects. 
     Returning to  FIG. 3 , in some embodiments, method  300  may include passing the sensitive information input from an offline thread to an online thread in response to receiving the approval input. In an example, only offline threads may read information in offline fields. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , at step  316  one or more of the systems described herein may release the outgoing network requests in response to receiving the approval inputs. The systems described herein may perform step  316  in a variety of ways. For example, releasing module  118  may, as part of computing device  202  in  FIG. 2 , release outgoing network request  127  in response to receiving approval input  128 . 
     As detailed above, the steps outlined in method  300  in  FIG. 3  may enable controlling uploading of potentially sensitive information to the internet. For example, the systems described herein may (i) load, at the system, at least a portion of a webpage and/or (ii) perform a security action including (A) converting, at the computing device, components of the webpage from an online status to an offline status, (B) receiving a sensitive information input to a respective offline component of the webpage, (C) converting, based on a stored user preference and in response to receiving the sensitive information input, the respective offline component to the online status, (D) buffering an outgoing network request including the sensitive information input, (E) receiving an approval input indicating approval to transmit the potentially sensitive information to the Internet, and/or (F) releasing the outgoing network request in response to receiving the approval input. By doing so, the systems and methods described herein may improve the security of computing devices and/or provide targeted protection against privacy leakage, malware, and/or malicious users. 
       FIG. 6  is a block diagram of an example computing system  610  capable of implementing one or more of the embodiments described and/or illustrated herein. For example, all or a portion of computing system  610  may perform and/or be a means for performing, either alone or in combination with other elements, one or more of the steps described herein (such as one or more of the steps illustrated in  FIG. 3 ). All or a portion of computing system  610  may also perform and/or be a means for performing any other steps, methods, or processes described and/or illustrated herein. 
     Computing system  610  broadly represents any single or multi-processor computing device or system capable of executing computer-readable instructions. Examples of computing system  610  include, without limitation, workstations, laptops, client-side terminals, servers, distributed computing systems, handheld devices, or any other computing system or device. In its most basic configuration, computing system  610  may include at least one processor  614  and a system memory  616 . 
     Processor  614  generally represents any type or form of physical processing unit (e.g., a hardware-implemented central processing unit) capable of processing data or interpreting and executing instructions. In certain embodiments, processor  614  may receive instructions from a software application or module. These instructions may cause processor  614  to perform the functions of one or more of the example embodiments described and/or illustrated herein. 
     System memory  616  generally represents any type or form of volatile or non-volatile storage device or medium capable of storing data and/or other computer-readable instructions. Examples of system memory  616  include, without limitation, Random Access Memory (RAM), Read Only Memory (ROM), flash memory, or any other suitable memory device. Although not required, in certain embodiments computing system  610  may include both a volatile memory unit (such as, for example, system memory  616 ) and a non-volatile storage device (such as, for example, primary storage device  632 , as described in detail below). In one example, one or more of modules  102  from  FIG. 1  may be loaded into system memory  616 . 
     In some examples, system memory  616  may store and/or load an operating system  640  for execution by processor  614 . In one example, operating system  640  may include and/or represent software that manages computer hardware and software resources and/or provides common services to computer programs and/or applications on computing system  610 . Examples of operating system  640  include, without limitation, LINUX, JUNOS, MICROSOFT WINDOWS, WINDOWS MOBILE, MAC OS, APPLE&#39;S  10 S, UNIX, GOOGLE CHROME OS, GOOGLE&#39;S ANDROID, SOLARIS, variations of one or more of the same, and/or any other suitable operating system. 
     In certain embodiments, example computing system  610  may also include one or more components or elements in addition to processor  614  and system memory  616 . For example, as illustrated in  FIG. 6 , computing system  610  may include a memory controller  618 , an Input/Output (I/O) controller  620 , and a communication interface  622 , each of which may be interconnected via a communication infrastructure  612 . Communication infrastructure  612  generally represents any type or form of infrastructure capable of facilitating communication between one or more components of a computing device. Examples of communication infrastructure  612  include, without limitation, a communication bus (such as an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA), Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI), PCI Express (PCIe), or similar bus) and a network. 
     Memory controller  618  generally represents any type or form of device capable of handling memory or data or controlling communication between one or more components of computing system  610 . For example, in certain embodiments memory controller  618  may control communication between processor  614 , system memory  616 , and I/O controller  620  via communication infrastructure  612 . 
     I/O controller  620  generally represents any type or form of module capable of coordinating and/or controlling the input and output functions of a computing device. For example, in certain embodiments I/O controller  620  may control or facilitate transfer of data between one or more elements of computing system  610 , such as processor  614 , system memory  616 , communication interface  622 , display adapter  626 , input interface  630 , and storage interface  634 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 6 , computing system  610  may also include at least one display device  624  coupled to I/O controller  620  via a display adapter  626 . Display device  624  generally represents any type or form of device capable of visually displaying information forwarded by display adapter  626 . Similarly, display adapter  626  generally represents any type or form of device configured to forward graphics, text, and other data from communication infrastructure  612  (or from a frame buffer, as known in the art) for display on display device  624 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 6 , example computing system  610  may also include at least one input device  628  coupled to I/O controller  620  via an input interface  630 . Input device  628  generally represents any type or form of input device capable of providing input, either computer or human generated, to example computing system  610 . Examples of input device  628  include, without limitation, a keyboard, a pointing device, a speech recognition device, variations or combinations of one or more of the same, and/or any other input device. 
     Additionally or alternatively, example computing system  610  may include additional I/O devices. For example, example computing system  610  may include I/O device  636 . In this example, I/O device  636  may include and/or represent a user interface that facilitates human interaction with computing system  610 . Examples of I/O device  636  include, without limitation, a computer mouse, a keyboard, a monitor, a printer, a modem, a camera, a scanner, a microphone, a touchscreen device, variations or combinations of one or more of the same, and/or any other I/O device. 
     Communication interface  622  broadly represents any type or form of communication device or adapter capable of facilitating communication between example computing system  610  and one or more additional devices. For example, in certain embodiments communication interface  622  may facilitate communication between computing system  610  and a private or public network including additional computing systems. Examples of communication interface  622  include, without limitation, a wired network interface (such as a network interface card), a wireless network interface (such as a wireless network interface card), a modem, and any other suitable interface. In at least one embodiment, communication interface  622  may provide a direct connection to a remote server via a direct link to a network, such as the Internet. Communication interface  622  may also indirectly provide such a connection through, for example, a local area network (such as an Ethernet network), a personal area network, a telephone or cable network, a cellular telephone connection, a satellite data connection, or any other suitable connection. 
     In certain embodiments, communication interface  622  may also represent a host adapter configured to facilitate communication between computing system  610  and one or more additional network or storage devices via an external bus or communications channel. Examples of host adapters include, without limitation, Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) host adapters, Universal Serial Bus (USB) host adapters, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 1394 host adapters, Advanced Technology Attachment (ATA), Parallel ATA (PATA), Serial ATA (SATA), and External SATA (eSATA) host adapters, Fibre Channel interface adapters, Ethernet adapters, or the like. Communication interface  622  may also allow computing system  610  to engage in distributed or remote computing. For example, communication interface  622  may receive instructions from a remote device or send instructions to a remote device for execution. 
     In some examples, system memory  616  may store and/or load a network communication program  638  for execution by processor  614 . In one example, network communication program  638  may include and/or represent software that enables computing system  610  to establish a network connection  642  with another computing system (not illustrated in  FIG. 6 ) and/or communicate with the other computing system by way of communication interface  622 . In this example, network communication program  638  may direct the flow of outgoing traffic that is sent to the other computing system via network connection  642 . Additionally or alternatively, network communication program  638  may direct the processing of incoming traffic that is received from the other computing system via network connection  642  in connection with processor  614 . 
     Although not illustrated in this way in  FIG. 6 , network communication program  638  may alternatively be stored and/or loaded in communication interface  622 . For example, network communication program  638  may include and/or represent at least a portion of software and/or firmware that is executed by a processor and/or Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) incorporated in communication interface  622 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 6 , example computing system  610  may also include a primary storage device  632  and a backup storage device  633  coupled to communication infrastructure  612  via a storage interface  634 . Storage devices  632  and  633  generally represent any type or form of storage device or medium capable of storing data and/or other computer-readable instructions. For example, storage devices  632  and  633  may be a magnetic disk drive (e.g., a so-called hard drive), a solid state drive, a floppy disk drive, a magnetic tape drive, an optical disk drive, a flash drive, or the like. Storage interface  634  generally represents any type or form of interface or device for transferring data between storage devices  632  and  633  and other components of computing system  610 . In one example, storage device  120  from  FIG. 1  may be at least a part of primary storage device  632 . 
     In certain embodiments, storage devices  632  and  633  may be configured to read from and/or write to a removable storage unit configured to store computer software, data, or other computer-readable information. Examples of suitable removable storage units include, without limitation, a floppy disk, a magnetic tape, an optical disk, a flash memory device, or the like. Storage devices  632  and  633  may also include other similar structures or devices for allowing computer software, data, or other computer-readable instructions to be loaded into computing system  610 . For example, storage devices  632  and  633  may be configured to read and write software, data, or other computer-readable information. Storage devices  632  and  633  may also be a part of computing system  610  or may be a separate device accessed through other interface systems. 
     Many other devices or subsystems may be connected to computing system  610 . Conversely, all of the components and devices illustrated in  FIG. 6  need not be present to practice the embodiments described and/or illustrated herein. The devices and subsystems referenced above may also be interconnected in different ways from that shown in  FIG. 6 . Computing system  610  may also employ any number of software, firmware, and/or hardware configurations. For example, one or more of the example embodiments disclosed herein may be encoded as a computer program (also referred to as computer software, software applications, computer-readable instructions, or computer control logic) on a computer-readable medium. The term “computer-readable medium,” as used herein, generally refers to any form of device, carrier, or medium capable of storing or carrying computer-readable instructions. Examples of computer-readable media include, without limitation, transmission-type media, such as carrier waves, and non-transitory-type media, such as magnetic-storage media (e.g., hard disk drives, tape drives, and floppy disks), optical-storage media (e.g., Compact Disks (CDs), Digital Video Disks (DVDs), and BLU-RAY disks), electronic-storage media (e.g., solid-state drives and flash media), and other distribution systems. 
     The computer-readable medium containing the computer program may be loaded into computing system  610 . All or a portion of the computer program stored on the computer-readable medium may then be stored in system memory  616  and/or various portions of storage devices  632  and  633 . When executed by processor  614 , a computer program loaded into computing system  610  may cause processor  614  to perform and/or be a means for performing the functions of one or more of the example embodiments described and/or illustrated herein. Additionally or alternatively, one or more of the example embodiments described and/or illustrated herein may be implemented in firmware and/or hardware. For example, computing system  610  may be configured as an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) adapted to implement one or more of the example embodiments disclosed herein. 
       FIG. 7  is a block diagram of an example network architecture  700  in which client systems  710 ,  720 , and  730  and servers  740  and  745  may be coupled to a network  750 . As detailed above, all or a portion of network architecture  700  may perform and/or be a means for performing, either alone or in combination with other elements, one or more of the steps disclosed herein (such as one or more of the steps illustrated in  FIG. 3 ). All or a portion of network architecture  700  may also be used to perform and/or be a means for performing other steps and features set forth in the instant disclosure. 
     Client systems  710 ,  720 , and  730  generally represent any type or form of computing device or system, such as example computing system  610  in  FIG. 6 . Similarly, servers  740  and  745  generally represent computing devices or systems, such as application servers or database servers, configured to provide various database services and/or run certain software applications. Network  750  generally represents any telecommunication or computer network including, for example, an intranet, a WAN, a LAN, a PAN, or the Internet. In one example, client systems  710 ,  720 , and/or  730  and/or servers  740  and/or  745  may include all or a portion of system  100  from  FIG. 1 . 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 7 , one or more storage devices  760 ( 1 )-(N) may be directly attached to server  740 . Similarly, one or more storage devices  770 ( 1 )-(N) may be directly attached to server  745 . Storage devices  760 ( 1 )-(N) and storage devices  770 ( 1 )-(N) generally represent any type or form of storage device or medium capable of storing data and/or other computer-readable instructions. In certain embodiments, storage devices  760 ( 1 )-(N) and storage devices  770 ( 1 )-(N) may represent Network-Attached Storage (NAS) devices configured to communicate with servers  740  and  745  using various protocols, such as Network File System (NFS), Server Message Block (SMB), or Common Internet File System (CIFS). 
     Servers  740  and  745  may also be connected to a Storage Area Network (SAN) fabric  780 . SAN fabric  780  generally represents any type or form of computer network or architecture capable of facilitating communication between a plurality of storage devices. SAN fabric  780  may facilitate communication between servers  740  and  745  and a plurality of storage devices  790 ( 1 )-(N) and/or an intelligent storage array  795 . SAN fabric  780  may also facilitate, via network  750  and servers  740  and  745 , communication between client systems  710 ,  720 , and  730  and storage devices  790 ( 1 )-(N) and/or intelligent storage array  795  in such a manner that devices  790 ( 1 )-(N) and array  795  appear as locally attached devices to client systems  710 ,  720 , and  730 . As with storage devices  760 ( 1 )-(N) and storage devices  770 ( 1 )-(N), storage devices  790 ( 1 )-(N) and intelligent storage array  795  generally represent any type or form of storage device or medium capable of storing data and/or other computer-readable instructions. 
     In certain embodiments, and with reference to example computing system  610  of  FIG. 6 , a communication interface, such as communication interface  622  in  FIG. 6 , may be used to provide connectivity between each client system  710 ,  720 , and  730  and network  750 . Client systems  710 ,  720 , and  730  may be able to access information on server  740  or  745  using, for example, a web browser or other client software. Such software may allow client systems  710 ,  720 , and  730  to access data hosted by server  740 , server  745 , storage devices  760 ( 1 )-(N), storage devices  770 ( 1 )-(N), storage devices  790 ( 1 )-(N), or intelligent storage array  795 . Although  FIG. 7  depicts the use of a network (such as the Internet) for exchanging data, the embodiments described and/or illustrated herein are not limited to the Internet or any particular network-based environment. 
     In at least one embodiment, all or a portion of one or more of the example embodiments disclosed herein may be encoded as a computer program and loaded onto and executed by server  740 , server  745 , storage devices  760 ( 1 )-(N), storage devices  770 ( 1 )-(N), storage devices  790 ( 1 )-(N), intelligent storage array  795 , or any combination thereof. All or a portion of one or more of the example embodiments disclosed herein may also be encoded as a computer program, stored in server  740 , run by server  745 , and distributed to client systems  710 ,  720 , and  730  over network  750 . 
     As detailed above, computing system  610  and/or one or more components of network architecture  700  may perform and/or be a means for performing, either alone or in combination with other elements, one or more steps of an example method for controlling uploading of potentially sensitive information to the Internet. 
     While the foregoing disclosure sets forth various embodiments using specific block diagrams, flowcharts, and examples, each block diagram component, flowchart step, operation, and/or component described and/or illustrated herein may be implemented, individually and/or collectively, using a wide range of hardware, software, or firmware (or any combination thereof) configurations. In addition, any disclosure of components contained within other components should be considered example in nature since many other architectures can be implemented to achieve the same functionality. 
     In some examples, all or a portion of example system  100  in  FIG. 1  may represent portions of a cloud-computing or network-based environment. Cloud-computing environments may provide various services and applications via the Internet. These cloud-based services (e.g., software as a service, platform as a service, infrastructure as a service, etc.) may be accessible through a web browser or other remote interface. Various functions described herein may be provided through a remote desktop environment or any other cloud-based computing environment. 
     In various embodiments, all or a portion of example system  100  in  FIG. 1  may facilitate multi-tenancy within a cloud-based computing environment. In other words, the software modules described herein may configure a computing system (e.g., a server) to facilitate multi-tenancy for one or more of the functions described herein. For example, one or more of the software modules described herein may program a server to enable two or more clients (e.g., customers) to share an application that is running on the server. A server programmed in this manner may share an application, operating system, processing system, and/or storage system among multiple customers (i.e., tenants). One or more of the modules described herein may also partition data and/or configuration information of a multi-tenant application for each customer such that one customer cannot access data and/or configuration information of another customer. 
     According to various embodiments, all or a portion of example system  100  in  FIG. 1  may be implemented within a virtual environment. For example, the modules and/or data described herein may reside and/or execute within a virtual machine. As used herein, the term “virtual machine” generally refers to any operating system environment that is abstracted from computing hardware by a virtual machine manager (e.g., a hypervisor). Additionally or alternatively, the modules and/or data described herein may reside and/or execute within a virtualization layer. As used herein, the term “virtualization layer” generally refers to any data layer and/or application layer that overlays and/or is abstracted from an operating system environment. A virtualization layer may be managed by a software virtualization solution (e.g., a file system filter) that presents the virtualization layer as though it were part of an underlying base operating system. For example, a software virtualization solution may redirect calls that are initially directed to locations within a base file system and/or registry to locations within a virtualization layer. 
     In some examples, all or a portion of example system  100  in  FIG. 1  may represent portions of a mobile computing environment. Mobile computing environments may be implemented by a wide range of mobile computing devices, including mobile phones, tablet computers, e-book readers, personal digital assistants, wearable computing devices (e.g., computing devices with a head-mounted display, smartwatches, etc.), and the like. In some examples, mobile computing environments may have one or more distinct features, including, for example, reliance on battery power, presenting only one foreground application at any given time, remote management features, touchscreen features, location and movement data (e.g., provided by Global Positioning Systems, gyroscopes, accelerometers, etc.), restricted platforms that restrict modifications to system-level configurations and/or that limit the ability of third-party software to inspect the behavior of other applications, controls to restrict the installation of applications (e.g., to only originate from approved application stores), etc. Various functions described herein may be provided for a mobile computing environment and/or may interact with a mobile computing environment. 
     In addition, all or a portion of example system  100  in  FIG. 1  may represent portions of, interact with, consume data produced by, and/or produce data consumed by one or more systems for information management. As used herein, the term “information management” may refer to the protection, organization, and/or storage of data. Examples of systems for information management may include, without limitation, storage systems, backup systems, archival systems, replication systems, high availability systems, data search systems, virtualization systems, and the like. 
     In some embodiments, all or a portion of example system  100  in  FIG. 1  may represent portions of, produce data protected by, and/or communicate with one or more systems for information security. As used herein, the term “information security” may refer to the control of access to protected data. Examples of systems for information security may include, without limitation, systems providing managed security services, data loss prevention systems, identity authentication systems, access control systems, encryption systems, policy compliance systems, intrusion detection and prevention systems, electronic discovery systems, and the like. 
     According to some examples, all or a portion of example system  100  in  FIG. 1  may represent portions of, communicate with, and/or receive protection from one or more systems for endpoint security. As used herein, the term “endpoint security” may refer to the protection of endpoint systems from unauthorized and/or illegitimate use, access, and/or control. Examples of systems for endpoint protection may include, without limitation, anti-malware systems, user authentication systems, encryption systems, privacy systems, spam-filtering services, and the like. 
     The process parameters and sequence of steps described and/or illustrated herein are given by way of example only and can be varied as desired. For example, while the steps illustrated and/or described herein may be shown or discussed in a particular order, these steps do not necessarily need to be performed in the order illustrated or discussed. The various example methods described and/or illustrated herein may also omit one or more of the steps described or illustrated herein or include additional steps in addition to those disclosed. 
     While various embodiments have been described and/or illustrated herein in the context of fully functional computing systems, one or more of these example embodiments may be distributed as a program product in a variety of forms, regardless of the particular type of computer-readable media used to actually carry out the distribution. The embodiments disclosed herein may also be implemented using software modules that perform certain tasks. These software modules may include script, batch, or other executable files that may be stored on a computer-readable storage medium or in a computing system. In some embodiments, these software modules may configure a computing system to perform one or more of the example embodiments disclosed herein. 
     In addition, one or more of the modules described herein may transform data, physical devices, and/or representations of physical devices from one form to another. For example, one or more of the modules recited herein may receive components of a webpage to be transformed, transform the components of the webpage, output a result of the transformation to a display, use the result of the transformation to control uploading potentially sensitive information to the internet, and store the result of the transformation in a storage device. Additionally or alternatively, one or more of the modules recited herein may transform a processor, volatile memory, non-volatile memory, and/or any other portion of a physical computing device from one form to another by executing on the computing device, storing data on the computing device, and/or otherwise interacting with the computing device. 
     The preceding description has been provided to enable others skilled in the art to best utilize various aspects of the example embodiments disclosed herein. This example description is not intended to be exhaustive or to be limited to any precise form disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the instant disclosure. The embodiments disclosed herein should be considered in all respects illustrative and not restrictive. Reference should be made to the appended claims and their equivalents in determining the scope of the instant disclosure. 
     Unless otherwise noted, the terms “connected to” and “coupled to” (and their derivatives), as used in the specification and claims, are to be construed as permitting both direct and indirect (i.e., via other elements or components) connection. In addition, the terms “a” or “an,” as used in the specification and claims, are to be construed as meaning “at least one of.” Finally, for ease of use, the terms “including” and “having” (and their derivatives), as used in the specification and claims, are interchangeable with and have the same meaning as the word “comprising.”