Patent Publication Number: US-2012036565-A1

Title: Personal data protection suite

Description:
COPENDING APPLICATIONS 
     This Application is a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/754,086, filed Jun. 5, 2010, and titled, USER AUTHENTICATION SYSTEM, this Application further claims benefit under Common Ownership, regarding United States Patent Application Publication US 2008/0028444, published Jan. 31, 2008, titled SECURE WEBSITE AUTHENTICATION USING WEBSITE CHARACTERISTICS, SECURE USER CREDENTIALS AND PRIVATE BROWSER. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to computer security systems, and more particularly to protection suites that present graphical user interfaces which help drive the engagement of other, related applications that can be purchased. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     No one computer security application can do it all and free competition has resulted in hundreds, if not thousands of offerings that promise many perspectives on similar problems. Advertising has been the traditional solution to finding customer for products and for customers to understand what&#39;s available. New technologies can be “pushed” to market and market demand can “pull” sales. In a marketing “pull” system the consumer requests the product and “pulls” it through the delivery channel. 
     Push marketing can be interactive, especially when the Internet is used as the communications channel. Amazon and other retailers learned long ago that sales can be enhanced if they suggest or push related products to those in a buyer&#39;s “shopping cart”. Buyers are given the opportunity to click on the suggested products, often saying other buyers had bought these as well. 
     Protection suites are collections of best-in-class computer security products that make good sense when used in combination together. For example, NORTON™ SECURITY SUITE, IDENTITY GUARD®, SECURE BACKUP &amp; SHARE, XFINITY™ TOOLBAR, etc. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Briefly, an online protection suite embodiment of the present invention provides subscribers to organizations a highly integrated desktop application with a dashboard set of services combining single-click access to user accounts and a bulletin-board of constantly refreshed posters offering a variety of related products and services. 
     The above and still further objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description of specific embodiments thereof, especially when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIGS. 1A-1D  are functional block diagrams of a user authentication system embodiment of the present invention with a network server and a client for user authentication; 
         FIG. 2  is a functional block diagram of a trusted network library system embodiment of the present invention that is added to support the user authentication system of  FIGS. 1A-1D ; and 
         FIGS. 3A and 3B  are functional block diagrams of a user authentication method embodiment of the present invention useful in the user authentication system of  FIGS. 1A-1D .  FIG. 3A  represents the functioning of the method when a user registers the ID vault application program for the first time.  FIG. 3B  represents the functioning of the method when a user should be authenticated to a corresponding server; 
         FIG. 4  is a functional block diagram an IAT-DLL security mender method implemented within a computer platform and configured for execution in parallel with an operating system; 
         FIG. 5  is a flowchart diagram of an IAT-DLL security mender method implemented as software and configured for execution by a computer platform and an operating system, and showing the interactions between them; 
         FIG. 6  is a functional block diagram of a secure authentication system that detects and prevents phishing and pharming attacks for specific websites, and that incorporates the elements illustrated in  FIGS. 1A-1D ,  2 ,  3 A- 3 B,  4 , and  5 ; 
         FIG. 7  is a diagram of a graphical user interface (GUI) in a dashboard configuration that can be effectively connected to and used with the system illustrated in  FIG. 6 ; and 
         FIG. 8  is a functional block diagram of the mechanisms incorporated in the system illustrated in  FIG. 6  that are needed to support the GUI and its hyperlinks, buttons, bulletin-board, and posters illustrated in  FIG. 7 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     Embodiments of the present invention protect secure systems from malicious hooking of the import address table (IAT) and direct link libraries (DLL&#39;s) that can occur in standard operating systems like Microsoft WINDOWS.  FIGS. 1A-1D ,  2 ,  3 A, and  3 B illustrate the kind of systems that can benefit from such protection. 
       FIGS. 1A-1B  represent a user authentication system, and is referred to herein by the general reference numeral  100 .  FIG. 1A  represents an initial condition in which one of many user clients  102  has connected through the Internet  104  to a network server  106 . The user clients  102  typically include a processor and memory  108 , network interface controller (NIC)  110 , an operating system  112  like WINDOWS, a browser  114  like INTERNET EXPLORER, and an input device  116  like a common keyboard and mouse. The browser  114  also allows the user clients  102  to visit third-party secure websites  120  that each require authentication from the user, e.g., a user ID and password. 
     Network server  106  can offer for download an ID vault (IDV) application program  122 , and maintains a database  124  of registered IDV users. The IDV application program  122  can be sold, subscribed to, given away for free, offered as a prize or award, and/or provided on a disk or memory card. 
       FIG. 1B  represents how user authentication system  100  is transformed by the installation of IDV application program  122  in user clients  102 . An installation and registration process, when launched, builds an ID vault run-time client  130 , a WINDOWS root certificate  132 , and a globally unique identifier (GUID)  134 . The WINDOWS root certificate  132  is created and signed for exclusive use by ID vault run-time client  130 . There is no other root authority involved. The GUID  134  is a unique identifier earmarked exclusively for the particular installation of ID vault run-time client  130  on user client  102 . When GUID  134  is created it is placed in WINDOWS root certificate  132 . Network server  106  is called to create a PIN record and passes the GUID  134 , the public key for WINDOWS root certificate  132 , and a personal identification number (PIN)  136  provided by the user. These are forwarded in a message  138  to network server  106 . The network server  106  creates a new user record  140  and stores it and others in user database  124 . The particular user and their user client  102  are thereby registered. 
       FIG. 1C  represents how the user authentication system  100  is transformed from that shown in  FIG. 1B  by the running of ID vault run-time client  130  in user client  102 . When the user tries to open an account at a third-party website  120 , a service in ID vault run-time client  130  is called to get a “protected” encryption key  142  needed to access a locked, local encrypted vault  144 . That call passes a message  146  that includes a copy of GUID  134 , a signature of GUID  134  using the private key for WINDOWS root certificate  132 , and a freshly acquired PIN  148  (which is required to match the original PIN  136  used during registration for the user to be authenticated). Network server  106  then verifies that GUID  134  already exists in database  124 , and if so, tests to see that the signature is correct using the public key previously supplied in new user record  140 . It further tests to see that PIN  148  matches PIN  136  which was received previously in new user record  140 . If the tests are successful, a “protected” encryption key  142  is sent to user client  102 . Such “protected” encryption key  142  will expire after a limited time. But before it does expire, the user can automatically and transparently log-on to many secure third party websites  120  that its registered for. 
     The “protected” encryption key  142  the server returns is not the actual decryption key needed to unlock the secure files. The receiving client uses its certificate (private key) to actually decrypt key  142  and get the actual symmetric key that was used to encrypt the vault. In other words, the “protected” encryption key the server sends needs further processing by the client and its certificate before the response can be used to access the vault. The certificate and the key returned by the server are therefore strongly bound. 
       FIG. 1D  represents how the user authentication system  100  is transformed from that shown in  FIG. 1C  by the routine use of ID vault run-time client  130  in user client  102 . After the “protected” encryption key  142  is received, the local encrypted vault  144  can be unlocked. Thereafter, as browser  114  navigates to third party websites  120 , ID vault run-time client  130  recognizes that a user ID and password  150  are needed. The local encrypted vault  144  stores all the user ID&#39;s and passwords  150  that were collected in previous sessions to automatically log-on to corresponding third party websites  120 . Once logged on, the user client is given an access response  152 . If a token is needed from a fob, the token is read and entered by the user as usual at input device  116 . ID vault run-time client  130  will automatically relock local encrypted vault  144  after a predetermined or programmable time set by the user. 
     GUID  134  is a randomly generated 128-bit integer represented by a 32-character hexadecimal character string. For example, “c12eb070-2be2-11df-8a39-0800200c9a66”. The odds are that such number will be unique for all practical purposes. A GUID can be assumed to never be generated twice by any computer. Microsoft Windows uses GUID&#39;s internally to identify classes in DLL files. A script can activate a specific class or object without having to know the name or location of the Dynamic Linked Library that includes it. ActiveX uses GUID&#39;s to uniquely identify controls being downloading and installed in a web browser. GUID&#39;s can be obtained with a random-number generator, or based on a time. GUID&#39;s can also include some parts based on the hardware environment, such as the MAC address of a network card. 
     Certificates, like WINDOWS root certificate  132 , support authentication and encrypted exchange of information on open networks such as the Internet, extranets, and intranets. The public key infrastructure (PKI) is used to issue and manage the certificates. Each WINDOWS root certificate  132  is a digitally-signed statement that binds the value of a public key to the identity of the person, device, or service that holds the corresponding private key. With conventional certificates, host computers on the Internet can create trust in the certification authority (CA) that certifies individuals and resources that hold the private keys. Trust in the PKI here is based on WINDOWS root certificate  132 . Such certificates are conventionally used in secure sockets layer (SSL) sessions, when installing software, and when receiving encrypted or digitally signed e-mail messages. 
     The Update Root Certificates feature in Windows Vista is designed to automatically check the list of trusted authorities on the Windows Update Website when this check is needed by a user&#39;s application. Ordinarily, if an application is presented with a certificate issued by a certification authority in a PKI that is not directly trusted, the Update Root Certificates feature will contact the Windows Update Website to see if Microsoft has added the certificate of the root CA to its list of trusted root certificates. If the CA has been added to the Microsoft list of trusted authorities, its certificate will automatically be added to the set of trusted root certificates on the user&#39;s computer. 
     When a certification authority is configured inside an organization, the certificates issued can specify the location for retrieval of more validation evidence. Such location can be a Web server or a directory within the organization. 
       FIG. 2  represents a trusted network library system  200  in an embodiment of the present invention that can be included with the user authentication system  100  of  FIGS. 1A-1D . The items in  FIG. 2  that are the same as those in  FIGS. 1A-1D  use the same numbering. Elements of trusted network library system  200  would normally be installed as part of the installation process for ID vault run-time client  130 . 
     The trusted network library system  200  builds a server TN database  202  of trusted third-party websites  120 , and is periodically copied in an update  203  to user clients  102  as a client TN database  204 . And to control spoofing, client TN database  204  itself is preferably read-only, encrypted, and secure after being installed. 
     Each entry in server TN database  202  includes a list of websites that are trusted, a description of corresponding sign-on elements and protocols  206  for each website, and any sign-on flags. It could also include websites to avoid. About 8,000 trusted websites would be typical, and these span the range of secure websites that a majority of Internet users would register with and do business. 
     The Internet  104  and the third-party websites  120  are very fluid and ever changing in the number and qualities of the websites, and so keeping server TN database  202  fresh and up-to-date is an on-going challenge. The construction and testing of server TN database  202  can be automated for the most part, e.g., with a web-site crawler  208 . But a professional staff can be needed to guide and support the results obtained so questions can be resolved as to which third-party websites  120  to trust, which are abusive, what protocols to use, and for each, what are the proper mix of sign-on elements. These are collectively embodied in a logical step-by-step procedure executed as a program by processor and memory  108 , referred to herein as a sign-on algorithm  210 . Each successful use of sign-on algorithm  210  will result in a third-party log-on  212  for the corresponding user client  102 . 
     Keeping the client TN database  204  as up-to-date as possible allows user clients  102  to successfully log-on quickly, it also prevents screen scraping by hiding the sign-on session, and further frustrates attempts at key logging and pharming. Having to download server TN database  202  in real-time every time it is needed is not very practical or desirable. And the connection to network  106  can be dropped or lost without causing interruptions, as long as the local encrypted vault  144  remains unlocked. 
     The client TN database  204  is preloaded with bundles of data that include, for each of thousands of third-party websites  120 , a description of its sign-on elements, IP-data, and sign-on flags. Such data helps the ID vault  130  recognize when the user has navigated to a secure website with the browser  114 . The description of sign-on elements describes user name, password, submit buttons, protocols, page fields, etc. The IP-data includes anti-phishing and anti-pharming information. The sign-on flags are used to turn on and turn off special scripts and algorithms  210 . 
     In an alternative embodiment, the whole contents of server TN database  202  are not preloaded into client TN database  204 . Only the specific bundle for a particular third party website  120  is downloaded the first time the user navigates browser  114  to the log-on page. Thereafter, the client TN database  204  retains it for repeated visits later. Only if the retained copy fails to work will another download be attempted to fetch an update that may have occurred in server TN database  202 . 
       FIGS. 3A and 3B  represents a method embodiment of the present invention for user authentication, and is referred to herein by the general reference numeral  300 . Method  300  is implemented with computer software that executes on the personal computers and mobile wireless devices of users and at least one network server  302  that includes a PIN service. An ID vault application program  304  is loaded on the user&#39;s personal computer or mobile wireless device. It uses public key infrastructure (PKI) encryption to create a single, unique, non-exportable certificate  306  when ID vault application program  304  is installed. A secure file  308  is encrypted with symmetric encryption with a secret key provided by the server  302 . The server encrypts the secret key using the public key provided by ID vault application program  304 . Then ID vault application program  304  can decrypt it using its private key. The network server  302  will provide those keys only after the user supplies a fresh PIN pad dialog  310  and a check is made to see that non-exportable certificate  306  is correct for this user. Both PIN pad dialog  310  and non-exportable certificate  306  are gathered into a PIN database  312  during an initial registration process for ID vault application program  304 . As such, non-exportable certificate  306  (something you have) serves as one of two authentication factors. PIN pad dialog  310  (something you know) serves as the mechanism to input the second authentication factor. 
     The non-exportable certificate  306  creates a pair of asymmetric encryption keys, one private and one public according to Public Key infrastructure (PKI). In cryptography, a PKI is an arrangement that binds public keys with respective user identities by means of a certificate authority (CA). The user identity is unique within each CA domain. The binding is done during a registration and issuance process. A Registration Authority (RA) assures the binding. The user identity, the public key, their bindings, validity conditions, etc. cannot be faked in public key certificates issued by the CA. 
     When a user registers ID vault application program  304  for the first time, as in  FIG. 3A , each client sends their certificate&#39;s public key (key- 1 ), a self-generated GUID, and a PIN they&#39;ve chosen. The server  302  generates a symmetric key (key- 2 ), and then encrypts key- 2  with the supplied key- 1 , producing a key- 3 . Key- 2  is the actual key for encrypting/decrypting the vault, secure file  308 . All the information passed including key- 3  are stored in the PIN store database  312 . For access to key- 2 , the certificate&#39;s private key is needed to decrypt key- 3 . 
     Thereafter, when client  304  has to authenticate a user, as in  FIG. 3B , it sends the GUID, a signature of the GUID using the certificate&#39;s private key, and a freshly acquired PIN entered at PIN pad  310 . Server  302  makes various the tests described above, and sends back key- 3 . Key- 3  is received by the client  304 , decrypted to get key- 2 , and at that point the vault secure file  308  can be accessed using key- 2 . Only a machine holding the correct certificate can decrypt key- 3  because the key- 3  was created by using the certificate&#39;s public key. 
     ID vault application program  304  passes its public key for non-exportable certificate  306  to network server  302 , e.g., a key- 1 . The network server  302  uses a symmetric encryption process with a “secret key”, key- 2 , to encrypt key- 1 . This produces a key- 3  that is stored in PIN database  312 . The PIN database  312  is secure from attack because the attackers would need to have access to PIN database  312  and key- 1 , for every user. Key- 2  is returned to ID vault application program  304  so that it can create or unlock encrypted file  308 . The key- 2  held by ID vault application program  304  is destroyed after it has served its purpose. A new key- 2  will therefore be requested to be supplied from network server  302  the next time encrypted file  308  needs to be unlocked. That request will require a fresh entry of PIN pad dialog  310  and an asymmetrically encrypted signature from non-exportable certificate  306 . Such signature can include a GUID. The number of failed attempts to authenticate the user and their computer to the server are limited. 
     A particular vulnerability can occur in the systems illustrated in  FIGS. 1A-1D ,  2 ,  3 A, and  3 B, such as in operating system  112 . ID Vault  130 , for example, depends on the operating system  112  to securely forward user ID&#39;s and passwords  150 , and automated sign-ons  206 , to network server  106 . But malware infecting operating system  112  can highjack the basic system input and output mechanisms, especially if they use Microsoft WINDOWS type import address tables (IAT) and direct linked libraries (DLL&#39;s). 
       FIG. 4  represents an IAT-DLL security mender in an embodiment of the present invention, and is referred to herein by the general reference numeral  400 . IAT-DLL security mender  400  has access to the IAT  402  and DLL files  404  in a standard operating system  406 . IAT  402  comprises a table of individual program address pointers  410 - 419 . Initially, these program address pointers  410 - 419  are null and are computed and set by a PE loader  420  whenever a DLL file  404  is loaded by the operating system into a system memory  430 . Each of several executable files  431 - 419  has absolute addresses assigned during run-time, and pointers to these are fixed as one or more of address pointers  410 - 419  in IAT  402  by PE loader  420 . 
     IAT-DLL security mender  400  monitors and repairs a limited number of the executable files  431 - 419  in system memory  430  and the address pointers  410 - 419  in IAT  402 . IAT-DLL security mender  400  has a priori knowledge of the correct values for selected executable files  431 - 419  and address pointers  410 - 419 . Such is typically provided in an a priori data file  440 . 
     A watchdog timer  450  or PE loader  420 , or both, trigger IAT-DLL security mender  400  into action. The a priori data file  440  is consulted for which executable files  431 - 419  and address pointers  410 - 419  to write, and what to write them with. Alternatively, the executable files  431 - 419  and address pointers  410 - 419  can be consulted for their virgin values when PE loader  420  supplies a trigger indicating that it has acted. The consulted values are stored by IAT-DLL security mender  400  for use later in mending operations. Parts of the a priori data file  440  could be computed by IAT-DLL security mender  400  from the DLL files  404  before their being loaded into system memory  430 . The IAT-DLL security mender  400  and a priori data file  440  can themselves be generated and installed by a DLL file  404 , especially one bundled with a user-credentials application DLL as in  FIGS. 1A-1D ,  2 ,  3 A, and  3 B. 
     In one alternative mode of operation, IAT-DLL security mender  400  launches every time sensitive data is about to be sent to a secure webserver. But running IAT-DLL security mender  400  on every HTTP GET or POST operation when logging on to an https-server can inject delays that may be objectionable. The POST request method is used when a client sends data to the server as part of a request, e.g., when uploading a file or submitting a completed form. The GET request method sends only a uniform resource locator (URL) and headers to the server. In contrast, POST requests include a message body. So POST requests allow any type of arbitrary length data to be sent to the server. 
     In commercial products installed on preexisting computer and operating systems  406 , at least one of DLL files  404  can be bundled for sale with IAT-DLL security mender  400  and a priori data  440 . 
       FIGS. 1A-1D ,  2 ,  3 A, and  3 B, should be considered herein to include IAT-DLL security mender  400 , e.g., within operating system  112  ( FIGS. 1A-1D  and  2 ) and/or ID vault application program  304  ( FIGS. 3A-3B ). IAT-DLL security mender  400  would also be beneficial if installed in other similar systems, such as in system  600  illustrated in  FIG. 6 . 
       FIG. 5  represents an IAT-DLL security mender method embodiment of the present invention implemented as software and executed by conventional computer platforms. An IAT-DLL security mender  500  is associated with an operating system  502  like Microsoft WINDOWS. The operating system  502  includes a process  504  to load executable files into system memory, and a process  506  to read those files and load any DLLs that will be needed. A process  508  updates an import address table (IAT) with pointers to the real system memory addresses. A process  510  represent the open nature of the IAT and inline code, and their vulnerabilities to malware. 
     A secure application that needs protection from IAT and inline hooking calls for system functions implemented by the executable files and DLLs in a process  512 . The secure application consults the IAT for the real memory addresses in a process  514  and executes. 
     IAT-DLL security mender  500  runs in parallel and has access to the IAT and inline code in system memory. A process  520  stores the correct IAT table entries and inline code beginnings, either from a priori data  522  or from computed values  524 . A process  526  fetches particular IAT table entries and inline code beginnings for comparison with what they should be. A link  528  provides current values. If the values are other than expected, the system administrator can be alerted to the possibility of malware activity. Process  526  can be triggered to execute by a link  530  whenever the secure application calls for system functions. 
     A process  532  overwrites particular and sensitive IAT table entries and/or inline code beginnings. A link  534  provides access. Alternatively, a watchdog time  536  s used to decide when process  532  should operate. 
     In alternative embodiments of the present invention, IAT-DLL security mender  500  skips process  526  and just proceeds directly from process  520  to process  532  on a link  538 . 
     United States Patent Application Publication US 2008/0028444, published Jan. 31, 2008, titled SECURE WEBSITE AUTHENTICATION USING WEBSITE CHARACTERISTICS, SECURE USER CREDENTIALS AND PRIVATE BROWSER, describes a secure authentication system that detects and prevents phishing and pharming attacks for specific websites. The basic system with improvements described herein is represented in  FIG. 6  and referred to herein by the general reference numeral  600 . White Sky, Inc., is the Common Owner and Assignee of both the Present Application and that embodied in United States Patent Application Publication US 2008/0028444. 
     System  600  is an embodiment of the present invention that attaches to conventional elements such as a user computer  602  that can access legitimate financial websites  604  and  606  through the Internet  608 . Bogus websites  610  can impersonate legitimate ones and are detected and recognized as being false by system  600 . A conventional domain name server (DNS)  612  provides true IP-addresses  613  when a standard browser  614  is used to surf the Internet  608  and gives it a target uniform resource locator (URL) to start with. This standard browser accepts conventional browser plug-ins  616 . Bogus websites  610  try to confuse users by posting deceptive and similar looking URL&#39;s, but these will translate by the DNS  612  to very different, and wrong IP-addresses. For example, “citibank.com” and “citybank.com” will have very different IP addresses, one benign and one malicious. Users never see the actual IP address they wind up at, and if they do it&#39;s just meaningless numbers. Once a user logs on to a malicious website, they become a new victim. 
     A private secure browser  618  presents a user display window referred to herein as “SECURE VIEW”, and it can only be directed to particular websites by agent program  610 , and not by the user. It has no address line to input URL&#39;s, and it does not permit browser plug-ins  616  like standard browsers  614  do. In some embodiments, when a user navigates to a website using standard browser  614 , private browser  618  will pop up and replace the standard browser&#39;s user display window. This is especially true when the user attempts to provide user credentials  620 , such as a User-ID and password. 
     A dedicated secure hardware store  622  keeps user sign-in credentials  620 . A digital signature  623  is occasionally needed to keep the secure hardware store  622  open, e.g., for thirty minutes or until the user logs out. A database  624  of information about specific websites is refreshed by a website database server  626 . All user web activity is monitored by an agent program  630 . When the user attempts to send sign-in credentials  620  to any website, agent program  630  will allow and control it if the IP address of the website&#39;s IP address matches an IP addresses already stored in the website database  624 . Such IP-addresses must correspond with those registered to the sign-in credentials the user is attempting to send. 
     System  600  will detect mismatches between URL&#39;s and the legitimate IP-addresses belonging to those websites. This and the use of private browser  618  provides better protection by not allowing user credentials (ID, passwords, etc.) to be supplied to any websites unless the destination URL is one that is known, verified, and trusted. 
     When a user sends anything to a website, agent program  630  checks the POST data text against all the user credentials  620  which are stored in password store  622 . If it seems no user credentials are being attempted to be sent, agent program  630  will allow the data to be passed on to the website. 
     However, if a match occurs, it means the user is attempting to POST a sign-on credential. In such case, agent program  630  fetches an IP address that gets returned from the contacted website, and compares that with an IP address previously stored in the user website database  624  and that is associated with the particular sign-on credential being proposed. 
     If no user-credential to IP-address match occurs, the agent program  630  warns the user that they may be compromising their account if they are not sure the site is legitimate, and it can prevent the user from sending the sign-on credential. 
     Normally, if there is match, that indicates the website contacted is expected correct website because it was previously associated with the sign-on credential that was detected. The agent program  630  then activates private browser  618  to conduct the secure session. The sign-on credential is retrieved from the password store  622  and it is sent to the proper website through private browser  618 . 
     If the credential is accepted by the website contacted, a user session is opened only in the private browser. But this can sometimes fail and special procedures are needed for particular websites like citibusiness.com and paypal.com working through ebay.com. Appropriate access is conducted to the financial websites with which the user has accounts, and prevents any access with bogus websites. Or it at least warns the user that the website the user is attempting to contact is not the trusted website. 
     Conventional emails  640  can be received and sent by a conventional email program  642  installed on user computer  602 . 
     User computer  602  would normally suffer from the security vulnerabilities to malicious program hooking of its operating system&#39;s portable execution format files and import address tables (IATs). So, system  600  includes in user computer  602  the devices and methods described herein in connection with  FIGS. 1-5 . 
       FIG. 7  represents a graphical user interface (GUI)  700  in a dashboard configuration that can be effectively connected to and used with system  600  ( FIG. 6 ). GUI  700  is a type of user interface that allows users to interact with images rather than text commands. It is implemented as a display image window on a user display connected to user computer  602  and works with a mouse pointing device. Standard browser  614  and private browser  618  also display windows on such user display. 
     GUI  700  includes a split into two or more parts, e.g., a left half  701  and a right half  702 . Here, the left half  701  is devoted to managing the protection mechanisms described in connection with  FIG. 6 . The right half  702  is devoted toward driving the purchase and engagement of related security applications and services that can be downloaded and run effectively in combination with system  600  and GUI  700 . As a consequence, the right half  702  benefits from the constant exposure to the users&#39; “eyeballs”. The split into left and right halves  701  and  702  is arbitrary, and such could be reversed and still yield the same benefits. 
     In the example,  FIG. 7  represents a protection suite embodiment of the present invention that has been marketed by White Sky, Inc. as its PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION SUITE™ and distributed by XFINITY to its high-speed Internet customers. The theme here is computer security, and the left and right halves  701  and  702  are complementary. Other themes are possible where the services offered enhance the main application and user interests. In the case of Internet Service Providers (ISP&#39;s) and others like XFINITY, they offer several benefits to their subscribers that can be collected and presented in an organized way on the right half  702 . Otherwise, these many benefits can go unrecognized and underutilized by the population of subscribers and customers. The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) would be another example of an organization that offers hundreds of programs and benefits to its members, such as health insurance, hotel discounts, travel incentives, Social Security, voting and campaigns, etc. Here, the left half  701  would be used for AARP functions, and the right half  702  for services, programs, and discounts offered only to AARP members. 
     As used herein, a hyperlink is a reference to a document that a reader can follow directly or automatically. They can be represented as highlighted or underlined text, or as buttons that look like they could be pushed with a finger. Hyperlinks can point to whole documents or webpages, or to specific elements within them. Hypertext is text that embeds hyperlinks. Hyperlinks have anchors which are the locations within documents from which hyperlinks are followed. The document with the hyperlink is the source document. The target of the hyperlink can be a document, or a location within a document to which the hyperlink points. Users can activate and follow links when their anchors are shown, e.g., by clicking on the anchor with a mouse. Engaging the link can display the target document, or start a download, or open a webpage. 
     Returning to  FIG. 7 , the right half  702  has several offers-to-sell equipped with clickable hyperlink button controls, e.g.,  704 - 707 . (Herein “sell” can also include give away for free.) Some button controls say “Install Now” and others say “Enroll Now”. Clicking on these buttons will take the user to the respective providers&#39; websites where they can purchase, download, and install the respective applications. E.g., a security suite like anti-virus, an identity theft monitoring service, a cloud type backup service, and a specialized toolbar. Clicking on a “Learn More” link  708 - 710  will merely cause more information to be displayed in the standard browser so a purchasing decision can be made by the user. 
     The right half  702  illustrated in  FIG. 7  is an “additional services offered” bulletin-board, populated in this example with four offer-to-sell hypertext posters  712 - 715 . More than the four shown could be included and accessed by manipulating a scroll bar  716 . Such posters can be dynamic and ever-changing in their offers and sponsoring organizations. The sponsoring organization controls which posters are offered and how. 
     Sponsors, providers, and other advertisers can be charged for their appearances in offer-to-sell hypertext posters  712 - 715 , with a premium being charged for the first few positions on top. A check of user computer  602  ( FIG. 6 ) is made to see if any of these services offered are already installed and functioning. 
     Once the respective service is purchased and installed, the “Install Now” legend on the hyperlink control button changes from red to a green, “Launch” button or something equivalent for centralized, one-click access. 
     The left half  701  also presents an opportunity to do a bit of marketing. When GUI  700  is initially opened by a new user, links  720 ,  722  to various sponsors can be pre-installed. Eventually, these links will be populated by financial and other kinds of accounts at websites where the user has user-ID and password credentials established. Font colors can be used to indicate which of these links is suggested and which are registered in the application. 
     Users can navigate to a website that requires their user credentials by using standard browser  614 , or by clicking on the respective link  720 ,  722  in GUI  700 . Either action will result in private browser  618  putting up a SECURE VIEW window. If this is the first use of system  600  in a while to access a secure website, agent program  630  will pop-up a dialog box requiring the user to input their master pin, e.g., digital signature  623 . The target website opens immediately in the SECURE VIEW window. If a window in the standard browser  614  was used, that window closes to prevent confusing the user and to prevent transactions outside the SECURE VIEW window. 
     Links  720 ,  720  represent “single-click access” to the secure websites visited by the user and the necessary mechanics to enable customized access are stored in website database  624  ( FIG. 6 ). The corresponding user credentials for these websites are securely stored in password store  622 . 
     The logic to implement the functions described for GUI  700  are embodied in DLL files and loaded in user computer  602  as portable executables (PE) in the WINDOWS operating system, for example. System functions like presenting windows and pop-ups, supporting pointing devices, responding to clickable links and buttons, opening up network sessions and accessing websites, are all conventional technologies provided by widely available commercial products like Microsoft&#39;s WINDOWS operating system. Protecting some of the vulnerable aspects of these conventional technologies falls on mender  400 , as described herein in connection with  FIGS. 4-5 . 
       FIG. 8  represents a mechanism  800  incorporated into system  600  ( FIG. 6 ) to support GUI  700  and its hyperlinks  708 - 710 , buttons  704 - 707 , bulletin-board  702 , and posters  712 - 715 . In one embodiment, these mechanisms are implemented as PE files in DLL&#39;s  404  ( FIG. 4 ) loaded, as needed, by the operating system  406 . In GUI  700  as it&#39;s displayed on a user screen, clicking on a control button  704  or  705 , or a hyperlink  708  or  709 , in a poster  712  or  713 , will send a trigger to a bulletin-board process  802 . A corresponding poster process  804  or  805  has the particulars of the target URL to go to and such is forwarded to the user computer operating system  406 . If a request to change, update, add, or remove a poster is received by the user computer operating system  406 , a bulletin-board management process  806  will install the appropriate poster process and update the GUI  700 . 
     In summary, online protection embodiments of the present invention provide subscribers to organizations a highly integrated desktop application with a dashboard set of services combining single-click access to user accounts and a bulletin- board of constantly refreshed posters offering a variety of related products and services. 
     Although particular embodiments of the present invention have been described and illustrated, such is not intended to limit the invention. Modifications and changes will no doubt become apparent to those skilled in the art, and it is intended that the invention only be limited by the scope of the appended claims.