System for providing levels of security access to a process data network

• US 10,178,105 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2016
• Issued: 01/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Original Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Inventors: Kurian, Manu Jacob, Castinado, Joseph Benjamin
• Primary Examiner(s): Arani, Taghi T
• Assistant Examiner(s): Champakesan, Badri
• Application Number:
  US15/050,358
• Publication Number:
  US 20170244721A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,051 Days
• Field of Search: 726 4
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3239 involving non-keyed hash functions, e.g. modification detection codes [MDCs], MD5, SHA or RIPEMD
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/50 using hash chains, e.g. blockchains or hash trees

Abstract

Embodiments enable a system to determine, authorize, and adjust access, writing, retrieval, and validation rights of users and entities associated with one or more distributed block chain networks. The system is capable of receiving an authorization request from a user to conduct an action associated with the block chain distributed network, determine a security level associated with the user, and either authorize or screen the user from conducting the action based on the determined security level. The system may adjust the security level of the user by requesting and receiving additional authorization credentials from the user. Furthermore, the system may adjust the security level of one or more users based on security or functionality needs of the block chain distributed network.

Claims

1. A system operatively connected with a tiered block chain distributed network and for using the tiered block chain distributed network for ensuring information security, the system comprising:

a memory device; and

a processing device operatively coupled to the memory device, wherein the processing device is configured to execute computer-readable program code to;

receive an authorization request from a user to conduct an action associated with accessing and manipulating information within the tiered block chain distributed network;

determine a security level associated with the user that is directly associated with rights and restrictions of the user in the accessing and manipulating information from the tiered block chain distributed network;

determine, based on the determined security level associated with the user, that the action associated with the accessing and manipulating information within the tiered block chain distributed network is not allowed;

determine that the action associated with the accessing and manipulating information within the tiered block chain distributed network would be permitted if the user provides additional authorization credentials and an access payment;

prompt the user to provide the additional authorization credentials based on the determined security level associated with the user;

receive the additional authorization credentials from the user;

determine that the additional authorization credentials are valid;

prompt the user to provide an access amount based on the determined security level of the user and the additional authorization credentials, wherein the access amount is not a component of the action associated with the accessing and manipulating information within the tiered block chain distributed network;

receive the access amount from the user;

in response to determining that the additional authorization credentials are valid, and in response to receiving the access amount from the user, screen the user from performing other actions associated with the accessing and manipulating information within the tiered block chain distributed network that are not allowed under the determined security level associated with the user and the additional authorization credentials;

identify a predetermined period of time that the user is authorized to conduct the action associated with the accessing and manipulating information within the tiered block chain distributed network based on the determined security level associated with the user and the additional authorization credentials;

identify a predetermined maximum number of instances that the user is authorized to conduct the action associated with the accessing and manipulating information within the tiered block chain distributed network based on the determined security level associated with the user, receiving the additional authorization credentials, and receiving the access amount;

in response to determining that the additional authorization credentials are valid, and in response to receiving the access amount from the user, authorize the user to conduct the action associated with the accessing and manipulating information within the tiered block chain distributed network; and

deauthorize the user to conduct the action associated with the accessing and manipulating information within the tiered block chain distributed network in response to determining that the predetermined period of time has ended or in response to determining that the predetermined maximum number of instances have been met.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the security level associated with the user comprises a right to validate one or more transactions of the tiered block chain distributed network.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the security level associated with the user comprises a right to retrieve at least a portion of data associated with the tiered block chain distributed network.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the security level associated with the user is different from other security level associated with one or more other users.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein said deauthorizing the user to conduct the action associated with the accessing and manipulating information within the tiered block chain distributed network comprises continuing to authorize the user to perform the rights and restrictions of the user in the accessing and manipulating information from the tiered block chain distributed network that are directly associated with the security level associated with the user.

5. A computer program product comprising program instructions stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium that when executed by a processor on a system operatively connected with a tiered block chain distributed network and for using the tiered block chain distributed network for facilitating a rights management protocol to ensure information security, causes the processor to receiving an authorization request from a user to conduct an action associated with accessing and manipulating information within the tiered block chain distributed network;

determining a security level associated with the user that is directly associated with rights and restrictions of the user in the accessing and manipulating information from the tiered block chain distributed network;

determining, based on the determined security level associated with the user, that the action associated with the accessing and manipulating information within the tiered block chain distributed network is not allowed;

determining that the action associated with the accessing and manipulating information within the tiered block chain distributed network would be permitted if the user provides additional authorization credentials and an access payment;

prompting the user to provide the additional authorization credentials;

receiving the additional authorization credentials from the user;

determining that the additional authorization credentials are valid;

prompting the user to provide an access amount based on the determined security level of the user and the additional authorization credentials, wherein the access amount is not a component of the action associated with the accessing and manipulating information within the tiered block chain distributed network;

receiving the access amount from the user;

in response to determining that the additional authorization credentials are valid, and in response to receiving the access amount from the user, screening the user from performing other actions associated with the accessing and manipulating information within the tiered block chain distributed network that are not allowed under the determined security level associated with the user and the additional authorization credentials;

identifying a predetermined period of time that the user is authorized to conduct the action associated with the accessing and manipulating information within the tiered block chain distributed network based on the determined security level associated with the user and the additional authorization credentials;

identifying a predetermined maximum number of instances that the user is authorized to conduct the action associated with the accessing and manipulating information within the tiered block chain distributed network based on the determined security level associated with the user, receiving the additional authorization credentials, and receiving the access amount;

in response to determining that the additional authorization credentials are valid, and in response to receiving the access amount from the user, authorizing the user to conduct the action associated with the accessing and manipulating information within the tiered block chain distributed network; and

deauthorizing the user to conduct the action associated with the accessing and manipulating information within the tiered block chain distributed network in response to determining that the predetermined period of time has ended or in response to determining that the predetermined maximum number of instances have been met.

6. The computer program product of claim 5, wherein the security level associated with the user comprises:

a right to validate one or more transactions of the tiered block chain distributed network.

7. The computer program product of claim 5, wherein the security level associated with the user is different from other security level associated with one or more other users.

12. The computer program product of claim 5, wherein the security level associated with the user comprises a right to retrieve at least a portion of data associated with the tiered block chain distributed network.

13. The computer program product of claim 5, wherein said deauthorizing the user to conduct the action associated with the accessing and manipulating information within the tiered block chain distributed network comprises continuing to authorize the user to perform the rights and restrictions of the user in the accessing and manipulating information from the tiered block chain distributed network that are directly associated with the security level associated with the user.

8. A computer implemented method for using a tiered block chain distributed network for facilitating a rights management protocol to ensure information security, said computer implemented method comprising:

providing a computing system comprising one or more computer processing devices and a non-transitory computer readable medium, where the computer readable medium comprises configured computer program instruction code, such that when said instruction code is operated by said one or more computer processing devices, said one or more computer processing devices perform the following operations;

receiving an authorization request from a user to conduct an action associated with accessing and manipulating information within the tiered block chain distributed network;

determining a security level associated with the user that is directly associated with rights and restrictions of the user in the accessing and manipulating information from the tiered block chain distributed network;

determining, based on the determined security level associated with the user, that the action associated with the accessing and manipulating information within the tiered block chain distributed network is not allowed;

determining that the action associated with the accessing and manipulating information within the tiered block chain distributed network would be permitted if the user provides additional authorization credentials and an access payment;

prompting the user to provide the additional authorization credentials receiving the additional authorization credentials from the user;

determining that the additional authorization credentials are valid;

prompting the user to provide an access amount based on the determined security level of the user and the additional authorization credentials, wherein the access amount is not a component of the action associated with the accessing and manipulating information within the tiered block chain distributed network;

receiving the access amount from the user;

identifying a predetermined period of time that the user is authorized to conduct the action associated with the accessing and manipulating information within the tiered block chain distributed network based on the determined security level associated with the user and the additional authorization credentials;

identifying a predetermined maximum number of instances that the user is authorized to conduct the action associated with the accessing and manipulating information within the tiered block chain distributed network based on the determined security level associated with the user, receiving the additional authorization credentials, and receiving the access amount, in response to determining that the additional authorization credentials are valid, and in response to receiving the access amount from the user, authorizing the user to conduct the action associated with the accessing and manipulating information within the tiered block chain distributed network; and

deauthorizing the user to conduct the action associated with the accessing and manipulating information within the tiered block chain distributed network in response to determining that the predetermined period of time has ended or in response to determining that the predetermined maximum number of instances has been met.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 8, wherein the security level associated with the user comprises:

a right to validate one or more transactions of the tiered block chain distributed network.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 8, wherein the security level associated with the user is different from other security level associated with one or more other users.

14. The computer implemented method of claim 8, wherein the security level associated with the user comprises a right to retrieve at least a portion of data associated with the tiered block chain distributed network.

15. The computer implemented method of claim 8, wherein said deauthorizing the user to conduct the action associated with the accessing and manipulating information within the tiered block chain distributed network comprises continuing to authorize the user to perform the rights and restrictions of the user in the accessing and manipulating information from the tiered block chain distributed network that are directly associated with the security level associated with the user.