Method for removing customer personal information from an electronic device

• US 10,325,098 B2
• Filed: 11/01/2013
• Issued: 06/18/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fedex Supply Chain Logistics & Electronics, Inc. (FedEx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fedex Supply Chain Logistics & Electronics, Inc. (FedEx Corporation)
• Inventors: Gventer, Brian, Nguyen, Ken, Asbury, Kevin, McCarty, Joel, Lowry, Mike
• Primary Examiner(s): Ludwig, Peter
• Assistant Examiner(s): Danzig, Reva R
• Application Number:
  US14/070,258
• Publication Number:
  US 20140059696A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,055 Days
• Field of Search: 705 712, 705 22, 705 261, 455410, 455558
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/113 Details of archiving lifecycle management in storage systems G06F3/0649; backup systems G06F11/1446
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/00 Security arrangements for protecting computers, components thereof, programs or data against unauthorised activity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/60 Protecting data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/20 Administration of product repair or maintenance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/30 Administration of product recycling or disposal
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/203 Inventory monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0619 Neutral agent
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 90/00 Enabling technologies or technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to greenhouse gas [GHG] emissions mitigation

Abstract

A system and method for processing electronic devices to determine removal of customer personal information (CPI). An electronic device is connected to a test device. A number of electronic devices including the electronic device are received for determining that the CPI is removed from a number of sources. The number of electronic devices include a number of makes and models of electronic devices. A determination of whether CPI is included on the electronic device is made. An identification of the electronic device is recorded in response to determining that CPI is included on the electronic device. The CPI is cleared form the electronic device in response to determining that the CPI is included on the electronic device. The identification of the electronic devices and metadata is reported in response to determining the CPI was included on the electronic device.

Claims

1. A method for auditing a plurality of electronic devices to verify removal of customer personal information (CPI), the method comprising:

establishing a connection between an electronic device, from the plurality of electronic devices, and a CPI device, for verification of CPI removal, the plurality of electronic devices including a plurality of makes and models of electronic devices;

temporarily locking, by the CPI device, the electronic device until verification that the CPI is removed from the electronic device;

determining, by the CPI device, whether the CPI is included on the electronic device;

recording an identification of the electronic device in response to determining the CPI is included on the electronic device;

performing a CPI removal process to clear the CPI from the electronic device in response to determining the CPI is included on the electronic device;

determining whether the CPI is removed from the electronic device following the CPI removal process by performing a real-time memory scan on the electronic device following the CPI removal process, and comparing a current state of the electronic device based on the real-time memory scan to a state of the electronic device not comprising CPI;

marking the electronic device as quarantined in response to a determination that the CPI removal process was unable to remove the CPI from the electronic device; and

reporting the identification of the electronic device and metadata in response to determining that the CPI was included on the electronic device.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the CPI device includes a plurality of adapters for connecting to the plurality of electronic devices concurrently.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining comprises:

determining an International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) associated with each of the plurality of electronic devices as the identification;

determining a configuration of each of the plurality of electronic devices; and

utilizing a library associated with the configuration to determine whether the CPI is located on each of the plurality of electronic device.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the determining comprises:

comparing a memory map of the electronic device against a baseline memory map associated with the configuration of the electronic device to determine whether the CPI is included on the electronic device.

5. The method according to claim 3, further comprising:

retrieving the library through a network connection in response to determining the library is not available to the CPI device.

6. The method according to claim 3, wherein the configuration includes a software model utilized by the electronic device.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining further comprises:

determining a file type and location of a file as part of the metadata.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

presenting a user interface for receiving user input to perform the determining, the recording, the clearing, and the reporting.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the user interface presents indicators that indicate the presence or absence of the CPI on the electronic device.

10. A customer personal information (CPI) device for removing CPI comprising:

a processor for executing a set of instructions; and

a memory for storing the set of instructions, wherein the set of instructions is operable to;

communicatively couple one or more electronic devices to the CPI device for verification of CPI removal, the one or more electronic devices including one or more of a plurality of makes and models of electronic devices;

temporarily locking, by the CPI device, the one or more electronic devices until verification that the CPI is removed from the one or more electronic devices;

analyze, by the CPI device, the one or more electronic devices to determine whether the CPI is present;

record an identification of one or more electronic devices in response to verifying the CPI is present on the one or more electronic devices;

performing a CPI removal process to remove the CPI from the one or more electronic devices in response to verifying the CPI is present on the one or more electronic devices; and

determining whether the CPI is removed from the electronic device following the CPI removal process by performing a real-time memory scan on the electronic device following the CPI removal process, and comparing a current state of the electronic device based on the real-time memory scan to a state of the electronic device not comprising CPI;

marking the electronic device as quarantined in response to a determination that the CPI removal process was unable to remove the CPI from the electronic device, wherein marking the electronic device as quarantined comprises setting a particular data field in the electronic device; and

report the identification and CPI information for the one or more electronic devices in response to verifying the CPI was present on the one or more electronic devices.

11. The CPI device according to claim 10, wherein a plurality of the one or more electronic devices is processed concurrently to remove the CPI.

12. The CPI device according to claim 10, wherein the set of instructions utilize libraries indicating the process for removing the CPI from each of the one or more electronic devices.

13. The CPI device according to claim 12, wherein the libraries include a baseline memory map that is compared with a memory map generated from of the one or more electronic devices to determine whether the CPI is present.

14. A method for removing customer personal information (CPI) from one or more electronic devices, the method comprising:

communicatively coupling the one or more electronic devices to a test device for verification of CPI removal, the one or more electronic devices including one or more of a plurality of makes and models of electronic devices;

temporarily locking, by the test device, the one or more electronic devices until verification that the CPI is removed from the one or more electronic devices;

analyzing, by the test device, the one or more electronic devices to determine whether the CPI is present;

recording an identification of the one or more electronic devices;

performing a CPI removal process to remove the CPI from the one or more electronic devices in response to verifying the CPI is present on the one or more electronic devices;

determining whether the CPI is removed from the electronic device following the CPI removal process by performing a real-time memory scan on the electronic device following the CPI removal process, and comparing a current state of the electronic device based on the real-time memory scan to a state of the electronic device not comprising CPI; and

marking the electronic device as quarantined in response to a determination that the CPI removal process was unable to remove the CPI from the electronic device.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising:

processing the one or more electronic devices concurrently to remove the CPI from each of the one or more electronic devices, wherein the one or more electronic devices is a plurality of electronic devices.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the one or more electronic devices are processed utilizing libraries indicating the process for removing the CPI from each of the one or more electronic devices.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the libraries include a baseline memory map that is compared with a memory map generated from of the one or more electronic devices to determine whether the CPI is present.