Systems and methods for protecting information

• US 7,774,854 B1
• Filed: 03/31/2006
• Issued: 08/10/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verint Americas Incorporated (Verint Systems Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Verint Americas Incorporated (Verint Systems Incorporated)
• Inventors: Smith, Damian, Watson, Joseph, Barnes, Robert John
• Primary Examiner(s): JUNG, DAVID YIUK
• Application Number:
  US11/395,514
• Time in Patent Office: 1,593 Days
• Field of Search: 726/29, 726/27, 726/26
• US Class Current: 726/29
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6209 to a single file or object, e.g. in a secure envelope, encrypted and accessed using a key, or with access control rules appended to the object itself
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2101 Auditing as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload

Abstract

Systems and methods for protecting information provided to an agent via a communication network are provided. In this regard, a representative method comprises: receiving a communication via a communication network, the communication including information that is to be protected; routing the communication to an agent; recording at least a portion of the communication; identifying the information that is to be protected from the communication; and preventing unauthorized access to the information during replay of the portion of the communication.

Claims

1. A method for protecting information provided to an agent via a communication network, said method comprising:

receiving, at a communication monitoring server, an interactive communication responsive to an agent request via a communication network, the communication including information that is to be protected;

routing the communication to an agent;

recording at least a portion of the communication;

electronically identifying the information that is to be protected from the communication; and

preventing unauthorized access to the information that is to be protected during replay of the portion of the communication.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the preventing unauthorized access comprises:

in response to the electronic identification, stopping the recording during a time in which the information that is to be protected is expected to be provided during the communication; and

restarting the recording after the time in which the information that is to be protected is expected to be provided has lapsed such that at least a portion of the information that is to be protected is not recorded.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein electronically identifying the information that is to be protected from the communication comprises:

using voice recognition to determine the time during which the information that is to be protected is expected to be provided during the communication.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the communication is facilitated via a computer telephony integration (CTI) network; and

wherein electronically identifying the information that is to be protected from the communication further comprises;

using CTI events to determine a time during which the information that is to be protected is expected to be provided during the communication.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the agent uses a desktop application of a workstation during an interaction involving the communication; and

wherein electronically identifying the information that is to be protected from the communication further comprises;

using desktop application events to determine a time during which the information that is to be protected is expected to be provided during the communication.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein using desktop application events to determine a time during which the information that is to be protected is expected to be provided during the communication comprises detecting the display of a customer sensitive data entry screen on the desktop.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein recording at least a portion of the communication comprises recording the communication during a time in which the information that is to be protected is communicated to the agent.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising, after recording, automatically deleting at least a portion of the information that is to be protected.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising automatically stitching together a portion of a recording that preceded the information that is to be protected with a portion of the recording that succeeded the information that is to be protected.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising automatically tagging a portion of a recording from which the information that is to be protected was deleted such that the recording contains an indication that the information that is to be protected was deleted therefrom.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising automatically modifying a stored format of the information that is to be protected such that at least a portion of the information that is to be protected is unintelligible to a user during a playback of the communication unless that user possesses an authorization to access the information that is to be protected.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein modifying comprises obfuscating the information that is to be protected.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein modifying comprises masking the information that is to be protected.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein modifying comprises encrypting at least a portion of the information that is to be protected.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising replaying the portion of the communication that was recorded.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein, during the replaying, at least one of the following are not provided unless the user conducting the replaying is authorized to access to the information:

captured audio containing at least a portion of the information; and

portions of captured screen shots from a workstation of the agent containing at least a portion of the information.

17. A system for protecting information provided to an agent via a communication network, said system comprising:

a communication monitoring system operative to monitor an interactive communication responsive to an agent request via a communication network and electronically identify information contained in the communication that is to be protected; and

a recording device operative to record at least a portion of the communication;

wherein the communication monitoring system is further operative to provide instructions to the recording device responsive to electronically identifying the information that is to be protected such that unauthorized access to the information is prevented.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

a voice recognition system operative to analyze voice content of the communication and to determine a time during which the information that is to be protected is expected to be provided during the communication; and

wherein the communication monitoring system is operative to instruct the recording device to;

stop recording the communication during the time in which the information that is to be protected is expected to be provided during the communication; and

restart recording the communication after the time has lapsed such that at least a portion of the information that is to be protected is not recorded.

19. The system of claim 17, further comprising means for providing the communication to the agent.

20. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

a computer telephony integration (CTI) operative to provide the communication to the agent; and

wherein the communication monitoring system is operative to analyze CTI events to determine a time during which the information that is to be protected is expected to be provided during the communication and, responsive thereto, instruct the recording device to;

stop recording the communication during the time in which the information that is to be protected is expected to be provided during the communication; and

restart recording the communication after the time in which the information that is to be protected is expected to be provided has lapsed such that at least a portion of the information that is to be protected is not recorded.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the recording device is operative to record CTI activity.

22. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

an agent workstation operative to execute a desktop application during an interaction involving the communication; and

wherein the communication monitoring system is operative to analyze desktop application events to determine a time during which the information that is to be protected is expected to be provided during the communication and, responsive thereto, instruct the recording device to;

stop recording the communication during the time in which the information that is to be protected is expected to be provided during the communication; and

restart recording the communication after the time in which the information that is to be protected is expected to be provided has lapsed such that at least a portion of the information that is to be protected is not recorded.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the recording device is operative to record desktop application activity.

24. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

an application interface enabling the agent to control recording of the communication via such that at least a portion of the information that is to be protected is not recorded.

25. A computer-readable medium having a computer program stored thereon, the computer program comprising computer-executable instructions for performing a computer-executed method for protecting information provided to an agent via a communication network, said method comprising:

receiving an interactive communication responsive to an agent request via a communication network, the communication including information that is to be protected;

electronically identifying the information that is to be protected from the communication;

recording at least a portion of the communication; and

preventing unauthorized access to the information such that, if it is determined that the information that is to be protected has been recorded, at least a portion of the information is rendered unintelligible to a user unless that user possesses an authorization to access the information.