Compiling information obtained by combinatorial searching

• US 8,229,926 B2
• Filed: 09/05/2008
• Issued: 07/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Malik, Dale W.
• Primary Examiner(s): FILIPCZYK, MARCIN R
• Application Number:
  US12/205,377
• Publication Number:
  US 20090006390A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,418 Days
• Field of Search: 707724-730, 707/999.003, 726/25, 726/26
• US Class Current: 707/729
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

Some embodiments, among others, include a search for sensitive information of an individual. Once a result of the search has been obtained, a score is assigned to the obtained result in accordance with a predefined criterion. One embodiment is configured to perform searches for different combinations of items having sensitive information. Upon assigning a score to the obtained result, a report of the score is generated which indicates the individual'"'"'s vulnerability to one or more various security concerns. Accordingly, scores may be assigned to a combination of items in the result which indicates a heightened security risk.

Claims

1. A computer-readable medium comprising:

computer-readable code adapted to instruct a programmable device to search for publicly-available sensitive information of an individual on an internet, the publicly-available sensitive information comprising a plurality of items of personal information associated with the individual, the plurality of items comprising at least a first item of personal information associated with the individual, a second item of personal information associated with the individual, and a third item of personal information associated with the individual, wherein the search for the publicly-available sensitive information comprises a search of variants of the items of personal information, wherein the items of personal information include at least three items selected from a group consisting of a name, an email address, a telephone number, a street address, and a social security number;

computer-readable code adapted to instruct the programmable device to obtain results of the search;

computer-readable code adapted to instruct the programmable device to assign an individual score for each of the items from the results, the individual score for a particular item being based on a number of occurrences within the results which contain the particular item;

computer-readable code adapted to instruct the programmable device to assign combinatorial scores for the items of personal information from the search results, a combinatorial score for a particular combination of items being based on a number of the results which contain the particular combination of items, wherein a first combinatorial score is assigned based on an individual first score for the first item of personal information and an individual second score for the second item of personal information, wherein the first combinatorial score is assigned a heightened weight when the items in a combination are in a designated proximity of each other in the result of the search; and

computer-readable code adapted to instruct the programmable device to output a report stating at least one level of security risk that exists to the individual based on the publicly-available sensitive information of the individual that was obtained from the results of the search, the level of security risk corresponding to at least the individual scores and combinatorial scores assigned to the results of the search, wherein an increasing number of occurrences of items of personal information in the results increases the level of security risk, wherein the first combinatorial score based on the individual first score for the first item of personal information and the individual second score for the second item of personal information is indicative of a particular level of security risk, wherein a second combinatorial score based on a different combination of individual scores for the items of personal information is indicative of a different level of security risk,

wherein the at least one level of security risk comprises at least one member from a group consisting of;

a level of risk for identity theft, a level of risk for a privacy breach, and a level of risk for receiving spam.

2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the first combinatorial score is assigned to the publicly-available sensitive information, the first combinatorial score being a function of the individual first score and the individual second score.

3. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein occurrence of an individual item in a result of the search is weighted less than an occurrence of a combination of items in the result of the search.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, further comprising:

computer-readable code adapted to instruct the programmable device to analyze the results of the search to determine whether individual results having different combinations of items provide a common link with one another, wherein the results having a linking combination are assigned a heightened combinatorial score.

5. A method comprising:

searching, via at least one computer, for publicly-available sensitive information of an individual on an internet, the publicly-available sensitive information comprising a plurality of items of personal information associated with the individual, the plurality of items comprising at least a first item of personal information associated with the individual, a second item of personal information associated with the individual, and a third item of personal information associated with the individual, wherein the search for the publicly-available sensitive information comprises a search of variants of the items of personal information, wherein the items of personal information include at least three items selected from a group consisting of a name, an email address, a telephone number, a street address, and a social security number;

obtaining, via the at least one computer, results of the search;

assigning an individual score for each of the items from the results, the individual score for a particular item being based on a number of the results which contain the particular item;

assigning, via the at least one computer, combinatorial scores for the items of personal information from the search results, a combinatorial score for a particular combination of items being based on a number of the results which contain the particular combination of items, wherein a first combinatorial score is assigned based on an individual first score for the first item of personal information and an individual second score for the second item of personal information, wherein the first combinatorial score is assigned a heightened weight when the items in a combination are in a designated proximity of each other in the result of the search; and

outputting, via the at least one computer, a report stating at least one level of security risk that exists to the individual based on the publicly-available sensitive information of the individual that was obtained from the results of the search, the level of security risk corresponding to at least the individual scores and combinatorial scores assigned to the results of the search, wherein an increasing number of occurrences of items of personal information in the results increases the level of security risk, wherein the first combinatorial score based on the individual first score for the first item of personal information and the individual second score for the second item of personal information is indicative of a particular level of security risk, wherein a second combinatorial score based on a different combination of individual scores for the items of personal information is indicative of a different level of security risk,

wherein the at least one level of security risk comprises at least one member from a group consisting of;

a level of risk for identity theft, a level of risk for a privacy breach, and a level of risk for receiving spam.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first combinatorial score is assigned to the publicly-available sensitive information, the first combinatorial score being a function of the individual first score and the individual second score.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein occurrence of an individual item in a result of the search is weighted less than an occurrence of a combination of items in the result of the search.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

analyzing the results of the search to determine whether individual results having different combinations of items provide a common link with one another, wherein the results having a linking combination are assigned a heightened combinatorial score.

9. A system comprising:

a computer processor configured to execute programmable code contained in memory, the programmable code with instructions for the computer processor to perform;

searching for publicly-available sensitive information of an individual on an internet, the publicly-available sensitive information comprising a plurality of items of personal information associated with the individual, the plurality of items comprising at least a first item of personal information associated with the individual, a second item of personal information associated with the individual, and a third item of personal information associated with the individual, wherein the search for the publicly-available sensitive information comprises a search of variants of the items of personal information, wherein the items of personal information include at least three items selected from a group consisting of a name, an email address, a telephone number, a street address, and a social security number;

obtaining code results of the search;

assigning an individual score for each of the items from the results, the individual score for a particular item being based on a number of the results which contain the particular item;

assigning combinatorial scores for the items of personal information from the search results, a combinatorial score for a particular combination of items being based on a number of the results which contain the particular combination of items, wherein a first combinatorial score is assigned based on an individual first score for the first item of personal information and an individual second score for the second item of personal information, wherein the first combinatorial score is assigned a heightened weight when the items in a combination are in a designated proximity of each other in the result of the search; and

outputting a report stating at least one level of security risk that exists to the individual based on the publicly-available sensitive information of the individual that was obtained from the results of the search, the level of security risk corresponding to at least the individual scores and combinatorial scores assigned to the results of the search, wherein an increasing number of occurrences of items of personal information in the results increases the level of security risk, wherein the first combinatorial score based on the individual first score for the first item of personal information and the individual second score for the second item of personal information is indicative of a particular level of security risk, wherein a second combinatorial score based on a different combination of individual scores for the items of personal information is indicative of a different level of security risk,

wherein the at least one level of security risk comprises at least one member from a group consisting of;

a level of risk for identity theft, a level of risk for a privacy breach, and a level of risk for receiving spam.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the first combinatorial score is assigned to the publicly-available sensitive information, the third score being a function of the individual first score and the individual second score.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein occurrence of an individual item in a result of the search is weighted less than an occurrence of a combination of items in the result of the search.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the programmable code further performs:

analyzing the results of the search to determine whether individual results having different combinations of items provide a common link with one another, wherein the results having a linking combination are assigned a heightened combinatorial score.