System and method for providing identity theft security

• US 8,752,181 B2
• Filed: 05/07/2010
• Issued: 06/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Touchnet Info Sys Incorporated (Global Payments Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Touchnet Info Sys Incorporated (Global Payments Incorporated)
• Inventors: Grzymala-Busse, Withold J., Vermeire, Dean R., Toughey, Daniel J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Barron, Jr., Gilberto
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nobahar, Abdulhakim
• Application Number:
  US12/775,987
• Publication Number:
  US 20110040983A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,495 Days
• US Class Current: 726/25
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2143 Clearing memory, e.g. to prevent the data from being stolen

Abstract

A system and method of providing identity theft security is provided. The system and method utilizes a computer program that identifies, locates, secures, and/or removes from computers, computer systems and/or computer networks personally identifying and/or other sensitive information in different data formats. The computer program utilizes a multi-tiered escalation model of searching/identifying sensitive information. The computer program of the instant invention utilizes a self-learning process for fine-tuning a level of scrutiny for identifying potentially sensitive information.

Claims

1. A system for minimizing the risk of theft or disclosure of personally identifiable or other sensitive information on a computer network comprising:

a scanning engine located on a computer or work station on the network to identify personally identifiable or other sensitive information on said computer or work station;

a user control console in communication with said scanning engine; and

a report engine in communication with said control console;

wherein said user control console provides a configuration profile to said scanning engine, monitors the scanning engine, receives a data log from said scanning engine, and provides remediation instructions to said scanning engine based on said data log.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1 further comprising a remediation engine to take action with respect to said personally identifiable or other sensitive information pursuant to said remediation instructions.

3. The system as claimed in claim 2 wherein the action taken by said remediation engine is selected from the group consisting of acquitting, researching, masking, achieving/masking, wiping, achieving/wiping, and restoring.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said scanning engine utilizes Vector Space Models to compare attributes of scanned data to attributes of similar concept data files stored in a configuration profile for said scanning engine.

5. The system as claimed in claim 4 wherein said scanning engine receives said concept data files from said user control console via said configuration profile.

6. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said data log is provided to said user control console in an encrypted format and is stored in a secure location.

7. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein a place marker is created in said log file for identifying certain sensitive information is not included in said data log provided to said user control console.

8. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said user control console is located at a location on the network that is remote from said computer or work station.

9. The system as claimed in claim 8 wherein said scanning engine comprises a plurality of scanning agents each located on a separate computer or work station on the network.

10. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein said user control console includes a validation mechanism in connection with a storage location for identifying actual sensitive information.