Methods, systems, and products for assessing risks of internet searches

• US 9,015,157 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2013
• Issued: 04/21/2015
• 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:
  US13/916,640
• Publication Number:
  US 20130282711A1
• Time in Patent Office: 677 Days
• Field of Search: 707/705, 707724-730, 707/803, 707/796, 709/204, 709/207, 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. Once a result of the search has been obtained, a score is assigned to the obtained result in accordance with a predefined criterion.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

processing a search by a device for publicly-available sensitive information of an individual on a network, the publicly-available sensitive information comprising a plurality of items of personal information associated with the individual, the plurality of items of personal information comprising 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 plurality of items of personal information include at least three items selected from a name, an email address, a telephone number, a street address, and a social security number;

obtaining at the device search results of the search for the publicly-available sensitive information, the search results comprising a list of documents containing at least one item in the plurality of items of personal information;

assigning an individual score for each document in the list of documents, the individual score for a particular document being based on a number of occurrences within the search results which contain the particular document in the list of documents;

assigning by the device combinatorial scores for combinations of items in the plurality of items of personal information, wherein a particular combination of items contained within a single document listed in the list of documents is assigned a greater combinational score than the particular combination of items being contained collectively across multiple documents listed in the list of documents having a common link with one another, wherein the common link is the one item in the plurality of items of personal information being contained in the multiple documents; and

determining by the device a level of security risk that exists to the individual based on the publicly-available sensitive information of the individual obtained from the search results of the search, the level of security risk indicated from a plurality of different levels of security risks based on the individual score and one of the combinatorial scores assigned to the search results of the search, wherein an increasing number of occurrences of documents listed in the list of documents increases the level of security risk,

wherein the level of security risk comprises a member from a group comprising 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 method according to claim 1, further comprising determining the one of the combinatorial scores as a function of the individual score for each document in the list of documents.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising determining the one of the combinatorial scores as a function of the individual score for one document in the list of documents.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising determining the one of the combinatorial scores as a function of the individual score for the first item of personal information.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising determining the one of the combinatorial scores as a function of the individual score for the second item of personal information.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising weighting the individual score.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising weighting the search results.

8. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

memory for storing code that when executed causes the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising;

processing a search for publicly-available sensitive information of an individual on a network, the publicly-available sensitive information comprising a plurality of items of personal information associated with the individual, the plurality of items of personal information comprising 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 plurality of items of personal information include at least three items selected from a name, an email address, a telephone number, a street address, and a social security number;

obtaining search results of the search for the publicly-available sensitive information, the search results comprising a list of documents containing at least one item in the plurality of items of personal information;

assigning an individual score for each document in the list of documents, the individual score for a particular document being based on a number of occurrences within the search results which contain the particular document in the list of documents;

assigning combinatorial scores for combinations of items in the plurality of items of personal information, wherein a particular combination of items contained within a single document listed in the list of documents is assigned a greater combinational score than the particular combination of items being contained collectively across multiple documents listed in the list of documents having a common link with one another, wherein the common link is the one item in the plurality of items of personal information being contained in the multiple documents; and

determining a level of security risk that exists to the individual based on the publicly-available sensitive information of the individual obtained from the search results of the search, the level of security risk indicated from a plurality of different levels of security risks based on the individual score and one of the combinatorial scores assigned to the search results of the search, wherein an increasing number of occurrences of documents listed in the list of documents increases the level of security risk,

wherein the level of security risk comprises a member from a group comprising a level of risk for identity theft, a level of risk for a privacy breach, and a level of risk for receiving spam.

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise determining the one of the combinatorial scores as a function of the individual score for each document in the list of documents.

10. The system according to claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise determining the one of the combinatorial scores as a function of the individual score for one document in the list of documents.

11. The system according to claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise determining the one of the combinatorial scores as a function of the individual score for the first item of personal information.

12. The system according to claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise determining the one of the combinatorial scores as a function of the individual score for the second item of personal information.

13. The system according to claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise weighting the individual score.

14. The system according to claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise weighting the search results.

15. A memory storing instructions that when executed cause a processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:

processing a search for publicly-available sensitive information of an individual on a network, the publicly-available sensitive information comprising a plurality of items of personal information associated with the individual, the plurality of items of personal information comprising 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 plurality of items of personal information include at least three items selected from a name, an email address, a telephone number, a street address, and a social security number;

obtaining search results of the search for the publicly-available sensitive information, the search results comprising a list of documents containing at least one item in the plurality of items of personal information;

assigning an individual score for each document in the list of documents, the individual score for a particular document being based on a number of occurrences within the search results which contain the particular document in the list of documents;

assigning combinatorial scores for combinations of items in the plurality of items of personal information, wherein a particular combination of items contained within a single document listed in the list of documents is assigned a greater combinational score than the particular combination of items being contained collectively across multiple documents listed in the list of documents having a common link with one another, wherein the common link is the one item in the plurality of items of personal information being contained in the multiple documents; and

determining a level of security risk that exists to the individual based on the publicly-available sensitive information of the individual obtained from the search results of the search, the level of security risk indicated from a plurality of different levels of security risks based on the individual score and one of the combinatorial scores assigned to the search results of the search, wherein an increasing number of occurrences of documents listed in the list of documents increases the level of security risk,

wherein the level of security risk comprises a member from a group comprising a level of risk for identity theft, a level of risk for a privacy breach, and a level of risk for receiving spam.

16. The memory according to claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise determining the one of the combinatorial scores as a function of the individual score for each document in the list of documents.

17. The memory according to claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise determining the one of the combinatorial scores as a function of the individual score for one document in the list of documents.

18. The memory according to claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise determining the one of the combinatorial scores as a function of the individual score for the first item of personal information.

19. The memory according to claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise determining the one of the combinatorial scores as a function of the individual score for the second item of personal information.

20. The memory according to claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise weighting the individual score.