Network security and fraud detection system and method

• US 9,203,837 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2011
• Issued: 12/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: iovation Incorporated
• Original Assignee: iovation Incorporated
• Inventors: Pierson, Greg, DeHaan, Jason
• Primary Examiner(s): LEUNG, ROBERT B
• Application Number:
  US13/230,508
• Publication Number:
  US 20120030771A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,541 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0876 based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint

Abstract

A system and method to detect and prevent fraud in a system is provided. The system may uniquely identify physical devices connecting to a network, register unique devices, track end-user logins, associate end-user accounts with specific devices, and share information with multiple network service providers is described.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for use with a network device and a plurality of network service providers, the network device transmitting device identifying information to a selected one of the network service providers, the method comprising:

receiving, by at least one server computing device, a set of status rules from the selected network service provider;

receiving, by the at least one server computing device, a request from the selected network service provider, the request comprising the device identifying information, the device identifying information uniquely identifying the network device across the plurality of network service providers;

determining, by the at least one server computing device, whether the device identifying information is associated with a device registered with the at least one server computing device;

when the at least one server computing device determines the device identifying information is associated with a device registered with the at least one server computing device, determining, by the at least one server computing device, a status based at least in part on status information associated with the registered device and the set of status rules received from the selected network service provider, and transmitting, by the at least one server computing device, the status to the selected network service provider, the status being associated with the registered device itself independent of which user or users are associated with the registered device; and

receiving, by the at least one server computing device, at least a portion of the status information associated with the registered device from one or more of the plurality of network service providers other than the selected network service provider.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the status information associated with the registered device associates the registered device with one or more user accounts,

determining the status comprises determining a number of user accounts associated with the registered device, and

the set of status rules identifies a particular number of user accounts associated with the registered device that are acceptable to the selected network service provider.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the request further comprises a user identifier,

determining the status comprises determining a number of registered devices associated with the user identifier, and

the set of status rules identifies a particular number of registered devices associated with the user identifier that are acceptable to the selected network service provider.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the at least one server computing device, another set of status rules from each of the plurality of network service providers; and

determining, by the at least one server computing device, for each of at least a portion of the plurality of network service providers, a status of the registered device based at least in part on the status information associated with the registered device and the set of status rules received from the network service provider,

wherein the set of status rules received from the selected network service provider comprises a requirement that the status determined by the at least one server computing device for each of the portion of the plurality of network service providers be acceptable to the selected network service provider.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the status indicates a transaction with the network device is to be accepted, trapped, or rejected by the selected network service provider.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting computer executable instructions to the network device or the selected network service provider for transmission thereby to the network device, the computer executable instructions being configured to cause the network device to collect the device identifying information, and transmit the device identifying information to the selected network service provider.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the device identifying information collected comprises a plurality of device properties.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the computer executable instructions are further configured to cause the network device to store at least one token;

and

the device identifying information collected comprises the at least one token stored by the network device.

9. A computer-implemented method performed by a fraud detection system, the method being for use with a network device and a plurality of network service providers, the network device transmitting device identifying information to a selected one of the network service providers across a network, the fraud detection system being connected to the selected network service provider by the network, a plurality of devices being registered with the fraud detection system, the method comprising:

receiving, by the fraud detection system, a status request from the selected network service provider, the status request comprising the device identifying information, the device identifying information uniquely identifying the network device across the plurality of network service providers;

determining, by the fraud detection system, whether the device identifying information is associated with one of the plurality of devices registered with the fraud detection system; and

when the fraud detection system determines the device identifying information is associated with one of the plurality of devices registered with the fraud detection system, the one of the plurality of devices associated with the device identifying information is an identified device, and the method further comprises;

determining, by the fraud detection system, a status based at least in part on status information associated with the identified device and a set of status rules specified by the selected network service provider, the status being associated with the identified device itself independent of which user or users are associated with the identified device,

transmitting, by the fraud detection system, the status to the selected network service provider, and

storing, by the fraud detection system, the status, the stored status being associated with both the identified device and the selected network service provider, at least a portion of the status information associated with the identified device having been received by the fraud detection system from one or more of the plurality of network service providers other than the selected network service provider.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the selected network service provider is a first network service provider, the status request is a first status request, the set of status rules is a first set of status rules, the status is a first status, and the method further comprises:

receiving, by the fraud detection system, a second status request from a second network service provider of the plurality of network service providers, the second status request comprising the device identifying information, the second network service provider being different from the first network service provider; and

when the fraud detection system determines the device identifying information is associated with one of the plurality of devices registered with the fraud detection system, the method further comprises;

(a) determining, by the fraud detection system, a second status based at least in part on the first status, the status information associated with the identified device, and a second set of status rules specified by the second network service provider, and

(b) transmitting, by the fraud detection system, the second status to the second network service provider.

11. A fraud detection system for use with a network, a network device, and a plurality of network service providers, the network device transmitting device identifying information to a selected one of the network service providers, the fraud detection system comprising:

a network connection configured to communicate with the selected network service provider over the network;

at least one processor; and

at least one memory device storing a set of status rules specified by the selected network service provider, device data associating each of a plurality of registered devices with different device identifying information, status information associated with each of the plurality of registered devices, and computer executable instructions that when executed by the at least one processor perform a method comprising;

receiving a request from the selected network service provider, the request comprising the device identifying information transmitted by the network device, the device identifying information uniquely identifying the network device across the plurality of network service providers; and

determining whether the device data stored on the at least one memory device associates the device identifying information with one of the plurality of registered devices,

wherein when it is determined that the device identifying information is associated with one of the plurality of registered devices, the one of the plurality of registered devices associated with the device identifying information is an identified registered device, and the method further comprises;

determining a status for the identified registered device based at least in part on a portion of the status information that is associated with the identified registered device and the set of status rules stored on the at least one memory device, the status being associated with the identified registered device itself independent of which user or users are associated with the identified registered device,

transmitting the status to the selected network service provider, and

storing the status on the at least one memory device, the stored status being associated with both the identified registered device and the selected network service provider, at least some of the portion of the status information that is associated with the identified registered device having been received from one or more of the plurality of network service providers other than the selected network service provider.

12. The fraud detection system of claim 11, wherein the request includes a user identifier,

the at least one memory device stores user data associating each of a plurality of user identifiers with one or more of the plurality of registered devices,

determining the status comprises determining a number of registered devices associated in the user data with the user identifier included in the request, and

the set of status rules identifies a particular number of registered devices associated with a particular user identifier that are acceptable to the selected network service provider.

13. The fraud detection system of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving another set of status rules from each of the plurality of network service providers; and

for each of at least a portion of the plurality of network service providers, determining a status for the identified registered device based at least in part on the portion of the status information that is associated with the identified registered device and the set of status rules received from the network service provider,

wherein the set of status rules received from the selected network service provider comprises a requirement that the status determined for each of the portion of the plurality of network service providers be acceptable to the selected network service provider.

14. The fraud detection system of claim 11, wherein the status indicates a transaction with the network device is to be accepted, trapped, or rejected by the selected network service provider.