Social network profile data removal

• US 9,674,214 B2
• Filed: 04/20/2015
• Issued: 06/06/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ZeroFOX, Inc. (ZeroFox Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ZeroFOX, Inc. (ZeroFox Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Cullison, Christopher B., Francis, Robert, Foster, James C., Blair, Evan
• Primary Examiner(s): KIM, TAE K
• Application Number:
  US14/690,804
• Publication Number:
  US 20150229666A1
• Time in Patent Office: 778 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4016 involving fraud or risk level assessment in transaction processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0185 Product, service or business identity fraud
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/265 Personal security, identity or safety
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/14 for detecting or protecting against malicious traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1433 Vulnerability analysis
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1441 Countermeasures against malicious traffic countermeasures against attacks on cryptographic mechanisms H04L9/002
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/67 Risk-dependent, e.g. selecting a security level depending on risk profiles

Abstract

A computer-implemented method includes receiving a request to remove data that is associated with a protected social entity. The data maintained on one or more social networks is scanned, where scanning includes identifying data that is associated with one or more social entities. One or more characteristics of the identified data are determined, and a reference to the identified data that indicates the characteristic, is generated for each of the one or more characteristics. A match between the one or more generated references and one or more stored references is identified, where the one or more stored references each reference one or more characteristics associated with the protected social entity, and where the one or more stored references are stored in one or more social risk databases. A request to the one or more social networks to remove the identified data associated with the one or more generated references is submitted.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, by one or more processors, a request to remove data that is associated with a particular individual that does not maintain any personal social network profiles, wherein the request is based on a user input received at a threat protection platform, wherein the received request includes one or more data parameters that define specific data associated with the particular individual to be removed, and wherein the one or more data parameters include name, images, date of birth, gender, location, email address, education, and organization data;

generating, for each of the received one or more data parameters, a reference to the data parameter, wherein at least one of the generated references comprises a hash of an image associated with the particular individual;

storing, at a social risk database, the one or more generated references for each of the one or more data parameters;

scanning data that is maintained on multiple social networks, wherein scanning comprises identifying, by one or more processors, data that is associated with one or more social entities;

determining one or more characteristics of the identified data;

generating, for each of the one or more characteristics, a reference to the identified data that indicates the characteristic;

identifying a match between the one or more generated references and at least one of the one or more stored references;

submitting, by one or more processors, a request to at least one of the multiple social networks to remove the identified data associated with the one or more generated references;

generating an alert to the particular individual, wherein the generated alert includes the identified data and the request submitted to the at least one of the multiple social networks; and

providing the alert, through the protection platform, to the particular individual.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining that a predetermined period of time has elapsed; and

responsive to determining the predetermined period of time has elapsed;

scanning data that is maintained on multiple social networks, wherein scanning comprises identifying, by one or more processors, additional data that is associated with the one or more social entities;

determining one or more characteristics of the additional identified data;

generating, for each of the one or more characteristics, an additional reference, wherein the additional reference is a reference to the additional identified data that indicates the characteristic;

identifying a match between one or more additional generated references and the one or more stored references; and

submitting, by one or more processors, a request to at least one of the multiple social networks to remove the additional identified data associated with the one or more additional generated references.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the predetermined period of time is a user set time period.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the predetermined period of time is the time for the one or more processors to execute a scanning cycle.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving a request to remove data that is associated with a particular individual comprises receiving one or more thresholds from an authorized user.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the authorized user is a user that received authorization from the particular individual.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

identifying a social entity that originated the data associated with the one or more generated references; and

generating an alert to the identified social entity requesting the removal of the identified data associated with the one or more generated references.

8. A system comprising:

one or more processing devices; and

one or more non-transitory computer-readable media coupled to the one or more processing devices having instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the one or more processing devices, cause the one or more processing devices to perform operations comprising;

receiving, by one or more processors, a request to remove data that is associated with a particular individual that does not maintain any personal social network profiles, wherein the request is based on a user input received at a threat protection platform, wherein the received request includes one or more data parameters that define specific data associated with the particular individual to be removed, and wherein the one or more data parameters include name, images, date of birth, gender, location, email address, education, and organization data;

generating, for each of the received one or more data parameters, a reference to the data parameter, wherein at least one of the generated references comprises a hash of an image associated with the particular individual;

storing, at a social risk database, the one or more generated references for each of the one or more data parameters;

scanning data that is maintained on multiple social networks, wherein scanning comprises identifying, by one or more processors, data that is associated with one or more social entities;

determining one or more characteristics of the identified data;

generating, for each of the one or more characteristics, a reference to the identified data that indicates the characteristic;

identifying a match between the one or more generated references and at least one of the one or more stored references;

submitting, by one or more processors, a request to at least one of the multiple social networks to remove the identified data associated with the one or more generated references;

generating an alert to the particular individual, wherein the generated alert includes the identified data and the request submitted to the at least one of the multiple social networks; and

providing the alert, through the protection platform, to the particular individual.

9. The system of claim 8 further comprising:

determining that a predetermined period of time has elapsed; and

responsive to determining the predetermined period of time has elapsed;

scanning data that is maintained on multiple social networks, wherein scanning comprises identifying, by one or more processors, additional data that is associated with the one or more social entities;

determining one or more characteristics of the additional identified data;

generating, for each of the one or more characteristics, an additional reference, wherein the additional reference is a reference to the additional identified data that indicates the characteristic;

identifying a match between one or more additional generated references and the one or more stored references; and

submitting, by one or more processors, a request to at least one of the multiple to remove the additional identified data associated with the one or more additional generated references.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the predetermined period of time is a user set time period.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein the predetermined period of time is the time for the one or more processors to execute a scanning cycle.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein receiving a request to remove data that is associated with a particular individual comprises receiving one or more thresholds from an authorized user.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the authorized user is a user that received authorization from the particular individual.

14. The system of claim 10 further comprising:

identifying a social entity that originated the data associated with the one or more generated references; and

generating an alert to the identified social entity requesting the removal of the identified data associated with the one or more generated references.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing software comprising instructions executable by one or more computers which, upon such execution, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

receiving, by one or more processors, a request to remove data that is associated with a particular individual that does not maintain any personal social network profiles, wherein the request is based on a user input received at a threat protection platform, wherein the received request includes one or more data parameters that define specific data associated with the particular individual to be removed, and wherein the one or more data parameters include name, images, date of birth, gender, location, email address, education, and organization data;

generating, for each of the received one or more data parameters, a reference to the data parameter, wherein at least one of the generated references comprises a hash of an image associated with the particular individual;

storing, at a social risk database, the one or more generated references for each of the one or more data parameters;

scanning data that is maintained on multiple social networks, wherein scanning comprises identifying, by one or more processors, data that is associated with one or more social entities;

determining one or more characteristics of the identified data

generating, for each of the one or more characteristics, a reference to the identified data that indicates the characteristic;

identifying a match between the one or more generated references and at least one of the one or more stored references;

submitting, by one or more processors, a request to at least one of the multiple social networks to remove the identified data associated with the one or more generated references;

generating an alert to the particular individual, wherein the generated alert includes the identified data and the request submitted to the at least one of the multiple social networks; and

providing the alert, through the protection platform, to the particular individual.

16. The medium of claim 15 further comprising:

determining that a predetermined period of time has elapsed; and

responsive to determining the predetermined period of time has elapsed;

scanning data that is maintained on multiple social networks, wherein scanning comprises identifying, by one or more processors, additional data that is associated with the one or more social entities;

determining one or more characteristics of the additional identified data;

generating, for each of the one or more characteristics, an additional reference, wherein the additional reference is a reference to the additional identified data that indicates the characteristic;

identifying a match between one or more additional generated references and the one or more stored references; and

submitting, by one or more processors, a request to at least one of the multiple to remove the additional identified data associated with the one or more additional generated references.

17. The medium of claim 16 wherein the predetermined period of time is a user set time period.

18. The medium of claim 16 wherein the predetermined period of time is the time for the one or more processors to execute a scanning cycle.