Extrapolating trends in trust scores

• US 9,679,254 B1
• Filed: 02/29/2016
• Issued: 06/13/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/29/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: www.TrustScience.com Inc.
• Original Assignee: www.TrustScience.com Inc.
• Inventors: Mawji, Ashif, Trudel, Chris
• Primary Examiner(s): Potratz, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US15/055,952
• Time in Patent Office: 470 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/316 by observing the pattern of computer usage, e.g. typical user behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 7/01 Probabilistic graphical models, e.g. probabilistic networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0635 Risk analysis of enterprise or organisation activities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0639 Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/018 Certifying business or products
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0282 Rating or review of business operators or products
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/126 the source of the received data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

Systems and methods are described herein for extrapolating trends in trust scores. A trust score may reflect the trustworthiness, reputation, membership, status, and/or influence of the entity in a particular community or in relation to another entity. An entity'"'"'s trust score may be calculated based on data from a variety of data sources, and this data may be updated periodically as data is updated and new data becomes available. However, it may be difficult to update a trust score for an entity due to a scarcity of information. The trust score for such entities may be updated based on trends observed for the updated trust scores of other entities over a similar period of time. In this manner, trust scores may be updated for entities for which updated data is not available.

Claims

1. A method for updating a trust score, the method comprising:

receiving, from a remote device at a first time, a request for a new trust score associated with a first entity in a computer network;

in response to receiving the request, retrieving from a database, using processing circuitry, a first trust score associated with the first entity in the computer network, wherein the first trust score was calculated at a second time prior to the first time, and wherein the first trust score was calculated based on a plurality of component scores, the plurality of component scores retrieved from at least one database at the second time;

querying, at a time subsequent to the first time, the at least one database for the plurality of component scores;

determining, using the processing circuitry, that at least one of the plurality of component scores is not available at the time subsequent to the first time;

in response to determining that the at least one of the plurality of component scores is not available at the time subsequent to the first time;

identifying a second entity in the computer network;

retrieving a second trust score calculated at a second time and a third trust score calculated at a third time, wherein the second trust score and the third trust score are associated with the second entity;

determining, using the processing circuitry, that at least one of the second time or the third time is later than the first time;

calculating a trend using the second trust score and the third trust score; and

updating the first trust score using the calculated trend to determine the new trust score.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating the trend comprises one of:

calculating a difference between the second trust score and the third trust score, calculating a difference per time between the second trust score and the third trust score, calculating a percent increase/decrease from the second trust score to the third trust score, or calculating a percent increase/decrease per time from the second trust score to the third trust score.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein updating the first trust score using the calculated trend to determine the new trust score comprises increasing or decreasing the first trust score.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein updating the first trust score using the calculated trend to determine the new trust score comprises:

receiving, from the at least one database, the plurality of component scores;

combining the plurality of component scores using a weighted combination to produce an initial trust score; and

increasing or decreasing the initial trust score based on the calculated trend to determine the new trust score.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the second trust score and the third trust score comprise a plurality of component scores, and wherein calculating the trend using the second trust score and the third trust score comprises calculating a trend between a component of the second trust score and a corresponding component of the third trust score.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising calculating a trend based upon a plurality of trust scores associated with a third entity in the computer network, and wherein updating the first trust score comprises updating the first trust score based on the calculated trend based on the plurality of trust scores associated with the third entity to determine the new trust score.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein updating the first trust score comprises calculating an average of the trend based upon the plurality of trust scores associated with the third entity and the trend of the second trust score and the third trust score.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the second entity comprises identifying at least one path that connects the first entity and the second entity in the computer network.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein each of the at least one paths comprises a number of links greater than zero, and wherein identifying the at least one path comprises identifying at least one path in the computer network comprising fewer than a threshold number of links that connects the first entity and the second entity.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving an indication of an activity to be performed in the future by the first entity, and wherein identifying the second entity comprises receiving data indicating that the second entity has performed the activity.

11. A system for updating a trust score, the system comprising:

a database storing trust scores for the plurality of entities connected by a computer network;

processing circuitry configured to;

receive, from a remote device at a first time, a request for a new trust score associated with a first entity in the computer network;

in response to receiving the request, retrieve from the database a first trust score associated with the first entity in the computer network, wherein the first trust score was calculated at a second time prior to the first time, and wherein the first trust score was calculated based on a plurality of component scores, the plurality of component scores retrieved from at least one database at the second time;

querying, at a time subsequent to the first time, the at least one database for the plurality of component scores;

determine, using the processing circuitry, that at least one of the plurality of component scores is not available at the time subsequent to the first time;

in response to determining that the at least one of the plurality of component scores is not available at the time subsequent to the first time;

identify a second entity in the computer network;

retrieve a second trust score calculated at a second time and a third trust score calculated at a third time, wherein the second trust score and the third trust score are associated with the second entity;

determine, using the processing circuitry, that at least one of the second time or the third time is later than the first time;

calculate a trend using the second trust score and the third trust score; and

update the first trust score using the calculated trend to determine the new trust score.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to calculate the trend by performing one of:

calculating a difference between the second trust score and the third trust score, calculating a difference per time between the second trust score and the third trust score, calculating a percent increase/decrease from the second trust score to the third trust score, or calculating a percent increase/decrease per time from the second trust score to the third trust score.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to update the first trust score using the calculated trend to determine the new trust score by:

receiving, from the at least one database, the plurality of component scores;

combining the plurality of component scores using a weighted combination to produce an initial trust score; and

increasing or decreasing the initial trust score based on the calculated trend to determine the new trust score.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to identify the second entity by identifying at least one path that connects the first entity and the second entity in the computer network.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to identify the at least one path, wherein each of the at least one path comprises a number of links greater than zero, by identifying at least one path in the computer network comprising fewer than a threshold number of links that connects the first entity and the second entity.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions encoded thereon for updating a trust score, the instructions comprising:

instructions for receiving, from a remote device at a first time, a request for a new trust score associated with a first entity in a computer network;

instructions for retrieving, in response to receiving the request, from a database, using processing circuitry, a first trust score associated with the first entity in the computer network, wherein the first trust score was calculated at a second time prior to the first time, and wherein the first trust score was calculated based on a plurality of component scores, the plurality of component scores retrieved from at least one database at the second time;

instructions for querying, at a time subsequent to the first time, the at least one database for the plurality of component scores;

instructions for determining, using the processing circuitry, that at least one of the plurality of component scores is not available at the time subsequent to the first time;

in response to determining that the at least one of the plurality of component scores is not available at the time subsequent to the first time;

instructions for identifying a second entity in the computer network;

instructions for retrieving a second trust score calculated at a second time and a third trust score calculated at a third time, wherein the second trust score and the third trust score are associated with the second entity;

instructions for determining, using the processing circuitry, that at least one of the second time or the third time is later than the first time;

instructions for calculating a trend using the second trust score and the third trust score; and

instructions for updating the first trust score using the calculated trend to determine the new trust score.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the instructions for calculating the trend comprises one of:

instructions for calculating a difference between the second trust score and the third trust score, instructions for calculating a difference per time between the second trust score and the third trust score, instructions for calculating a percent increase/decrease from the second trust score to the third trust score, or instructions for calculating a percent increase/decrease per time from the second trust score to the third trust score.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the instructions for updating the first trust score using the calculated trend to determine the new trust score comprises:

instructions for receiving, from the at least one database, the plurality of component scores;

instructions for combining the plurality of component scores using a weighted combination to produce an initial trust score; and

instructions for increasing or decreasing the initial trust score based on the calculated trend to determine the new trust score.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the instructions for identifying the second entity comprises instructions for identifying at least one path that connects the first entity and the second entity in the computer network.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein each of the at least one paths comprises a number of links greater than zero, and wherein the instructions for identifying the at least one path comprises instructions for identifying at least one path in the computer network comprising fewer than a threshold number of links that connects the first entity and the second entity.