Method and Apparatus for Token-Based Combining of Risk Ratings

• US 20130047241A1
• Filed: 08/15/2011
• Published: 02/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Original Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Inventors: Radhakrishnan, Rakesh, Frick, Cynthia Ann, Marian, Radu, Barbir, Abdulkader Omar, Badhwar, Rajat P.
• Granted Patent: US 9,055,053 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/9
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/335 for accessing specific resources, e.g. using Kerberos tickets
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/577 Assessing vulnerabilities and evaluating computer system security
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2115 Third party
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0807 using tickets, e.g. Kerberos cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using tickets or tokens H04L9/3213
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources

Abstract

According to one embodiment, an apparatus may store a plurality of tokens. The plurality of tokens may include a plurality of risk tokens. Each risk token may represent a risk rating. The risk rating may be a numerical value indicating a risk associated with granting a particular user access to a particular resource. The apparatus may identify a set of related risk tokens in the plurality of risk tokens, and generate a composite risk token that represents an arithmetic combination of the risk ratings represented by the set of related risk tokens. The apparatus may then use the composite risk token to facilitate the making of an access decision.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a memory operable to store a plurality of tokens, wherein the plurality of tokens comprises a plurality of risk tokens, each risk token representing a risk rating, the risk rating being a numerical value indicating a risk associated with granting a particular user access to a particular resource;

a processor operable to;

identify a set of related risk tokens in the plurality of risk tokens;

generate a composite risk token that represents an arithmetic combination of the risk ratings represented by the set of related risk tokens; and

use the composite risk token to facilitate the making of an access decision.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the set of related risk tokens comprises risk tokens associated with a first resource and risk tokens associated with a second resource; and

the token-based rule is based at least in part on a risk token associated with the first resource and a risk token associated with the second resource.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein:

the first resource and second resource are sub-resources of a composite resource; and

the composite risk token is used to facilitate the making of an access decision to another sub-resource of the composite resource.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the arithmetic combination comprises a weighted average.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the set of related risk tokens comprises risk tokens associated with a first action and risk tokens associated with a second action; and

the token-based rule is based at least in part on a risk token associated with the first action and a risk token associated with the second action.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein:

the first action and second action are withdrawals from a first account a second account; and

the composite risk token is used to facilitate the making of an access decision associated with a withdrawal from another account.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the identification of the set of related risk tokens is based on a token-based rule.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the generation of the composite risk token is based on a token-based rule.

9. A method for determining a composite risk token in a token-based environment, comprising:

storing a plurality of tokens, wherein the plurality of tokens comprises a plurality of risk tokens, each risk token representing a risk rating, the risk rating being a numerical value indicating a risk associated with granting a particular user access to a particular resource;

identifying, by a processor, a set of related risk tokens in the plurality of risk tokens;

generating, by the processor, a composite risk token that represents an arithmetic combination of the risk ratings represented by the set of related risk tokens; and

using the composite risk token to facilitate the making of an access decision.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein:

the set of related risk tokens comprises risk tokens associated with a first resource and risk tokens associated with a second resource; and

the token-based rule is based at least in part on a risk token associated with the first resource and a risk token associated with the second resource.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein:

the first resource and second resource are sub-resources of a composite resource; and

the composite risk token is used to facilitate the making of an access decision to another sub-resource of the composite resource.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the arithmetic combination comprises a weighted average.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein:

the set of related risk tokens comprises risk tokens associated with a first action and risk tokens associated with a second action; and

the token-based rule is based at least in part on a risk token associated with the first action and a risk token associated with the second action.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein:

the first action and second action are withdrawals from a first account a second account; and

the composite risk token is used to facilitate the making of an access decision associated with a withdrawal from another account.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the identification of the set of related risk tokens is based on a token-based rule.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the generation of the composite risk token is based on a token-based rule.

17. One or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media embodying software that is operable when executed to:

store a plurality of tokens, wherein the plurality of tokens comprises a plurality of risk tokens, each risk token representing a risk rating, the risk rating being a numerical value indicating a risk associated with granting a particular user access to a particular resource;

identify a set of related risk tokens in the plurality of risk tokens;

generate a composite risk token that represents an arithmetic combination of the risk ratings represented by the set of related risk tokens; and

use the composite risk token to facilitate the making of an access decision.

18. The media of claim 17, wherein:

the set of related risk tokens comprises risk tokens associated with a first resource and risk tokens associated with a second resource; and

the token-based rule is based at least in part on a risk token associated with the first resource and a risk token associated with the second resource.

19. The media of claim 18, wherein:

the first resource and second resource are sub-resources of a composite resource; and

the composite risk token is used to facilitate the making of an access decision to another sub-resource of the composite resource.

20. The media of claim 17, wherein the arithmetic combination comprises a weighted average.

21. The media of claim 17, wherein:

the set of related risk tokens comprises risk tokens associated with a first action and risk tokens associated with a second action; and

the token-based rule is based at least in part on a risk token associated with the first action and a risk token associated with the second action.

22. The media of claim 21, wherein:

the first action and second action are withdrawals from a first account a second account; and

the composite risk token is used to facilitate the making of an access decision associated with a withdrawal from another account.

23. The media of claim 17, wherein the identification of the set of related risk tokens is based on a token-based rule.

24. The media of claim 17, wherein the generation of the composite risk token is based on a token-based rule.