Method and system for implementing and managing an enterprise identity management for distributed security

• US 8,015,205 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2010
• Issued: 09/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Liberty Peak Ventures, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: American Express Travel Related Services Company, Inc. (American Express Company)
• Inventors: Gibbons, Stephen P., Steitz, Phillip W., Glazer, Elliott, Shelby, James, Bishop, Fred, Armes, David, Barrett, Michael Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Truong, Cam Y T
• Application Number:
  US12/816,296
• Publication Number:
  US 20100257205A1
• Time in Patent Office: 448 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/783
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/34 involving the use of external additional devices, e.g. dongles or smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing

Abstract

An Enterprise Identity Management system includes a registration component, an ownership component, and an audit component. The registration component is configured to associate a user ID with specific accounts that are accessible via a computer system. The ownership component is configured to verify the ownership of the accounts. The audit component is configured to perform periodic checks to ensure the validity of the association between the user ID and the ownership of the accounts.

Claims

1. An audit system comprising:

a processor;

a memory;

a network interface communicating with the memory;

said memory communicating with the processor for auditing; and

said processor, when executing a computer program, performs operations comprising;

monitoring, by said processor, changes in a relationship between a user and an identity of an account over a period of time to periodically perform an automatic adjustment of authentication questions in response to a deterioration of said relationship, wherein said deterioration of said relationship is based upon activity of said user;

assigning, by said processor, a positive weight for a successful transaction by said user on said account, wherein said successful transaction is based on security requirements of said account and risk factors relating to various transaction types associated with said account;

evaluating, by said processor, a current transaction of said user by comparing said current transaction to previous transactions performed by said user;

assigning, by said processor, a positive weight for a similar transaction by said user;

assigning, by said processor, a negative weight for an unsuccessful transaction by said user on said account, wherein the assigning the positive weight for the similar transaction and the assigning the negative weight are based on the comparing;

aggregating, by said processor, said positive and negative weights to determine a usage history of said user;

removing, by said processor, a relationship between said identity and said account in response to said aggregation failing to meet a predetermined criteria; and

monitoring, by said processor, aggregated behaviors, wherein said aggregated behaviors are used to weight transactions to further verify ownership of said account, said operations further comprising receiving a request for the identity, said operations further comprising issuing said identity to said user in response to at least a portion of said authentication questions being correctly answered, wherein said authentication questions to be asked are based upon authentication rules associated with said account.

2. The audit system of claim 1, said operations further comprising confirming ownership of said account.

3. The audit system of claim 1, said operations further comprising confirming ownership of said account by analyzing ownership data and generating said authentication questions to be asked of said user to verify said identity actually belongs to said user.

4. The audit system of claim 1, said operations further comprising determining said authentication rules associated with said account.

5. The audit system of claim 1, said operations further comprising determining authentication rules associated with said account, wherein authentication questions to be asked of a user are based upon said authentication rules.

6. The audit system of claim 1, said operations further comprising receiving a request for an identity associated with said account.

7. A method comprising:

assigning, by a computer for facilitating issuance of an identity associated with an account, a positive weight for a successful transaction by a user on said account, wherein said successful transaction is based on security requirements of said account and risk factors relating to various transaction types associated with said account;

evaluating, by said computer, a current transaction of said user by comparing said current transaction to previous transactions performed by said user;

assigning, by said computer, a positive weight for a similar transaction by said user;

assigning, by said computer, a negative weight for an unsuccessful transaction by said user on said account, wherein the assigning the positive weight for the similar transaction and the assigning the negative weight are based on the comparing;

aggregating, by said computer, said positive and negative weights to determine a usage history of said user;

removing, by said computer, a relationship between said identity and said account when said aggregating step fails to meet a predetermined criteria;

monitoring, by said computer, aggregated behaviors, wherein said aggregated behaviors are used to weight transactions to further verify ownership of said account;

issuing, by said computer, said identity to a user associated with said account, in response to at least a portion of authentication questions being correctly answered, wherein said authentication questions to be asked are based upon authentication rules associated with said account; and

monitoring, by said computer, changes in a relationship between said user and said identity over a period of time to periodically perform an automatic adjustment of said authentication questions in response to a deterioration.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising analyzing said aggregation of said positive weights and said negative weights to determine a validity of said identity.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

evaluating a current transaction of said user;

comparing said current transaction to previous transactions performed by said user; and

,

assigning a positive weight for a similar transaction by said user.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising assigning a negative weight for a non-similar transaction by said user.