Customer notification program alerting customer-specified network address of unauthorized access attempts to customer account

• US 8,949,954 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2012
• Issued: 02/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Uniloc 2017 LLC (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Uniloc Luxembourg S.à r.l. (f/k/a Uniloc Luxembourg S.A.) (Uniloc Corporation Pty. Limited)
• Inventors: Etchegoyen, Craig S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Armouche, Hadi
• Assistant Examiner(s): WRIGHT, BRYAN F
• Application Number:
  US13/707,886
• Publication Number:
  US 20130167203A1
• Time in Patent Office: 788 Days
• Field of Search: 726/4
• US Class Current: 726/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/01 Customer relationship services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/265 Personal security, identity or safety
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0861 using biometrical features, e.g. fingerprint, retina-scan cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using biological data H04L9/3231
• 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 network security system includes a server configured to receive an access request via a network from a remote computing device, a database storing customer account information accessible by the server, and memory accessible by the server and storing a customer notification program. When executed by the server, the program identifies the remote computing device by a device fingerprint and requesting location, determines whether the device fingerprint matches any authorized device fingerprints stored in the database and sends, responsive to a mismatch between the device fingerprint and the authorized device fingerprints, a notification of the request to a customer-specified address. The notification indicates the request, the identity of the remote computing device, and the requesting location. The program may resolve the request responsive to a reply to the notification from the customer-specified address.

Claims

1. A system for authorizing a request for remote access to customer account information, comprising:

a server configured to receive the request via a network from a remote computing device;

a database storing the customer account information accessible by the server; and

memory accessible by the server and storing a customer notification program which, when executed by the server, performs steps for

(a) identifying, responsive to the server receiving the request, the remote computing device fingerprint and by a requesting location;

(b) determining whether the device fingerprint matches any of a number of device fingerprints previously authorized to access the customer account information;

(c) sending, responsive to determining a mismatch between the device fingerprint and each of the previously authorized device fingerprints, a notification of the request to an address of a separate device specified by the customer, the notification indicating (i) the request, (ii) identity of the remote computing device, and (iii) the requesting location;

(d) resolving the request responsive to a reply to the notification; and

(e) if resolving the request responsive to a reply to the notification results in permitting authorized access to the customer account information by the remote computing device, storing the device fingerprint as a previously authorized device fingerprint and associating the device fingerprint with the customer account information.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the reply is received from the address of the separate device specified by the customer.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the notification further interrogates for an answer approving or disapproving the request, and wherein the resolving step further comprises approving or disapproving the request according to the answer.

4. The system of claim 3 further comprising storing, responsive to approving the request, the device fingerprint as a previously authorized device fingerprint.

5. The system of claim 3 further comprising storing, responsive to disapproving the request, the device fingerprint as an unauthorized device fingerprint.

6. The system of claim 3 wherein the notification program interrogates by effecting display of selectable answers on a user interface.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the identifying step further comprises interrogating the remote computing device for user-configurable device parameters, and generating the device fingerprint using multiple user-configurable device parameters.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the generated device fingerprint is unlike any other device fingerprint generatable responsive to a request to the server from another remote computing device.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the number of device fingerprints are stored in a second database accessible by the server.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the determining step further comprises determining whether the device fingerprint matches any of a number of unauthorized device fingerprints corresponding to a remote computing device previously disapproved from accessing the customer account information, and if a match to such unauthorized device fingerprint is determined, bypassing the sending step and disapproving the request.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the device fingerprints previously authorized to access the customer account information consist of all device fingerprints having accessed the customer account information via the network within a predetermined time period prior to the request.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the requesting location comprises a geographic location.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the identity of the remote computing device includes information selected from the group consisting of manufacturer name, model name, and device type.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein the notification further indicates a time of the request.

17. The system of claim 1 wherein the address of the separate device specified by the customer is selected from the group consisting of a telephone number and an e-mail address.

18. The system of claim 1 wherein the notification is selected from the group consisting of a voice message, a text message, and a substantially concurrent transmission of voice and text messages.

19. The system of claim 1 wherein the request comprises a monetary transaction.

20. The system of claim 1 wherein the reply to the notification includes a device fingerprint of the customer-specified separate device transmitting the reply to the notification.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein the resolving step includes:

determining whether the reply to the notification is a valid reply or an invalid reply based on the device fingerprint of the customer-specified separate device; and

disregarding the reply to the notification when the reply to the notification is determined to be an invalid reply.

15. A system for authorizing a request for remote access to customer account information, comprising:

a server configured to receive the request via a network from a remote computing device;

a database storing the customer account information accessible by the server; and

memory accessible by the server and storing a customer notification program which, when executed by the server, performs steps for

(a) identifying, responsive to the server receiving the request, the remote computing device by a device fingerprint and by a requesting location;

(b) determining whether the device fingerprint matches any of a number of device fingerprints authorized to access the customer account information; and

(c) sending, responsive to determining a mismatch between the device fingerprint and each of the previously authorized device fingerprints, a notification of the request to a customer-specified address, the notification indicating (i) the request, (ii) identity of the remote computing device, and (iii) the requesting location;

wherein the determining step further comprises;

determining based on the device fingerprint whether the remote computing device is a non-mobile computing device;

determining whether the requesting location is an abnormal location; and

if the remote computing device is a non-mobile computing device and if the requesting location is an abnormal location, bypassing the sending step and disapproving the request.

16. A system for authorizing a request for remote access to customer account information, comprising:

a server configured to receive the request via a network from a remote computing device;

a database storing the customer account information accessible by the server; and

memory accessible by the server and storing a customer notification program which, when executed by the server, performs steps for

(a) identifying, responsive to the server receiving the request, the remote computing device by a device fingerprint and by a requesting location;

(b) determining whether the device fingerprint matches any of a number of device fingerprints authorized to access the customer account information; and

(c) sending, responsive to determining a mismatch between the device fingerprint and each of the previously authorized device fingerprints, a notification of the request to a customer-specified address, the notification indicating (i) the request, (ii) identity of the remote computing device, and (iii) the requesting location;

wherein the determining step further comprises;

determining based on the device fingerprint whether the remote computing device is a mobile device;

determining whether the requesting location is a preauthorized temporary location specified in the customer account information;

determining whether timing of the request falls within the time limits specified for the temporary location; and

if the remote computing device is a mobile device, if the requesting location matches the preauthorized temporary location, and if the timing of the request falls within the specified time limits, bypassing the sending step and approving the request.