PII Web Searcher and Crawler for Identity Theft Detection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Identity theft through compromised personally-identifying information (PII) remains a significant concern, particularly in remote commercial transactions, due to ineffective legislation and the ease of phishing and pharming activities, which result in substantial financial and reputational losses for both individuals and companies.

Innovation Solution

A method and system that generate search-engine queries using identity-theft nomenclature to crawl and collect compromised PII from the internet, involving a PII Web Searcher and an Internet Relay Chat Robot to process and store this information, reducing false positives and facilitating alerts and reports.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Difficulty of detecting and measuring

If automated search-engine queries and crawling are used to identify compromised PII, then the ability to detect and track compromised information is improved, but the device complexity and operational resources required increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedifficulty of detecting compromised PIIVSAvoidcomplexity of automated detection system

Core Design Contradiction:

Difficulty of detecting and measuringVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments the complex task of compromised PII detection into distinct functional modules: a PII Web Searcher component that generates and executes search queries, a crawler component that navigates and collects data from identified resources, and a processing component that analyzes collected information. This segmentation allows each module to specialize in specific detection tasks while maintaining manageable system complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces intermediary components including specialized search-engine queries that act as mediators between the detection system and web resources, and structured data collection formats that mediate between raw crawled data and analyzed results. These intermediaries simplify the interaction between system components and reduce the complexity of direct processing.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Quantity of substance

If comprehensive crawling and collection of identity-theft information is performed, then the quantity of detected compromised PII increases, but the loss of time and computational resources increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvequantity of compromised PII detectedVSAvoidtime required for data collection and processing

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by pre-generating optimized search-engine queries based on identity-theft nomenclature before actual detection begins. The PII Web Searcher component prepares and queues search queries in advance, and the crawler component pre-configures collection parameters, allowing the system to rapidly execute comprehensive searches without real-time preparation delays.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements continuous operation of the detection system where the PII Web Searcher continuously generates and executes search queries, the crawler continuously collects data from identified resources, and the processing component continuously analyzes collected information. This continuous operation maximizes the quantity of detected compromised PII over time while maintaining efficient resource utilization through sustained productive action.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #20Continuity of useful action

3Productivity

If automated processing and analysis of collected data is implemented, then the productivity of PII identification improves, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveproductivity of PII identificationVSAvoidcomplexity of data processing system

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements self-service processing where the collected identity-theft information is automatically processed and analyzed without requiring manual intervention. The processing component autonomously parses, validates, and extracts compromised PII from collected data, and the system automatically generates reports and alerts. This automation dramatically improves productivity while the modular architecture keeps complexity manageable through clear separation of processing functions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS10593004B2System and methods for identifying compromised personally identifiable information on the internet

Publication Date: 2020.03.17 CSIDENTITY CORP

AI summary

In one embodiment, a method includes generating, by a computer system, a search-engine query from stored identity-theft nomenclature. The method also includes querying, by the computer system, at least one search engine via the search-engine query. Further, the method includes crawling, by the computer system, at least one computer-network resource identified via the querying. In addition, the method includes collecting, by the computer system, identity-theft information from the at least one computer-network resource. Additionally, the method includes processing, by the computer system, the identity-theft information for compromised personally-identifying information (PII).