Privacy Safety Manager for Secure Form Auto-Fill
Solution Overview
Problem
Users' personal information is vulnerable to theft due to malicious programs like keyloggers that capture keystrokes, especially during online transactions, as even sophisticated users can be confused about the protections provided by their installed programs, and many users lack necessary protection software.
Innovation Solution
A system and method where personal information is stored securely on a user's computer, allowing recall inputs to access and automatically fill in forms without typing, using a security program that scans keyboard inputs and provides encrypted storage and retrieval, reducing the need for direct keyboard input and minimizing exposure to keyloggers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If users manually type personal information into forms, then the information can be entered accurately, but the information becomes vulnerable to keylogger programs that capture keystrokes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a privacy safety manager as an intermediary layer between the user and the form input process. Instead of directly typing information into forms (which exposes keystrokes to keyloggers), the system uses a recall input mechanism where users input a simplified code or selection that triggers the privacy safety manager to retrieve and populate the actual personal information from secure storage. This intermediary process eliminates direct keyboard input of sensitive data while maintaining ease of form completion.
2Reliability
If protection programs are installed to combat malicious programs, then personal information security is improved, but users become confused about what protections are provided
Solution Approach 1:
The privacy safety manager implements a self-service security model where the system automatically manages personal information protection without requiring users to understand or configure complex security settings. The recall input mechanism and automatic form population occur transparently in the background, providing security benefits while maintaining simple user interaction. This eliminates the need for users to navigate multiple protection programs or understand their functions.
3Reliability
If encrypted storage is used for personal information, then data security is improved, but the retrieval and processing of information requires additional system resources
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-storing personal information in encrypted form in a secure database within the privacy safety manager. When a recall input is provided, the system quickly decrypts and retrieves the pre-prepared information for form population. This approach balances security with performance by maintaining encrypted storage while enabling rapid retrieval through the established recall mechanism, avoiding the need for repeated encryption/decryption operations during form completion.
Data Source
AI summary
A method is provided for accessing user personal information. In such method, personal information belonging to a particular user is stored at a user information processing system such as a user computer. A form may then be displayed on the user information processing system. A user-provided recall input can then be received at the user information processing system and the fact of its receipt can be indicated on the form. Using the recall input, the stored user personal information can be accessed for processing in connection with the displayed form. Display of information at the user information processing system may then be manipulated based on a result of the processing.