Item-Level Purchase Authentication Questions for Fraud-Resistant Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional user authentication systems fail to generate transaction-based questions based on specific details of a transaction, such as specific items purchased and their prices, making them vulnerable to fraudulent access by malicious actors.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a knowledge-based authentication process using item-level purchase data, including specific items and prices, to generate transaction-based questions that an authorized user is likely to remember and a malicious actor is unlikely to guess.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional authentication systems use general transaction data, then the authentication process is simple to implement, but the security against fraudulent access is weak
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments transaction data into hierarchical levels: account-level data (merchant names, dates) and item-level data (specific items purchased, prices, quantities). This segmentation allows the system to use detailed item-level information for security questions while maintaining a structured, manageable architecture. The segmentation resolves the contradiction by enabling secure authentication without requiring a complete redesign of the authentication system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a new dimension of granularity to transaction data by incorporating item-level details (specific items, prices, quantities) beyond the traditional account-level overview. This dimensional expansion provides richer security questions that are difficult for fraudsters to answer while remaining implementable within existing authentication frameworks through database queries.
2Reliability
If authentication questions are based on item-level purchase data, then malicious actors are blocked, but the computational resources required increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary actions by pre-processing and storing transaction data in a structured format with item-level granularity during normal account operations. When authentication is required, the system queries this pre-organized data rather than processing raw transaction logs in real-time. This preliminary organization reduces computational burden during actual authentication while maintaining high fraud detection accuracy.
3Reliability
If detailed item-level data is collected and stored, then authentication questions become more secure, but data privacy risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary layer that processes and anonymizes item-level transaction data before using it for authentication. The system references specific items and prices without storing or displaying full transaction histories, and authentication questions are designed to verify knowledge without exposing sensitive patterns. This intermediary processing maintains authentication reliability while mitigating data privacy risks.
Data Source
AI summary
Aspects described herein may provide techniques for authenticating a user using transaction-based authentication questions that are generated based on item-level purchase data. The item-level purchase data of a transaction may include specific details of a transaction such as identification of each item purchased and corresponding prices paid for each item. Transaction-based authentication questions for a financial account may be generated based on the item-level purchase data that an authorized user of the financial account is likely to remember and that a malicious actor is unlikely to correctly guess. As a result, the authorized user of the account is likely to be correctly authenticated while the malicious actor is likely to answer the transaction-based authentication question incorrectly. Authentication can therefore effectively block malicious actors without overly burdening actual authorized users during the authentication process.