Systems and methods for protecting users

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10936712-B1
Application number	US-201916538760-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Aug 12, 2019
Priority date	Jun 6, 2019
Publication date	Mar 2, 2021
Grant date	Mar 2, 2021

Abstract

The disclosed computer-implemented method for protecting users may include (i) intercepting an attempt to login to a user account of an application using a login credential, (ii) preventing a user corresponding to the user account from revealing personally identifiable information by populating a field for the login credential with a value for an identity-masking persona as a substitute for the personally identifiable information, and (iii) enabling a completion of the attempt to login to the user account of the application using the value for the identity-masking persona, rather than the personally identifiable information, to provide the user with access to an online resource through the application. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method for protecting users, at least a portion of the method being performed by a computing device comprising at least one processor, the method comprising:
intercepting an attempt to login to a user account of an application using a login credential;
preventing a user corresponding to the user account from revealing personally identifiable information by populating a field for the login credential with a value for an identity-masking persona as a substitute for the personally identifiable information; and
enabling a completion of the attempt to login to the user account of the application using the value for the identity-masking persona, rather than the personally identifiable information, to provide the user with access to an online resource through the application;
wherein preventing the user corresponding to the user account from revealing the personally identifiable information comprises:
retrieving a map that maps identity-masking personas to corresponding applications; and
identifying the identity-masking persona that, according to the map, corresponds to the application.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein intercepting the attempt to login to the user account of the application using the login credential is performed by a cloud-based proxy security service.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 , wherein intercepting the attempt to login to the user account of the application using the login credential is performed by the cloud-based proxy security service in coordination with a client-side application at a client device operated by the user.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the login credential comprises at least one of a username or password.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein populating the field for the login credential comprises detecting that the field for the login credential was previously populated by personally identifiable information.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5 , wherein populating the field for the login credential comprises substituting the value for the identity-masking persona for the personally identifiable information.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein enabling the completion of the attempt to login to the user account of the application comprises:
presenting the field for the login credential populated with the value for the identity-masking persona to the user at a client device; and
receiving approval from the user at the client device for completion of the attempt to login to the user account of the application using the value for the identity-masking persona.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the identity-masking persona deviates from the personally identifiable information along at least two of the following dimensions:
underlying social media content;
natural language usage;
writing style; and
social media meme usage.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8 , wherein:
the dimensions are consistent with each other in accordance with a demographic of the identity-masking persona; and
the demographic of the identity-masking persona deviates from the personally identifiable information for the user.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein populating the field for the login credential with the value for the identity-masking persona comprises populating the field within a login screen according to an avatar of the identity-masking persona.

11. A system for protecting users, the system comprising:
an interception module, stored in memory, that intercepts an attempt to login to a user account of an application using a login credential;
a prevention module, stored in memory, that prevents a user corresponding to the user account from revealing personally identifiable information by populating a field for the login credential with a value for an identity-masking persona as a substitute for the personally identifiable information;
an enablement module, stored in memory, that enables a completion of the attempt to login to the user account of the application using the value for the identity-masking persona, rather than the personally identifiable information, to provide the user with access to an online resource through the application; and
a physical processor configured to execute the interception module, the prevention module, and the enablement module;
wherein the prevention module prevents the user corresponding to the user account from revealing the personally identifiable information at least in part by:
retrieving a map that maps identity-masking personas to corresponding applications; and
identifying the identity-masking persona that, according to the map, corresponds to the application.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the intercepting the attempt to login to the user account of the application using the login credential is performed by the interception module as part of a cloud-based proxy security service.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein intercepting the attempt to login to the user account of the application using the login credential is performed by the cloud-based proxy security service in coordination with a client-side application at a client device operated by the user.

14. The system of claim 11 , wherein the login credential comprises at least one of a username or password.

15. The system of claim 11 , wherein the prevention module populating the field for the login credential comprises the prevention module detecting that the field for the login credential was previously populated by personally identifiable information.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the prevention module populating the field for the login credential comprises the prevention module substituting the value for the identity-masking persona for the personally identifiable information.

17. The system of claim 11 , wherein the enablement module enabling the completion of the attempt to login to the user account of the application comprises:
the enablement module presenting the field for the login credential populated with the value for the identity-masking persona to the user at a client device; and
the enablement module receiving approval from the user at the client device for completion of the attempt to login to the user account of the application using the value for the identity-masking persona.

18. The system of claim 11 , wherein the identity-masking persona deviates from the personally identifiable information along at least two of the following dimensions:
underlying social media content;
natural language usage;
writing style; and
social media meme usage.

19. The system of claim 18 , wherein:
the dimensions are consistent with each other in accordance with a demographic of the identity-masking persona; and
the demographic of the identity-masking persona deviates from the personally identifiable information for the user.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium encoded with computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a physical processor of a computing device, cause the computing device to perform a method comprising:
intercepting an attempt to login to a user account of an application using a login credential;
preventing a user corresponding to the user account from revealing personally identifiable information by populating a field for the login credential with a value for an identity-masking persona as a substitute for the personal

Assignees

• Nortonlifelock Inc

Inventors

• Li Qing
• Wang Wenjing
• Chen Howard
• Kapuria Samir

Classifications

• G06Q10/40 Primary

  Business processes related to social networking or social networking services · CPC title

• H04L67/53

  using third party service providers · CPC title

• H04L63/1491

  using deception as countermeasure, e.g. honeypots, honeynets, decoys or entrapment · CPC title

• H04L63/1416

  Event detection, e.g. attack signature detection · CPC title

• G06F2221/033

  Test or assess software · CPC title