IP Library Granted Patent US 10,885,223
Granted Patent B2
US 10,885,223 · App. 15/836,505 · Granted Jan 5, 2021

Systems and methods for anonymizing user accounts

Inventors: SriHarsha Angara (Culver City, CA); Michael Lo (Culver City, CA); John Meehan (Culver City, CA); Srinivas Chillappa (Mountain View, CA); Simon Tiku (Culver City, CA); Viral Mehta (Culver City, CA)
Assignee: NortonLifeLock, Inc.
G06F21/6254H04L9/321H04L63/0421
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,885,223
App. No.
15/836,505
Granted
Jan 5, 2021
Kind
B2
Abstract

The disclosed computer-implemented method for anonymizing user accounts may include (i) receiving an instruction to anonymize a user account to protect a user's personally identifiable information, (ii) accessing, by a security program, a settings portal for the user account in response to receiving the instruction to anonymize the user account, (iii) replacing, by the security program, original values within at least two fields within the settings portal for the user account with anonymized values to mask the user's personally identifiable information, and (iv) storing the anonymized values within a protected vault to enable the user to login to the user account. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.

Claims (44)

1. A computer-implemented method for anonymizing user accounts, at least a portion of the method being performed by a computing device comprising at least one processor, the method comprising:

receiving an instruction to anonymize a user account to protect a user's personally identifiable information at least in part by receiving a streamlined single-click instruction to complete an entire process of anonymizing the user account;

accessing, by a security program in response to receiving the streamlined single-click instruction to complete the entire process of anonymizing the user account, a settings portal for the user account at least in part by the security program autonomously navigating to a website for the settings portal for the user account and the security program using credentials to login to the user account at the website, the security program comprising a third-party security program that is distinct from a specific service that includes the user account;

replacing, by the security program in response to receiving the streamlined single-click instruction to complete the entire process of anonymizing the user account, original values within at least two fields within the settings portal for the user account with anonymized values to mask the user's personally identifiable information; and

storing the anonymized values within a protected vault to enable the user to login to the user account;

wherein the security program accesses the settings portal for the user account at least in part by referencing a predefined template that informs the security program about how to navigate to the website and how to parse the at least two fields of the website.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the security program accesses the settings portal for the user account at least in part by referencing the predefined template that informs the security program about:

how to login to the user account;

how to populate the fields; and

how to logout of the user account.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the original values comprise a blank value.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the original values comprise a default value.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the original values comprise a value originally set by the user upon registering the user account.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising replacing, by the security program, an original value for a third field within the settings portal for the user account.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein accessing, by the security program, the settings portal for the user account in response to receiving the instruction to anonymize the user account comprises logging into the user account.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7 , wherein the security program references a login credential stored within the protected vault to login to the user account.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising the security program generating the anonymized values.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9 , wherein the security program generates the anonymized values in response to receiving the instruction to anonymize the user account.

11. A system for anonymizing user accounts, the system comprising:

a reception module, stored in memory, that receives an instruction to anonymize a user account to protect a user's personally identifiable information at least in part by receiving a streamlined single-click instruction to complete an entire process of anonymizing the user account;

an accessing module, stored in memory, that accesses, as part of a security program, in response to receiving the streamlined single-click instruction to complete the entire process of anonymizing the user account, a settings portal for the user account at least in part by the security program autonomously navigating to a website for the settings portal for the user account and the security program using credentials to login to the user account at the website, the security program comprising a third-party security program that is distinct from a specific service that includes the user account;

a replacement module, stored in memory, that replaces, as part of the security program, in response to receiving the streamlined single-click instruction to complete the entire process of anonymizing the user account, original values within at least two fields within the settings portal for the user account with anonymized values to mask the user's personally identifiable information;

a storing module, stored in memory, that stores the anonymized values within a protected vault to enable the user to login to the user account;

wherein the security program accesses the settings portal for the user account at least in part by referencing a predefined template that informs the security program about how to navigate to the website and how to parse the at least two fields of the website; and

at least one physical processor configured to execute the reception module, the accessing module, the replacement module, and the storing module.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the personally identifiable information comprises at least two of:

a username;

a password;

a name;

a credit card number; and

an address.

13. The system of claim 11 , wherein the original values comprise a blank value.

14. The system of claim 11 , wherein the original values comprise a default value.

15. The system of claim 11 , wherein the original values comprise a value originally set by the user upon registering the user account.

16. The system of claim 11 , wherein the replacement module replaces, as part of the security program, an original value for a third field within the settings portal for the user account.

17. The system of claim 11 , wherein the accessing module accesses, as part of the security program, the settings portal for the user account in response to receiving the instruction to anonymize the user account by logging into the user account.

18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the security program references a login credential stored within the protected vault to login to the user account.

19. The system of claim 11 , wherein the security program is further configured to generate the anonymized values.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising one or more computer-readable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a computing device, cause the computing device to:

receive an instruction to anonymize a user account to protect a user's personally identifiable information at least in part by receiving a streamlined single-click instruction to complete an entire process of anonymizing the user account;

access, by a security program in response to receiving the streamlined single-click instruction to complete the entire process of anonymizing the user account, a settings portal for the user account at least in part by the security program autonomously navigating to a website for the settings portal for the user account and the security program using credentials to login to the user account at the website, the security program comprising a third-party security program that is distinct from a specific service that includes the user account;

replace, by the security program in response to receiving the streamlined single-click instruction to complete the entire process of anonymizing the user account, original values within at least two fields within the settings portal for the user account with anonymized values to mask the user's personally identifiable information; and

store the anonymized values within a protected vault to enable the user to login to the user account,

wherein the security program access the settings portal for the user account at least in part by referencing a predefine template that informs the security program about how to navigate to the website and how to parse the at least two fields of the website.

Assignments (6)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Feb 6, 2023
From: NORTONLIFELOCK INC.
To: GEN DIGITAL INC.
Reel/Frame 062714/0605 →
NOTICE OF SUCCESSION OF AGENCY (REEL 050926 / FRAME 0560) Recorded Sep 13, 2022
From: JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.
To: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 061422/0371 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Sep 13, 2022
From: NORTONLIFELOCK INC.
To: BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., AS COLLATERAL AGENT
Reel/Frame 062220/0001 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Feb 14, 2020
From: SYMANTEC CORPORATION
To: NORTONLIFELOCK INC.
Reel/Frame 051935/0228 →
SECURITY AGREEMENT Recorded Nov 4, 2019
From: SYMANTEC CORPORATION; BLUE COAT LLC; LIFELOCK, INC,; SYMANTEC OPERATING CORPORATION
To: JPMORGAN, N.A.
Reel/Frame 050926/0560 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 12, 2017
From: ANGARA, SRIHARSHA; LO, MICHAEL; MEEHAN, JOHN; CHILLAPPA, SRINIVAS; TIKU, SIMON; MEHTA, VIRAL
To: SYMANTEC CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 044360/0702 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20190180053A1 · Jun 13, 2019