Cookie based session timeout detection and management

1. A method for detecting a session status based on a symmetrically encrypted cookie associated with the session, the method comprising:

receiving an access request to a secure website associated with a bank account of a user;

determining that the received access request has the symmetrically encrypted cookie corresponding with the specified location, wherein the symmetrically encrypted cookie contains a unique session identifier, wherein the unique session identifier is a string of numbers;

decrypting the symmetrically encrypted cookie based on a cryptographic key, wherein a server computer for the bank account is the only machine with the cryptographic key needed to decrypt the symmetrically encrypted cookie;

beginning a process for session timeout validation based on determining that decrypting the symmetrically encrypted cookie based on a cryptographic key is successful;

retrieving a last refresh time from the symmetrically encrypted cookie;

querying a current request time;

retrieving, from memory on the server computer for the bank account, a refresh interval value and an overdue value;

determining that the session is valid based on calculating that a difference value corresponding to the current request time and the last refresh time is not greater than or equal to an aggregate value corresponding to the refresh interval value and the overdue value, wherein the refresh interval value is ten and the overdue value is fifteen, and the current request time minus the last refresh time is equal to the refresh interval;

determining that the difference value is greater than or equal to the refresh interval value based on determining that the session is valid;

altering the cookie with an updated last refresh time based on determining that the difference value is greater than or equal to the refresh interval value;

symmetrically encrypting the altered cookie; and

sending the altered cookie to a client computer.