US 8,805,925 B2Granted

Method and apparatus for maintaining high data integrity and for providing a secure audit for fraud prevention and detection

AssigneeNbrella, Inc.

InventorsMichael Price, Scott Degraffenreid, Joseph Dito, Taylor Price

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Abstract

Any of various comparisons of computer folders from different points in time is performed. Such comparisons provide the ability to discover missing documents or documents with modification dates that have changed when there would otherwise have been no need to change them and thus allows discovery of missing documents to discover fraud or to search for evidence after a fraud is suspected. In another embodiment, deltas in accounting system vendor invoice accounts are compared at different points in time, potentially exposing the practice of moving fraudulent vendor transactions into a large group of legitimate transactions for a legitimate vendor. Per period transaction totals for specific periods for legitimate vendors are compared over historical time for suspicious activity. A comparison of reports from the two different periods, using exact data and software from those separate periods (instead of reporting from “current’” data), may raise a red flag otherwise missed.

Claims23

Dependent claims

An apparatus for maintaining high data integrity and for providing a secure audit for fraud prevention and detection, comprising:

a client on-site server comprising a server processor executing instructions to perform the steps of:
copying digital data that is stored on at least one client production server;
storing said digital data in an encrypted format comprising an encryption key that is held by any of said client and a client backup/restore service provider;
archiving discrete versions of computer folders by making multiple, sequential copies of said digital data on a predetermined time interval schedule that comprises any of a set, dynamic, and randomly variable interval;
restoring from said data storage data that has been saved on at least one point in time on at least one client production server and that has been changed or deleted on said at least one client production server;
a forensics analysis system comprising a forensics analysis processor executing instructions to perform the steps of:
comparing putatively identical computer data stored on said data storage medium at different points in time to discover missing documents or documents with modification dates that have changed when there would otherwise have been no need to change them, wherein said putatively identical data comprises a plurality of discrete archival versions of said computer folders, each version containing documents as they existed at the point in time at which they were archived;
and
based upon said comparing, discovering fraud or searching for evidence after a fraud is suspected by identifying any of missing documents and documents with modification dates that have changed when there would otherwise have been no need to change them.

6 more elements

A method for maintaining high data integrity and for providing a secure audit for fraud prevention and detection, comprising the steps of:

providing a client on-site server comprising a server processor executing instructions to perform the steps of:
copying digital data that is stored on at least one client production server;
storing said digital data in an encrypted format comprising an encryption key that is held by any of said client and a client backup/restore service provider;
archiving discrete versions of computer folders by making multiple, sequential copies of said digital data on a predetermined time interval schedule that comprises any of a set, dynamic, and randomly variable interval;
restoring from said data storage data that has been saved on at least one point in time on at least one client production server and that has been changed or deleted on said at least one client production server;
providing a forensics analysis system comprising a forensics analysis processor executing instructions to perform the steps of:
comparing putatively identical computer data stored in said data storage medium at different points in time to discover missing documents or documents with modification dates that have changed when there would otherwise have been no need to change them, wherein said putatively identical data comprises a plurality of discrete archival versions of said computer folders, each version containing documents as they existed at the point in time at which they were archived;
and
based upon said comparing, discovering fraud or searching for evidence after a fraud is suspected by identifying any of missing documents and documents with modification dates that have changed when there would otherwise have been no need to change them.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 12/950,454Filed 19 Nov 2010 · us provisional application
Priority: 20 Nov 2009
Published: US 2011/0125648 A126 May 2011
Granted: 12 Aug 2014
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

G06Q 30/0185
Certifying business or products: product, service or business identity fraud
G06F 21/55
Monitoring users, programs or devices to maintain the integrity of platforms, e.g. of processors, firmware or operating systems: detecting local…
G06F 21/57
Monitoring users, programs or devices to maintain the integrity of platforms, e.g. of processors, firmware or operating systems: certifying or…
G06F 21/64
Protecting data: protecting data integrity, e.g. using checksums, certificates or signatures