Patents by Inventor Walter N. Scaife
Walter N. Scaife has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 11265717Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments for detecting Signaling System 7 (SS7) redirection attacks by measuring call audio round trip times between phones. Such redirection attacks force calls to travel longer physical distances than usual, thereby causing longer end-to-end delay. Accordingly, various embodiments implement a distance bounding-inspired protocol that allows for securely characterizing the round trip time between two call endpoints. As a result, telephone users can reliably detect SS7 redirection attacks and protect the information contained in their calls.Type: GrantFiled: March 19, 2019Date of Patent: March 1, 2022Assignee: University of Florida Research Foundation, Inc.Inventors: Patrick G. Traynor, Christian Peeters, Bradley G. Reaves, Hadi Abdullah, Kevin Butler, Jasmine Bowers, Walter N. Scaife
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Patent number: 10936928Abstract: Devices and methods for detecting credit card skimmers are provided herein. A device can include a printed circuit board having a pattern of electrical traces on its surface, and a computer readable medium comprising instructions that cause a processor to direct an electrical voltage to a trace and detect an electrical current between two points of the trace. A gap can be disposed between the two points across which a voltage is applied in order to detect a magnetic reader. A count of the detected magnetic readers within a credit card reading device may be indicative of the presence of a credit card skimmer.Type: GrantFiled: October 21, 2019Date of Patent: March 2, 2021Assignee: UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA RESEARCH FOUNDATION, INCORPORATEDInventors: Walter N. Scaife, Patrick G. Traynor, Christian Peeters
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Patent number: 10803261Abstract: Systems and methods for detecting counterfeit magnetic stripes are provided. A method can include detecting magnetic flux transitions encoded on a magnetic stripe and the variation in distances between clocking flux transitions. The distance between variations in clocking flux transitions is greater in counterfeit cards than in legitimate cards. The variations in distances can be compared with known values of legitimate cards to detect the presence of a counterfeit magnetic stripe.Type: GrantFiled: April 24, 2018Date of Patent: October 13, 2020Assignee: University of Florida Research Foundation, IncorporatedInventors: Patrick G. Traynor, David P. Arnold, Walter N. Scaife, Christian Peeters, Camilo Velez Cuervo
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Patent number: 10685114Abstract: Techniques and systems are described for detecting malware's bulk transformation of a user's data before the malware is able to complete the data transformation. Included are methods and systems for enabling malware detection by monitoring the file operations of a computer application or process for particular kinds of suspicious data transformation indicators. Indicators include primary indicators, such as file-type signature changes, notable changes in file data entropy, and out-of-range similarity measurements between the read and write versions of file data, as well as secondary indicators, such as a large number of file deletions and a large reduction in the number of file-types written versus read by a process over time. When indicators are triggered by a process, an adjustment to the process' malware score is made; in the event that the process' malware score reaches a malware detection threshold, the process is marked as malware and appropriate actions are taken.Type: GrantFiled: September 23, 2016Date of Patent: June 16, 2020Assignee: University of Florida Research Foundation, IncorporatedInventors: Walter N. Scaife, Patrick G. Traynor, Henry Carter, Kevin Butler
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Publication number: 20200167625Abstract: Devices and methods for detecting credit card skimmers are provided herein. A device can include a printed circuit board having a pattern of electrical traces on its surface, and a computer readable medium comprising instructions that cause a processor to direct an electrical voltage to a trace and detect an electrical current between two points of the trace. A gap can be disposed between the two points across which a voltage is applied in order to detect a magnetic reader. A count of the detected magnetic readers within a credit card reading device may be indicative of the presence of a credit card skimmer.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 21, 2019Publication date: May 28, 2020Applicant: UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA RESEARCH FOUNDATION, INCORPORATEDInventors: Walter N. SCAIFE, Patrick G. TRAYNOR, Christian PEETERS
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Patent number: 10496914Abstract: Devices and methods for detecting credit card skimmers are provided herein. A device can include a printed circuit board having a pattern of electrical traces on its surface, and a computer readable medium comprising instructions that cause a processor to direct an electrical voltage to a trace and detect an electrical current between two points of the trace. A gap can be disposed between the two points across which a voltage is applied in order to detect a magnetic reader. A count of the detected magnetic readers within a credit card reading device may be indicative of the presence of a credit card skimmer.Type: GrantFiled: October 29, 2018Date of Patent: December 3, 2019Assignee: University of Florida Research Foundation, IncorporatedInventors: Walter N. Scaife, Patrick G. Traynor, Christian Peeters
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Publication number: 20190297503Abstract: Disclosed are various embodiments for detecting Signaling System 7 (SS7) redirection attacks by measuring call audio round trip times between phones. Such redirection attacks force calls to travel longer physical distances than usual, thereby causing longer end-to-end delay. Accordingly, various embodiments implement a distance bounding-inspired protocol that allows for securely characterizing the round trip time between two call endpoints. As a result, telephone users can reliably detect SS7 redirection attacks and protect the information contained in their calls.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 19, 2019Publication date: September 26, 2019Inventors: Patrick G. Traynor, Christian Peeters, Bradley G. Reaves, Hadi Abdullah, Kevin Butler, Jasmine Bowers, Walter N. Scaife
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Publication number: 20190281062Abstract: Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to performing an operation in a computing environment that is prohibited by a security application governing the computing environment. Exemplary embodiments can generate a security bypass environment in a computing environment governed by the security application to provide a bypass to the security application. In exemplary embodiments, a request to perform the operation can be received via the security bypass environment and the operation can be performed through the security bypass environment in response to satisfaction of access control criteria specified for the security bypass environment so that the performance of the operation bypasses the security application.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 29, 2019Publication date: September 12, 2019Inventor: Walter N. Scaife
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Publication number: 20190228153Abstract: Techniques and systems are described for detecting malware's bulk transformation of a user's data before the malware is able to complete the data transformation. Included are methods and systems for enabling malware detection by monitoring the file operations of a computer application or process for particular kinds of suspicious data transformation indicators. Indicators include primary indicators, such as file-type signature changes, notable changes in file data entropy, and out-of-range similarity measurements between the read and write versions of file data, as well as secondary indicators, such as a large number of file deletions and a large reduction in the number of file-types written versus read by a process over time. When indicators are triggered by a process, an adjustment to the process' malware score is made; in the event that the process' malware score reaches a malware detection threshold, the process is marked as malware and appropriate actions are taken.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 23, 2016Publication date: July 25, 2019Inventors: Walter N. Scaife, Patrick G. Traynor, Henry Carter, Kevin Butler
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Patent number: 10348734Abstract: Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to performing an operation in a computing environment that is prohibited by a security application governing the computing environment. Exemplary embodiments can generate a security bypass environment in a computing environment governed by the security application to provide a bypass to the security application. In exemplary embodiments, a request to perform the operation can be received via the security bypass environment and the operation can be performed through the security bypass environment in response to satisfaction of access control criteria specified for the security bypass environment so that the performance of the operation bypasses the security application.Type: GrantFiled: December 22, 2017Date of Patent: July 9, 2019Assignee: Walmart Apollo, LLCInventor: Walter N. Scaife
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Publication number: 20190130240Abstract: Devices and methods for detecting credit card skimmers are provided herein. A device can include a printed circuit board having a pattern of electrical traces on its surface, and a computer readable medium comprising instructions that cause a processor to direct an electrical voltage to a trace and detect an electrical current between two points of the trace. A gap can be disposed between the two points across which a voltage is applied in order to detect a magnetic reader. A count of the detected magnetic readers within a credit card reading device may be indicative of the presence of a credit card skimmer.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 29, 2018Publication date: May 2, 2019Inventors: Walter N. SCAIFE, Patrick G. TRAYNOR, Christian PEETERS
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Publication number: 20180314862Abstract: Systems and methods for detecting counterfeit magnetic stripes are provided. A method can include detecting magnetic flux transitions encoded on a magnetic stripe and the variation in distances between clocking flux transitions. The distance between variations in clocking flux transitions is greater in counterfeit cards than in legitimate cards. The variations in distances can be compared with known values of legitimate cards to detect the presence of a counterfeit magnetic stripe.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 24, 2018Publication date: November 1, 2018Inventors: Patrick G. Traynor, David P. Arnold, Walter N. Scaife, Christian Peeters, Camilo Velez Cuervo
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Publication number: 20180124058Abstract: Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to performing an operation in a computing environment that is prohibited by a security application governing the computing environment. Exemplary embodiments can generate a security bypass environment in a computing environment governed by the security application to provide a bypass to the security application. In exemplary embodiments, a request to perform the operation can be received via the security bypass environment and the operation can be performed through the security bypass environment in response to satisfaction of access control criteria specified for the security bypass environment so that the performance of the operation bypasses the security application.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 22, 2017Publication date: May 3, 2018Inventor: Walter N. Scaife
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Patent number: 9888009Abstract: Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to performing an operation in a computing environment that is prohibited by a security application governing the computing environment. Exemplary embodiments can generate a security bypass environment in a computing environment governed by the security application to provide a bypass to the security application. In exemplary embodiments, a request to perform the operation can be received via the security bypass environment and the operation can be performed through the security bypass environment in response to satisfaction of access control criteria specified for the security bypass environment so that the performance of the operation bypasses the security application.Type: GrantFiled: February 10, 2017Date of Patent: February 6, 2018Assignee: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.Inventor: Walter N. Scaife
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Publication number: 20170155657Abstract: Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to performing an operation in a computing environment that is prohibited by a security application governing the computing environment. Exemplary embodiments can generate a security bypass environment in a computing environment governed by the security application to provide a bypass to the security application. In exemplary embodiments, a request to perform the operation can be received via the security bypass environment and the operation can be performed through the security bypass environment in response to satisfaction of access control criteria specified for the security bypass environment so that the performance of the operation bypasses the security application.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 10, 2017Publication date: June 1, 2017Inventor: Walter N. Scaife
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Patent number: 9600660Abstract: Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to performing an operation in a computing environment that is prohibited by a security application governing the computing environment. Exemplary embodiments can generate a security bypass environment in a computing environment governed by the security application to provide a bypass to the security application. In exemplary embodiments, a request to perform the operation can be received via the security bypass environment and the operation can be performed through the security bypass environment in response to satisfaction of access control criteria specified for the security bypass environment so that the performance of the operation bypasses the security application.Type: GrantFiled: December 15, 2014Date of Patent: March 21, 2017Assignee: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.Inventor: Walter N. Scaife
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Publication number: 20150169867Abstract: Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to performing an operation in a computing environment that is prohibited by a security application governing the computing environment. Exemplary embodiments can generate a security bypass environment in a computing environment governed by the security application to provide a bypass to the security application. In exemplary embodiments, a request to perform the operation can be received via the security bypass environment and the operation can be performed through the security bypass environment in response to satisfaction of access control criteria specified for the security bypass environment so that the performance of the operation bypasses the security application.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 15, 2014Publication date: June 18, 2015Inventor: Walter N. Scaife
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Patent number: 8914857Abstract: Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to performing an operation in a computing environment that is prohibited by a security application governing the computing environment. Exemplary embodiments can generate a security bypass environment in a computing environment governed by the security application to provide a bypass to the security application. In exemplary embodiments, a request to perform the operation can be received via the security bypass environment and the operation can be performed through the security bypass environment in response to satisfaction of access control criteria specified for the security bypass environment so that the performance of the operation bypasses the security application.Type: GrantFiled: November 21, 2012Date of Patent: December 16, 2014Assignee: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.Inventor: Walter N. Scaife
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Publication number: 20140143843Abstract: Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to performing an operation in a computing environment that is prohibited by a security application governing the computing environment. Exemplary embodiments can generate a security bypass environment in a computing environment governed by the security application to provide a bypass to the security application. In exemplary embodiments, a request to perform the operation can be received via the security bypass environment and the operation can be performed through the security bypass environment in response to satisfaction of access control criteria specified for the security bypass environment so that the performance of the operation bypasses the security application.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 21, 2012Publication date: May 22, 2014Applicant: WAL-MART STORES, INC.Inventor: Walter N. Scaife