Patents Assigned to KNOWBE4, INC.
  • Patent number: 10812493
    Abstract: This disclosure describes embodiments of an improvement to the static group solution because all the administrator needs to do is specify the criteria they care about. Unlike static groups, where the administrator needs to keep track of the status of individual users and move them between static groups as their status changes, smart groups allows for automatic identification of the relevant users at the moment that action needs to be taken. This feature automates user management for the purposes of enrollment in either phishing and training campaigns. Because the smart group membership is determined as the group is about to be used for something, the smart group membership is always accurate and never outdated. The query that determines the smart group membership gets run at the time when you are about to do a campaign or perform some other action that needs to know the membership of the smart group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2020
    Assignee: KnowBe4, Inc.
    Inventors: Greg Kras, Alin Irimie
  • Patent number: 10812529
    Abstract: Systems and methods are described by which a serving module of a campaign controller identifies a first version of a model which the campaign controller uses to communicate a first simulated phishing communication to a plurality of users. The campaign controller receives a first response from a first user to the simulated phishing communication and a second response from a second user to the simulated phishing communication and determines that the first and second responses are corresponding, for example are the same or similar. The serving module assigns a first user to a first group of users and a second user to a second group of users and identifies a second version of the model to use for the first user and a third version of the model to use for the second user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2020
    Assignee: KnowBe4, Inc.
    Inventor: Eric Sites
  • Patent number: 10812527
    Abstract: Methods and systems are described in which a system provides a user interface to confirm whether to review or take an action associated with an untrusted email. A driver on a device monitors the startup of any processes. Responsive to monitoring, the driver detects an application process that was created that indicates than an application was launched, and notifies a user console about the creation of the application process. The user console determines if the application process is of significance, if so, it injects a monitor library into the process. Once injected into the process, the monitor library detects if the application process receives an action of a user to access a domain that is not identified as trusted. The monitor library notifies the user console of the user's URL-access request.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2020
    Assignee: KnowBe4, Inc.
    Inventors: Alin Irimie, Stu Sjouwerman, Greg Kras, Eric Sites
  • Patent number: 10764317
    Abstract: The present disclosure describes systems and methods for using a template for a simulated phishing campaign, A database includes a plurality of templates for simulated phishing campaigns, each template of the plurality of templates identifying a list of a plurality of types of simulated phishing communications and at least a portion of content for the simulated phishing communications. A campaign controller selects a template from the plurality of templates for a simulated phishing campaign directed to a user of a plurality of users; and communicates, to one or more devices of the user a first type of simulated phishing communication of the plurality of types of simulated phishing communications with at least the portion of content identified by the template.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2020
    Assignee: KnowBe4, Inc.
    Inventors: Alin Irimie, Stu Sjouwerman, Greg Kras, Eric Sites
  • Patent number: 10715551
    Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosure describe systems and methods for selecting a first group of users, which is selected to receive simulated phishing emails as part of a simulated phishing campaign, and adding users to a second group of users based upon those selected users interacting with a simulated phishing email that is part of a simulated phishing campaign; tracking the completion of remediation training related to phishing emails by users in the second group of users and receiving one or more indications that the users in the second group of users have completed remedial training; and automatically adding users, who are members of the second user group, to the first user group, to a third user group, or to a predetermined user group responsive to the one or more indications that the users in the second group of users have completed remedial training.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2020
    Assignee: KnowBe4, Inc.
    Inventors: Greg Kras, Alin Irimie
  • Patent number: 10715549
    Abstract: The present disclosure describes systems and methods for using a model for a predetermined role for simulated phishing campaigns. A campaign controller communicates simulated phishing communications to one or more devices of a user using a model that the campaign controller selects from a plurality of models in a database that have been established for predetermined roles of a company. The model is selected based on one or more attributes of the user that are identified by the campaign controller. The campaign controller identifies one or more attributes of each user of a plurality of users for the simulated phishing campaign, and the campaign controller selects a respective model for each user based on the attributes of each user, wherein the models are not all the same for all of the users.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2020
    Assignee: KnowBe4, INC.
    Inventors: Alin Irimie, Stu Sjouwerman, Greg Kras, Eric Sites
  • Patent number: 10701106
    Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosure describe a simulated phishing campaign manager that communicates a simulated phishing communication that includes at least the telephone number and reference identifier, to a device of a user. The content of the simulated phishing communication may prompt the user to call the telephone number identified in the simulated phishing communication. The security awareness system may select a telephone number and a reference identifier to use for the simulated phishing communication, the combination of which may be later used to identify a specific user if they respond to the message. Each of a plurality of users may have a unique combination of telephone number and reference identifier. The telephone number may be selected based on the geographic location of the user, or the telephone number may be selected to correspond to content in a simulated phishing communication.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2020
    Assignee: KnowBe4, Inc.
    Inventors: Greg Kras, Alin Irimie
  • Patent number: 10679164
    Abstract: The present disclosure describes systems and method for performing a vulnerabilities assessment of an organization. A campaign controller executes one or more simulated phishing campaigns directed to a plurality of users of an organization, using a plurality of models determined by the campaign controller based at least on identification of the organization. The campaign controller stores to a database the results of execution of the one or more simulated phishing campaigns and based on the results, the campaign controller determines one or more vulnerabilities to phishing for the organization. In one embodiment, the campaign controller determines a percentage of the plurality of users of the organization that are phish-prone. In some embodiments, the users of the organization that are phish-prone interacted with a link of a simulated phishing communication.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2020
    Assignee: KnowBe4, Inc.
    Inventors: Alin Irimie, Stu Sjouwerman, Greg Kras, Eric Sites
  • Patent number: 10681077
    Abstract: Systems and methods are described for using a template for simulated phishing campaigns based on predetermined date from a date associated with a user. The predetermined date may by an event, an anniversary or a milestone associated with employment of the user with a company. The campaign controller may identify a date associated with the user and based on the identification of the date associated with the user, the campaign controller may select one or more templates for one or more simulated phishing campaigns to be triggered by a predetermined date related to the date associated with the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2020
    Assignee: KnowBe4, Inc.
    Inventor: Greg Kras
  • Patent number: 10673876
    Abstract: Embodiments disclosed herein describe a server, for example a security awareness server or an artificial intelligence machine learning system that establishes a risk score or vulnerable for a user of a security awareness system, or for a group of users of a security awareness system. The server may create a frequency score for a user, which predicts the frequency at which the user is to be hit with a malicious attack. The frequency score may be based on at least a job score, which may be represented by a value that is based on the type of job the user has, and a breach score that may be represented by a value that is based on the user's level of exposure to email.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2020
    Assignee: KnowBe4, Inc.
    Inventors: Eric Sites, Greg Kras, Alin Irimie, Stu Sjouwerman, Marcio Castilho, Siegfried Martens, Eric Bonabeau, Kristian Kime
  • Patent number: 10673894
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed that minimize ongoing risk to an organization from user behaviors which magnify the severity of a spoofed domain. Systems and method are provided which enable an entity and users of an entity to identify potential harmful domains, combining search, discovery, reporting, the generation of risk indicators, end-user risk assessments, and training into a security awareness system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2020
    Assignee: KnowBe4, Inc.
    Inventors: Stu Sjouwerman, Alin Irimie, Greg Kras
  • Patent number: 10673895
    Abstract: The present disclosure describes systems and methods for dynamically creating groups of users based on attributes for simulated phishing campaign. A campaign controller determines one or more attributes of a plurality of users during execution of a simulated phishing campaign and creates one or more groups of users during based on the identified attributes. The campaign controller selects a template to be used to execute a portion of the simulated phishing campaign for a first group of users and then communicates one or more simulated phishing communications to the first group of users according to the template. The template may identify a list of a plurality of types of simulated phishing communications (email, text or SMS message, phone call or Internet based communication) and at least a portion of the content for the simulated phishing communication.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2020
    Assignee: KnowBe4, Inc.
    Inventors: Alin Irimie, Stu Sjouwerman, Greg Kras, Eric Sites
  • Patent number: 10657248
    Abstract: The present disclosure describes a system for saving metadata on files and using attribute data files inside a computing system to enhance the ability to provide user interfaces based on actions associated with non-executable attachments like text and document files from untrusted emails, to block execution of potentially harmful executable object downloads and files based on geographic location, and to a create a prompt for users to decide whether to continue execution of potentially harmful executable object downloads and files. The system also records user behavior on reactions to suspicious applications and documents by transmitting a set of attribute data in an attribute data file corresponding to suspicious applications or documents to a server. The system interrupts execution of actions related to untrusted phishing emails in order to give users a choice on whether to proceed with actions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2020
    Assignee: KnowBe4, Inc.
    Inventors: Bret Lowry, Gauvin Repuspolo
  • Patent number: 10659487
    Abstract: The present disclosure describes a system that notifies users regarding specific user decisions with respect to solution phishing emails. The system notifies users when users perform specific actions with respect to the untrusted phishing emails. The system pauses execution of these actions and prompts the user to confirm whether to take the actions or to revert back to review the actions. In contrast from anti-ransomware technologies which are entirely in control, the system gives the user autonomy in deciding actions relating to untrusted phishing emails. The system interrupts execution of actions related to untrusted phishing emails in order to give users a choice on whether to proceed with actions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2020
    Assignee: KnowBe4, Inc.
    Inventors: Bret Lowry, Gauvin Repuspolo, Greg Kras
  • Patent number: 10616275
    Abstract: The present disclosure describes systems and methods for using for a simulated phishing campaign, information about one or more situations of a user determined from an electronic calendar of the user, A campaign controller may identify an electronic calendar of a user for which to direct a simulated phishing campaign, determine one or more situations of the user from information stored in the electronic calendar and select either a template from a plurality of templates or a starting action from a plurality of starting actions for the simulated phishing campaign based at least on the one or more situations of the user. The campaign controller may communicate to one or more devices of the user a simulated phishing communication based at least on the respective template or starting action.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2020
    Assignee: KnowBe4, Inc.
    Inventor: Greg Kras
  • Patent number: 10581910
    Abstract: Systems and methods are described by which a serving module of a campaign controller identifies a first version of a model which the campaign controller uses to communicate a first simulated phishing communication to a plurality of users. The campaign controller receives a first response from a first user to the simulated phishing communication and a second response from a second user to the simulated phishing communication and determines that the first and second responses are corresponding, for example are the same or similar. The serving module assigns a first user to a first group of users and a second user to a second group of users and identifies a second version of the model to use for the first user and a third version of the model to use for the second user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2020
    Assignee: KnowBe4, Inc.
    Inventor: Eric Sites
  • Patent number: 10581911
    Abstract: Embodiments of the disclosure describe systems and methods for selecting a first group of users, which is selected to receive simulated phishing emails as part of a simulated phishing campaign, and adding users to a second group of users based upon those selected users interacting with a simulated phishing email that is part of a simulated phishing campaign; tracking the completion of remediation training related to phishing emails by users in the second group of users and receiving one or more indications that the users in the second group of users have completed remedial training; and automatically adding users, who are members of the second user group, to the first user group, to a third user group, or to a predetermined user group responsive to the one or more indications that the users in the second group of users have completed remedial training.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2020
    Assignee: KnowBe4, Inc.
    Inventors: Greg Kras, Alin Irimie
  • Patent number: 10581868
    Abstract: This disclosure describes embodiments of an improvement to the static group solution because all the administrator needs to do is specify the criteria they care about. Unlike static groups, where the administrator needs to keep track of the status of individual users and move them between static groups as their status changes, smart groups allows for automatic identification of the relevant users at the moment that action needs to be taken. This feature automates user management for the purposes of enrollment in either phishing and training campaigns. Because the smart group membership is determined as the group is about to be used for something, the smart group membership is always accurate and never outdated. The query that determines the smart group membership gets run at the time when you are about to do a campaign or perform some other action that needs to know the membership of the smart group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2020
    Assignee: KnowBe4, Inc.
    Inventors: Greg Kras, Alin Irimie
  • Patent number: 10581912
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for performing simulated phishing attacks using social engineering indicators. One or more failure indicators can be configured in a phishing email template, and each failure indicator can be assigned a description about that failure indicator through use of a markup tag. The phishing email template containing the markup tags corresponding to the failure indicators can be stored and can be used to generate a simulated phishing email in which the one or more markup tags are removed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2020
    Assignee: KnowBe4, Inc.
    Inventors: Alin Irimie, Greg Kras, David Austin, Benjamin Dalton
  • Patent number: 10540493
    Abstract: System and methods are disclosed for organizations to run a test against an active directory list to see if any user-provided passwords have been part of an existing data breach. Utilizing information from such a test identifies users that have weak passwords, reused passwords or shared passwords that have been associated with an earlier breach. With this information, the organization can seek to reduce risk by training staff for this specific issue in a timely and appropriate manner to significantly reduce the risk of a future breach by those identified users. Training can be customized and targeted at those users who attempt to use passwords that have been associated with a breach (either of their own account or of another account on the same or related domain.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2020
    Assignee: KnowBe4, Inc.
    Inventor: Greg Kras