Patents by Inventor Greg Kras

Greg Kras 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).

  • Publication number: 20210409418
    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is determined as the group is about to be used for something, the smart group membership is always accurate and never outdated.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: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2021
    Publication date: December 30, 2021
    Inventors: Greg Kras, Alin Irimie
  • Patent number: 11212311
    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 1, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: KnowBe4, Inc.
    Inventor: Greg Kras
  • Patent number: 11206288
    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: January 11, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2021
    Assignee: KnowBe4, Inc.
    Inventors: Alin Irimie, Stu Sjouwerman, Greg Kras, Eric Sites
  • Publication number: 20210377305
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for simulating a phishing attack involving an email thread. An email thread of a plurality of email threads of an entity for use in a simulated phishing attack is identified. A simulation system generates a converted reply simulated phishing email to an email of the email thread. The converted reply simulated phishing email is generated to be from a user that is one of a recipient or a sender of one or more emails of the email thread and is communicated to a target user's email account, the converted reply simulated phishing email.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 11, 2021
    Publication date: December 2, 2021
    Inventor: Greg Kras
  • Publication number: 20210365866
    Abstract: Systems and methods are described for facilitating use of employee message exchanges for a simulated phishing campaign. Initially, a message store of one or more users is accessed to retrieve one or more messages from the message store. Further, one or more message characteristics of the one or more messages are identified. The one or more message characteristics are processed to determine contextual information. Based on the contextual information, a simulated phishing communication is generated such that the generated simulated phishing communication is relevant to a user of the one or more users. The simulated phishing communication is then communicated to the user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 19, 2021
    Publication date: November 25, 2021
    Inventors: Greg Kras, Coda Babani, Hector Centeno, Christine Kipke, Rob Henley
  • Publication number: 20210360019
    Abstract: A system and method is described that sends multiple simulated phishing emails, text messages, and/or phone calls (e.g., via VoIP) varying the quantity, frequency, type, sophistication, and combination using machine learning algorithms or other forms of artificial intelligence. In some implementations, some or all messages (email, text messages, VoIP calls) in a campaign after the first simulated phishing email, text message, or call may be used to direct the user to open the first simulated phishing email or text message, or to open the latest simulated phishing email or text message. In some implementations, simulated phishing emails, text messages, or phone calls of a campaign may be intended to lure the user to perform a different requested action, such as selecting a hyperlink in an email or text message, or returning a voice call.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 26, 2021
    Publication date: November 18, 2021
    Inventors: Alin Irimie, Stu Sjouwerman, Greg Kras, Eric Sites
  • Publication number: 20210352102
    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: Application
    Filed: July 19, 2021
    Publication date: November 11, 2021
    Inventors: Alin Irimie, Greg Kras, David Austin, Benjamin Dalton
  • Publication number: 20210344713
    Abstract: Systems and methods are described for leveraging the knowledge and security awareness of well-informed users in an organization to protect other users and train them to identify new phishing attacks. Initially, a report of a message being suspicious may be identified and it may be determined whether message is a malicious phishing message. In an example, a well-informed user of an organization may report the message as suspicious. Further, on determining the message to be a malicious phishing message, a simulated phishing message or a template may be created. The simulated phishing message may then be communicated to one or more devices of one or more users.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 16, 2021
    Publication date: November 4, 2021
    Applicant: KnowBe4, Inc.
    Inventors: Greg Kras, Alin Irimie
  • Publication number: 20210344710
    Abstract: Systems and methods are described for classifying email communications as a newsletter type of emails to use in a simulated phishing communication. Initially, one or more emails may be identified to classify as a newsletter type of email. The one or more emails may then be classified as the newsletter type of email based on one or more classification characteristics. An email may be selected from the one or more emails classified as the newsletter type of email. Further, the selected email may be modified to provide a simulated phishing email newsletter. The simulated phishing email newsletter may be communicated to one or more devices of one or more users.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2021
    Publication date: November 4, 2021
    Inventors: Greg Kras, Coda Babani, Hector Centeno, Christine Kipke, Rob Henley
  • Patent number: 11140199
    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: October 27, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2021
    Assignee: KnowBe4, Inc.
    Inventors: Alin Irimie, Stu Sjouwerman, Greg Kras, Eric Sites
  • Publication number: 20210303673
    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: Application
    Filed: June 14, 2021
    Publication date: September 30, 2021
    Inventor: Greg Kras
  • Patent number: 11122051
    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: October 19, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2021
    Assignee: KnowBe4, Inc.
    Inventors: Greg Kras, Alin Irimie
  • Patent number: 11108822
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for simulating a phishing attack involving an email thread. An email thread of a plurality of email threads of an entity for use in a simulated phishing attack is identified. A simulation system generates a converted reply simulated phishing email to an email of the email thread. The converted reply simulated phishing email is generated to be from a user that is one of a recipient or a sender of one or more emails of the email thread and is communicated to a target user's email account, the converted reply simulated phishing email.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignee: KnowBe4, Inc.
    Inventor: Greg Kras
  • Patent number: 11108792
    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: December 14, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignee: KnowBe4, Inc.
    Inventors: Eric Sites, Greg Kras, Alin Irimie, Stu Sjouwerman, Marcio Castilho, Siegfried Martens, Eric Bonabeau, Kristian Kime
  • Publication number: 20210248229
    Abstract: Systems and methods are described for providing customized message content to be displayed to a user of an email client, responsive to the user selecting, via a plug-in or agent of the email client, to report an email as a potential phishing email. In examples, the user may be an employee of an organization and the systems and methods may facilitate a determination by the plug-in or agent of the email client that the reported email is one that does not pose a security risk, such as a simulated phishing email sent by the organization itself, or an email sent from a trusted partner of the organization. The systems and methods may facilitate a customization of the message content that is displayed to the user. In examples, the customized message content may be included or specified within one or more SMTP extension headers of an SMTP email.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 5, 2021
    Publication date: August 12, 2021
    Inventors: Greg Kras, Adam Alessandrini
  • Publication number: 20210250317
    Abstract: Systems and methods are described for communication of a third-party application server with a third-party email client plug-in. The systems and the methods enable the third-party application server to provide a plug-in header contained in a message. The plug-in header may include an X-header. The X-header may be injected into the message. The plug-in installed within an email client receives the message. The plug-in is configured to process the plug-in header to identify one or more instructions to perform an action of one or more actions. The one or more instructions may relate to a property of a user and/or a property of the email client of the user. Responsive to the one or more instructions, the plug-in performs the action.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 5, 2021
    Publication date: August 12, 2021
    Inventor: Greg Kras
  • Patent number: 11075943
    Abstract: A system and method is described that sends multiple simulated phishing emails, text messages, and/or phone calls (e.g., via VoIP) varying the quantity, frequency, type, sophistication, and combination using machine learning algorithms or other forms of artificial intelligence. In some implementations, some or all messages (email, text messages, VoIP calls) in a campaign after the first simulated phishing email, text message, or call may be used to direct the user to open the first simulated phishing email or text message, or to open the latest simulated phishing email or text message. In some implementations, simulated phishing emails, text messages, or phone calls of a campaign may be intended to lure the user to perform a different requested action, such as selecting a hyperlink in an email or text message, or returning a voice call.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2021
    Assignee: KnowBe4, Inc.
    Inventors: Alin Irimie, Stu Sjouwerman, Greg Kras, Eric Sites
  • Publication number: 20210226985
    Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed that are useful for minimizing organization risk in the case of a cybersecurity attack, through computer-based simulation of cybersecurity attacks, incident response tracking and incident response training provided responsive to the simulation outcome.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 8, 2021
    Publication date: July 22, 2021
    Inventors: Greg Kras, Alin Irimie
  • Patent number: 11070587
    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: January 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2021
    Assignee: KnowBe4, Inc.
    Inventors: Alin Irimie, Greg Kras, David Austin, Benjamin Dalton
  • Patent number: 11036848
    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: January 17, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2021
    Assignee: KnowBe4, Inc.
    Inventor: Greg Kras