# How Banks Dynamically Adjust Security Questions Based on Your Behavior

> A system that automatically changes the difficulty and number of security questions you face when opening a bank account based on your device data and risk level.

- **Patent:** US 10169761
- **Original title:** Adjustment of knowledge-based authentication
- **Owner:** Consumerinfo com Inc
- **Granted:** 2019
- **Status:** Active
- **Times cited:** 13
- **Field:** finance, software, ai_ml

## What it does

This patent describes a system that monitors your device information—like your location, IP address, and browser settings—when you try to open a new financial account. An authentication server uses this data to calculate a fraud risk score. If the system suspects something is off, it generates a set of security questions tailored to that risk level. As you answer these questions, the system dynamically adds, removes, or changes the questions in real-time to either lock you out or verify your identity more thoroughly.

## What it does NOT cover

- Does not cover static security questions that remain the same regardless of user behavior.
- Does not cover authentication methods that rely solely on passwords or PINs without dynamic adjustment.
- Does not cover biometric authentication methods like fingerprint or facial recognition.
- Does not cover systems that do not use device identification information to calculate a fraud risk score.

## The clever bit

The system treats the authentication process as a dynamic loop: it doesn't just ask a fixed set of questions; it uses your response to the first question to decide if it needs to ask a harder or easier follow-up question, effectively 'tuning' the security level on the fly.

## Real-world examples

1. Online bank account opening portals
2. Credit monitoring service sign-ups
3. Automated identity verification workflows

## Why it matters

As online banking becomes the norm, preventing identity theft during account creation is a massive challenge for financial institutions. This patent provides a framework for automating the 'trust' process, allowing banks to reduce friction for low-risk users while increasing security hurdles for suspicious ones, effectively automating the role of a fraud analyst.

## Frequently asked questions

### What does How Banks Dynamically Adjust Security Questions Based on Your Behavior cover?

A system that automatically changes the difficulty and number of security questions you face when opening a bank account based on your device data and risk level.

### Who owns patent US 10169761?

Consumerinfo com Inc owns this patent, granted in 2019.

### When does this patent expire?

This patent is expected to expire on January 1, 2039, when the invention enters the public domain.

### What is patent US 10169761 cited by?

This patent has been cited by 13 later patents that build on its ideas.

### What problem does this patent solve?

As online banking becomes the norm, preventing identity theft during account creation is a massive challenge for financial institutions. This patent provides a framework for automating the 'trust' process, allowing banks to reduce friction for low-risk users while increasing security hurdles for suspicious ones, effectively automating the role of a fraud analyst.

### What does this patent NOT cover?

Does not cover static security questions that remain the same regardless of user behavior.

**Full plain-English explainer:** https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/10169761/stripe-atlas

**Original patent:** https://patents.google.com/patent/US10169761

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_Source: PatentBrief — https://patentbrief.org. Patent facts are from public records; the plain-English explanation is PatentBrief's._