Plaid has been granted a patent for a system and method that involves receiving a client data packet from network traffic, extracting packet components, generating a client fingerprint, assigning a client type to the network traffic based on the fingerprint, and potentially filtering the network traffic. The method also includes generating a multiple tiered client fingerprint by encoding a collection of packet components and assigning a client type based on this fingerprint. GlobalData’s report on Plaid gives a 360-degree view of the company including its patenting strategy. Buy the report here.
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According to GlobalData’s company profile on Plaid, EMV tokenization was a key innovation area identified from patents. Plaid's grant share as of September 2023 was 54%. Grant share is based on the ratio of number of grants to total number of patents.
Patent granted for client device identification and traffic filtering
A recently granted patent (Publication Number: US11750606B2) describes a method for analyzing network traffic and assigning a client type based on a multiple tiered client fingerprint. The method involves receiving a client data packet from network traffic and extracting a set of packet components from it. The overall client fingerprint is generated by individually encoding the packet components and then encoding the encoded collection of packet components. The client type is assigned to the network traffic using this multiple tiered client fingerprint.
The method specifically focuses on analyzing client hello messages received during negotiation in a cryptographic protocol, particularly the transport layer security (TLS) protocol. The network traffic of the client device can be filtered based on the assigned client type. This filtering process involves selecting the client type from a database that maps the multiple tiered client fingerprint to a classification of client types.
To generate the multiple tiered client fingerprint, a hash operation is applied to each packet component individually, and then a second hash operation is applied to the hashed collection of packet components. The set of packet components is extracted from the client hello message, including identifying data from the client cipher suite list, list of compression methods, client point formats, list of supported application protocols, and list of client-supported extensions. These identifying data are individually encoded and included in a set of sub-fingerprints that contribute to the overall client fingerprint.
The patent also covers a non-transitory computer-readable medium that stores instructions for performing the method described above. When executed by one or more computer processors of a communication platform, these instructions cause the platform to receive a client data packet, extract packet components, generate a multiple tiered client fingerprint, and assign a client type to the network traffic.
Additionally, the patent describes a system that includes a network traffic data interface and a data packet analyzer. The data packet analyzer, equipped with one or more processors, receives the client data packet and performs the operations of extracting packet components, generating a multiple tiered client fingerprint, and assigning a client type to the network traffic.
Overall, this patent presents a method, computer-readable medium, and system for analyzing network traffic and assigning client types based on a multiple tiered client fingerprint, particularly focusing on client hello messages in the TLS protocol.
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GlobalData Patent Analytics tracks bibliographic data, legal events data, point in time patent ownerships, and backward and forward citations from global patenting offices. Textual analysis and official patent classifications are used to group patents into key thematic areas and link them to specific companies across the world’s largest industries.
