Flashpoint Secured Ransomware Risk Patent
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued a patent for a methodology that identifies vulnerabilities linked to ransomware.
Updated on Oct. 1, 2026 in Cybersecurity

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On August 11, 2026, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted U.S. Patent No. 12,705,360 to Flashpoint for its proprietary ransomware risk scoring system. The model evaluates software vulnerabilities based on their proximity to flaws previously seen in real-world attacks.
Why it matters
This patent protects a scoring model designed to help security teams prioritize patching for vulnerabilities that exhibit traits common to ransomware. As ransomware attacks grew by 45% in the first half of 2026, this system offers a structured way to manage emerging threats.
The system utilizes 60 distinct technical factors to profile vulnerabilities, mapping them into clusters based on shared attributes. It tracks over 105,000 vulnerabilities that are not found in standard CVE or NVD databases.
The players
Flashpoint
Flashpoint is a threat intelligence company that specializes in identifying and monitoring malicious cyber activity.
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is the federal agency responsible for granting patents and registering trademarks.
The details
The patented methodology calculates a vulnerability's spatial proximity to known ransomware vectors to assign a risk rating. This allows organizations to focus their security resources on flaws that mirror the patterns of active extortion campaigns.
Timeline
Flashpoint launched the Ransomware Risk scoring model in 2022.
Ransomware attacks rose by 45% during the first half of 2026.
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted the patent on August 11, 2026.
The Tech Race
The company's proprietary tracking system extends the reach of existing security frameworks like the National Vulnerability Database by identifying flaws not captured by standard public indexes. This highlights a shift toward private intelligence firms filling coverage gaps left by traditional, publicly maintained security databases.
For security professionals and IT administrators, this technology helps streamline the often overwhelming process of managing software patches. By using this risk-based scoring, users can focus limited time on addressing the most dangerous threats rather than all vulnerabilities equally.
The takeaway
Effective cybersecurity requires moving beyond simple lists of software bugs to understanding which flaws are actively being weaponized. Prioritizing remediation based on threat intelligence patterns can significantly reduce the risk of a successful ransomware breach.
Further reading
For more information on emerging defensive tools, visit the Cybersecurity section.
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