Microsoft patents security tool that understands natural language queries
Microsoft has filed a patent for a system that interprets security questions using natural language to guess what a user is trying to find. The tool uses context and past interactions to pick the right data sources and processing methods, creating a specific plan to answer the question.
In the filing’s own words
Methods, systems, and computer storage media for providing cognitive query interpretation using a cognitive query interpreter engine of a security management system are described. Cognitive query interpretation refers to the ability of the cognitive query interpretation engine to understand and process queries in a way that mimics human cognitive reasoning. This involves interpreting natural language inputs, identifying the user's intent, and dynamically selecting and querying appropriate data sources—such as logs, APIs, and threat intelligence databases—across different systems and technologies. The cognitive query interpretation engine interprets the query contextually, taking into account factors like user preferences, historical interactions, and the specific security scenario, to provide actionable responses. It leverages contextual analysis and neuro-symbolic reasoning to ensure actionable insights from complex datasets, transforming how users interact with and extract data. This not only enhances the user experience but ensures that users can continue their investigation or analysis with minimal friction.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. A computerized system comprising: one or more computer processors; and computer memory storing computer-useable instructions that, when used by the one or more computer processors, cause the one or more computer processors to perform operations, the operations comprising: accessing a security query from a client associated with a user; using contextual data associated with the user, determining a user intent of the security query, wherein the user intent identifies an investigation request associated with the security query, the user intent is associated with a user intent identifier; communicating the user intent identifier to the client; accessing, via an interface of the client, a user intent refinement input associated with refining the user intent of the user intent identifier; based on the user intent refinement input, generating an updated user intent; based on the updated user intent, identifying a data source from a plurality of data sources, wherein the data source is a preferred data source comprising contextualized information associated with the updated user intent; based on the updated user intent and the preferred data source, identifying a preferred security query processor from a plurality of security query processors, wherein the preferred security query processor uses natural language processing capabilities to process user intents and security queries to generate security query outputs; based on the updated user intent, the preferred data source, and the preferred security query processor, generating an execution plan, wherein the execution plan is a dynamically generated tailored set of instructions for executing the security query; using the preferred security query processor, generating a security query output based on the security query, the updated user intent and data from the preferred data source; and communicating the security query output to the client.
Facts
- Company
- Microsoft (Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC)
- Official title
- COGNITIVE QUERY INTERPRETER ENGINE IN A SECURITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
- Publication number
- US20260278149A1
- Application number
- 19081684
- Filed
- Mar 17, 2025
- Published
- Sep 17, 2026
- Inventors
- 7
- Claims
- 20
Classified under
G06F 21/6227 Physics & computingG06F 21/552 Physics & computingG06F 40/30 Physics & computingMore from Microsoft in Security & privacy
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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.