Contextual scoring of authenticators

An authentication system for estimating an identity confidence level for a user requesting access to a secure resource based on contextual information, comprising:

• a program store storing a code;
• and
• at least one processor of an authentication system coupled to the program store for executing the stored code, the code comprising:
• code instructions to initiate an authentication session in response to an authentication request for authenticating the user using a client device to access the secure resource;
• code instructions to compute a cumulative identity confidence score iteratively accumulated in at least one iteration, wherein each the at least one iteration comprising:
• identifying automatically at least one of a plurality of contextual authentication attributes for the authentication session,
• initiating a respective one of a plurality of authentication methods selected according to the at least one of the plurality of contextual authentication attributes,
• computing a respective identity confidence score for the user in case of successful authentication using the respective one of the plurality of authentication methods, wherein said respective identity confidence score is determined based on the respective one of the plurality of authentication methods initiated in a current iteration,
• adjusting the respective identity confidence score according to the at least one of the plurality of contextual authentication attributes,
• updating the cumulative identity confidence score by accumulating the respective adjusted identity confidence score to said cumulative identity confidence score calculated in a previous iteration, and
• initiating a next iteration of the at least one iteration, in case the cumulative identity confidence score does not exceed a threshold predefined for the secure resource;
• and
• code instructions to output a successful authentication indication in case the cumulative identity confidence score exceeds the predefined threshold.

A computer program product for estimating an identity confidence level for a user requesting access to a secure resource based on contextual information, comprising:

• a non-transitory computer readable storage medium;
• first program instructions for initiating an authentication session in response to an authentication request for authenticating the user using a client device to access the secure resource;
• second program instructions for computing a cumulative identity confidence score iteratively accumulated in at least one iteration, wherein each of the at least one iteration comprising:
• identifying automatically at least one of a plurality of contextual authentication attributes for the authentication session,
• initiating a respective one of a plurality of authentication methods selected according to the at least one of the plurality of contextual authentication attributes,
• computing a respective identity confidence score for the user in case of successful authentication using the respective one of the plurality of authentication methods, wherein said respective identity confidence score is determined based on the respective one of the plurality of authentication methods initiated in a current iteration,
• adjusting the respective identity confidence score according to the at least one of the plurality of contextual authentication attributes,
• updating the cumulative identity confidence score by accumulating the respective adjusted identity confidence score to said cumulative identity confidence score calculated in a previous iteration, and
• initiating a next iteration of the at least one iteration, in case the cumulative identity confidence score does not exceed a threshold predefined for the secure resource;
• and
• third program instructions for outputting a successful authentication indication in case the cumulative identity confidence score exceeds the predefined threshold;
• wherein the first, second and third program instructions are executed by at least one processor of an authentication system from the non-transitory computer readable storage medium.