User authentication over an audio channel using a mobile device

A computing device for authenticating a user on a client device using a mobile device, comprising:

• at least one processor;
• and
• memory including instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computing device to perform the steps of:
• receiving, at an authentication server, a login request from the client device;
• on the authentication server, generating a token identifying a corresponding session on the client device;
• using an audio watermark algorithm, embedding the token identifying the session as an audio watermark into an audio message and broadcasting the audio message on a speaker of the client device;
• by the mobile device,
• receiving the audio message from the client device over an audio channel using a microphone;
• decoding the audio message to extract the token identifying the session as the audio watermark in the audio message;
• in response to the received audio message containing the token,
• retrieving user login credentials from storage on the mobile device for authenticating the user in the session;
• conveying an authentication request including the user login credentials and the token identifying the session obtained from the audio message to the authentication server;
• at the authentication server,
• receiving from the mobile device the authentication request;
• verifying that the user login credentials are accurate;
• and
• in response to verifying that the user login credentials are accurate, authenticating the user for the session on the client device.

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising one or more sequences of instructions, the instructions when executed by one or more processors causing the one or more processors to execute the operations of:

• receiving, at an authentication server, a login request from the client device;
• on the authentication server, generating a token identifying a corresponding session;
• using an audio watermark algorithm, embedding the token identifying the session as an audio watermark into an audio message and broadcasting the audio message on a speaker of the client device;
• by the mobile device,
• receiving the audio message from the client device over an audio channel using a microphone;
• decoding the audio message to extract the token identifying the session as the audio watermark in the audio message;
• in response to the received audio message containing the token,
• retrieving user login credentials from storage on the mobile device for authenticating the user in the session;
• conveying an authentication request including the user login credentials and the token identifying the session obtained from the audio message to the authentication server;
• at the authentication server,
• receiving from the mobile device the authentication request;
• verifying that the user login credentials are accurate;
• and
• in response to verifying that the user login credentials are accurate, authenticating the user for the session on the client device.