Method and apparatus for authenticating to a remote server
OwnerBrian Groveinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for authenticating a user is disclosed. The method uses a portable I/O device to display a challenge from a kiosk or other multi-user computer and to enter a response to the challenge and transmit that response to the multi-user computer. The portable I/O device interfaces with a hardware security device, which generates the response using data securely stored in therein.
Claims33
A method of authenticating a user to a remote computer via a client computer, comprising the steps of:
- transmitting an authentication request from the client computer to the remote computer;
- generating a challenge from the authentication request;
- transmitting the challenge from the remote computer to the client computer;
- providing the challenge to an input/output (I/O) device communicatively coupled to a hardware security device (HSD);
- transmitting the challenge from the I/O device to the HSD;
- generating a response to the challenge using the challenge and data selected from the group comprising a shared secret and a private key, wherein the response is generated in the HSD;
- providing the response to the client computer;
- transmitting the response from the client computer to the remote computer;
- and
- granting access if the response compares favorably with an expected response computed by the remote computer from the challenge.
An apparatus for authenticating a user to a remote computer via a client computer, comprising:
- means for transmitting an authentication request from the client computer to the remote computer;
- means for generating a challenge from the authentication request;
- means for transmitting the challenge from the remote computer to the client computer;
- means for providing the challenge to an input/output (I/O) device communicatively coupled to a hardware security device (HSD);
- means for transmitting the challenge from the I/O device to the HSD;
- means for generating a response to the challenge using the challenge and data selected from the group comprising a shared secret and a private key, wherein the response is generated in the HSD;
- means for providing the response to the client computer;
- means for transmitting the response from the client computer to the remote computer;
- and
- means for granting access if the response compares favorably with an expected response computed by the remote computer from the challenge.
An apparatus for supporting authentication of a user to a remote computer via a client computer, comprising:
- an input/output (I/O) interface compatible with a hardware security device (HSD), for transmitting a challenge to the HSD and for receiving a response to the challenge from the HSD;
- an I/O device, comprising
- a data presentation device communicatively coupled to the I/O interface, for presenting the response from the HSD;
- and
- a data input device communicatively coupled to the I/O interface, for accepting the challenge.
An apparatus for providing input to and receiving output from a hardware security device (HSD), comprising:
- an HSD-compliant I/O interface;
- a data presentation device communicatively coupled to the HSD-compliant I/O interface, for presenting data received from the HSD;
- and
- a data input device, communicatively coupled to the HSD-compliant I/O interface, for accepting data entry;
- wherein the data presentation device and the data input device are driven by a driver of the HSD.
A method of authenticating a user to a remote computer via a client computer, comprising the steps of:
- transmitting an authentication request from the client computer to the remote computer;
- receiving a challenge in the client computer, the challenge generated by the remote computer in response to the authentication request;
- providing the challenge to a input/output (I/O) device communicatively coupled to a hardware security device (HSD);
- transmitting the challenge from the I/O device to the HSD;
- receiving a response to the challenge from the HSD, the response generated in the HSD;
- transmitting the response from the client computer to the remote computer;
- and
- receiving a message indicating successful authentication from the remote computer if the response compares favorably with an expected response generated by the remote computer from the challenge.
A method of authenticating a user to a remote computer via a client computer, comprising the steps of:
- receiving a challenge in a hardware security device (HSD), the challenge obtained from an input/output (I/O) device communicatively coupled to the client computer and computed in the remote computer in response to an authentication request from the client computer;
- generating a response in the HSD using the challenge and data selected from the group comprising a shared secret and a private key;
- and
- providing the response from the HSD to the client computer, the response permitting successful authentication upon transmittal to the remote computer if the response compares favorably with an expected response computed by the remote computer from the challenge.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.