US 2014/0181948 A1Published application

Authenticating Using Cloud Authentication

AssigneeMicrosoft Corporation

InventorsLeszek Mazur, Jianhui Xie, Sean D. Daniel, Cesare John Saretto

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Abstract

An authentication mechanism in a local area network may use a cloud authentication mechanism to allow or deny authentication requests. A user may gain access within a local area network by entering a cloud identification and password, which may be verified by a cloud authentication mechanism. If the authentication is successful from the cloud authentication mechanism, the user identification and password are stored locally for subsequent authentication requests. In some embodiments, the cloud password may be periodically flushed so that subsequent requests may be passed to the cloud authentication mechanism. The authentication mechanism may be used in both domain and workgroup local area networks, and may operate in parallel with other users who may have local area network or client credentials which may not be authenticated from the cloud.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A domain server comprising:

a processor;
a local area network connection to a plurality of client devices;
a wide area network connection to a cloud authentication mechanism;
a database comprising user identification and passwords;
a domain authentication mechanism configured to perform a method comprising:
receiving a first authentication request from a first client device, said authentication request comprising a first user identification and a first password;
transmitting said first user identification and said first password to said cloud authentication mechanism;
receiving a first acceptance token from said cloud authentication mechanism;
based on said first acceptance token, storing said first user identification and said first password in said database;
transmitting a second acceptance token to said first client device;
receiving a second authentication request from said first client device, said second authentication request comprising said first user identification and a second password;
checking said database to determine that said first user identification and said second password do not match said database;
transmitting said first user identification and said second password to said cloud authentication mechanism,
receiving a third acceptance token from said cloud authentication mechanism;
and
based on said third acceptance token, transmitting a fourth acceptance token to said first client device and updating said database by removing said first password and storing said second password.

13 more elements

A workgroup computer comprising:

a processor;
a wide area network connection to a cloud authentication mechanism;
a database comprising user identification and passwords;
a domain authentication mechanism configured to perform a method comprising:
receiving a first authentication request for a first user, said first authentication request comprising a first user identification and a first password;
transmitting said first user identification and said first password to said cloud authentication mechanism;
receiving a first acceptance token from said cloud authentication mechanism;
based on said first acceptance token, storing said first user identification and said first password in said database;
and
permitting access for said first user to said workgroup computer;
receiving a second authentication request for said first user, said second authentication request comprising said first user identification and a second password;
checking said database to determine that said first user identification and said second password do not match said database;
transmitting said first user identification and said second password to said cloud authentication mechanism,
receiving a second acceptance token from said cloud authentication mechanism;
and
based on said second acceptance token, permitting access for said first user to said workgroup computer and updating said database by removing said first password and storing said second password.

13 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 14/077,203Filed 11 Nov 2013
Priority: 23 Oct 2009
Published: 26 Jun 2014
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

H04L 63/083
For authentication of entities: using passwords
G06F 21/31
Authentication, i.e. establishing the identity or authorisation of security principals: user authentication
H04L 9/3226
Including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system or for message authentication, e.g. authorization, entity…: using…
H04L 63/0846
Using passwords: using time-dependent-passwords, e.g. periodically changing passwords

Family

Application12/604,673Continuation · filed 23 Oct 2009
Application14/077,203Continuation
US 2011/0099616 A1Published application
US 8,584,221 B2Related patent
US 8,955,082 B2Related patent
US 2014/0181948 A1This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.