Methods and systems for multi-factor authentication in secure media-based conferencing

A system for authenticating an end point device participating in a media-based conference call, the system comprising a server computing device having a call processing module configured to:

• receive a request to join a conference call between a plurality of end point devices, the request including credentials and attributes associated with a user of a first end point device, attributes associated with the first end point device, and a media stream associated with the first end point device;
• determine an identity of the user of the first end point device based upon the credentials and the attributes associated with the user;
• determine a level of conference call access based upon the attributes associated with the first end point device;
• retrieve a user profile based upon the identity of the user, the user profile including a set of permissions associated with authorization to participate in the conference call;
• generate a fingerprint associated with the request, the fingerprint comprising attributes derived from the user profile, the attributes associated with the end point device, and the requested conference call;
• analyze the media stream using a matrix of authentication factors, wherein the authentication factors include at least two of:
• user-specific facial recognition attributes, user-specific audio recognition attributes, acoustic environment attributes, visual environment attributes, user gesture attributes, technical attributes of the end point device, and technical attributes of the media stream;
• determine an authentication score for the first end point device based upon the media stream analysis;
• and
• determine whether to connect the first end point device to the conference call, another media resource, or another user of a network or communication system based upon the authentication score and the fingerprint.

A computer program product, tangibly embodied in a non-transitory computer readable storage device, for authenticating an end point device participating in a media-based conference call, the computer program product including instructions operable to cause a call processing module of a server computing device to:

• receive a request to join a conference call between a plurality of end point devices, the request including credentials and attributes associated with a user of a first end point device, attributes associated with the first end point device, and a media stream associated with the first end point device;
• determine an identity of the user of the first end point device based upon the credentials and the attributes associated with the user;
• determine a level of conference call access based upon the attributes associated with the first end point device;
• retrieve a user profile based upon the identity of the user, the user profile including a set of permissions associated with authorization to participate in the conference call;
• generate a fingerprint associated with the request, the fingerprint comprising attributes derived from the user profile, the attributes associated with the end point device, and the requested conference call;
• analyze the media stream using a matrix of authentication factors, wherein the authentication factors include at least two of:
• user-specific facial recognition attributes, user-specific audio recognition attributes, acoustic environment attributes, visual environment attributes, user gesture attributes, technical attributes of the end point device, and technical attributes of the media stream;
• determine an authentication score for the first end point device based upon the media stream analysis;
• and
• determine whether to connect the first end point device to the conference call, another media resource, or another user of a network or communication system based upon the authentication score and the fingerprint.