Individually centric device, system and method for authenticating device user identity

#The present disclosure relates generally to cybersecurity, and more specifically, to authentication of the identity of a user creating, modifying, destroying or using a device, network, network node, data, or other system.

#Authentication of a user's identity is a core element of security for both on-line and off-line computers, other devices, services and transactions, and also for access to systems dedicated to specific applications. Authentication of a user's identity is key to any process of authorizing access to an online account, a server, a network or other system. Whether a user is seeking to enter into an on-line transaction such as effecting a purchase from a commercial website, seeking access to information such as their medical records, seeking to enter into an on-line conference, or another type of electronic activity, the site or system to which the user seeks access needs assurance that the user seeking such access is indeed authorized for such access. User authentication is also important in granting access to specific user devices such as cell phones and granting access to houses, commercial buildings, or gated communities.

#FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a prior art user authentication system 10. The system 10 includes a user device 12, typically comprising a cell phone or a personal computer, and an enterprise server 14. The user (not shown) typically initiates the interaction between the user device 12 and the enterprise server, and in the most basic form of system 10, the user provides a username, sometimes referred to as a user ID, and a password, to the enterprise server 14.

#FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a conventional prior art user authentication system employing a user device and a resource device, and illustrating the interactive communications between them.

#FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing elements of a user authentication system for authenticating a user for access to a resource device wherein a user device maintains user identification data and implements criteria for estimating authentication of the current user, and the resource device utilizes internal routines to validate the user device, in accordance with certain embodiments.

#FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing elements of a user authentication system for authenticating a user for access to a resource device, wherein a user device determines criteria for estimating the authentication of the user, and a validation device is utilized to validate the user device to the resource device, in accordance with certain embodiments.

#Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying Figures. Like elements in the various figures may be denoted by like reference numerals for consistency. Further, in the following detailed description of embodiments of the present disclosure, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the claimed subject matter. However, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the embodiments disclosed herein may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known features have not been described in detail to avoid unnecessarily complicating the description. Additionally, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the scale of the elements presented in the accompanying Figures may vary without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

#Embodiments in accordance with the present disclosure generally relate to cybersecurity, and more specifically, to authentication of the identity of a user creating, modifying, destroying or using a device, network, network node, data, or other system.

#In accordance with certain embodiments, a novel approach for user authentication process and system, based on developing and providing an estimate of confidence in a user's identity, determined through a multimodal analysis of data collected and analyzed in a device in the user's control, is disclosed. As a general aim, one aspect of the disclosure acts on a principle of user-centric generation of an authentication confidence estimate, and on the continuously calculated and updated provision of a continuous-scale estimate as to the authenticity of the current user, thereby supporting varying responses as a function of security needs.