Virtual smart card system and method
AssigneeSecure Computing Corporation
InventorsLawrence Smith, Richard Levenberg
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A public key authentication system and method for use in a computer system having a plurality of users. The system includes a virtual smart card server, storage connected to the virtual smart card server, and a virtual smart card agent connected to the virtual smart card server. The storage includes a plurality of virtual smart cards, wherein each virtual smart card is associated with a user and wherein each smart card includes a private key. The virtual smart card agent authenticates the user and accesses the authenticated user's virtual smart card to obtain the user's private key.
Claims14
A public key authentication system for use in a computer system having a plurality of users, the system comprising:
- a virtual smart card server;
- storage connected to the virtual smart card server, wherein the storage includes a plurality of virtual smart cards, wherein each virtual smart card is associated with a user and wherein each smart card includes a private key;
- and
- a virtual smart card agent connected to the virtual smart card server, wherein the virtual smart card agent includes a user authentication interface for use by a user in entering a one-time password, wherein the virtual smart card agent authenticates the user using the one-time password and accesses the authenticated user's virtual smart card to obtain the user's private key.
A method of authenticating users, including a first user, attempting to access a computer system, the method comprising:
- assigning first and second keys to each user, wherein the first and second key form a public/private key pair;
- issuing a digital certificate to the first user, wherein the digital certificate is associated with the second key assigned to the first user;
- entering a one-time password;
- encrypting the one-time password with the first key assigned to the first user to form an encrypted one-time password;
- verifying that the digital certificate issued to the first user was signed by a recognized certificate authority;
- accessing, via the digital certificate, the second key assigned to the first user;
- decrypting the encrypted one-time password with the second key associated with the digital certificate to recover the one-time password;
- and
- comparing the one-time password against an expected one-time password.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.