US 7,228,417 B2Granted

Simple secure login with multiple-authentication providers

AssigneeAmerica Online, Inc.

InventorJames Roskind

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Abstract

A secure distributed single-login authentication system comprises a client and a server. The client collects a user name and password from a user and tests that user name and password at a variety of potential authentication servers to check where the login is valid. It combines the password with a time varying salt and a service specific seed in a message digesting hash and generates a first hash value. The client sends the hash value along with the user name and the time varying salt to a currently selected server. The server extracts the user name and looks up an entry under the user name from the selected server's database. If an entry is found, it retrieves the password and performs the same hash function on the combination of the user name, the service specific seed, and the retrieved password to generate a second hash value. Then, it compares two hash values. If these two values match, the user is authenticated. In this way, the system never sufficiently reveals the password to authentication agents that might abuse the information.

Claims11

Dependent claims

In a computerized network comprising at least one client and a plurality of authentication servers, said client and said authentication servers being communicatively coupled to each other via a global telecommunications network, a method for providing distributed authentication service comprising said steps of:

(a) taking and parsing, by said client, an entered user name and password;
(b) generating a time stamp;
(c) selecting an authentication server from a list of authentication servers;
(d) combining said password and a service specific seed unique to an authentication server selected from said list of authentication servers;
(e) applying a hash algorithm to said combination and said time stamp to generate a first hash value;
(f) finding an address representing said selected authentication server;
(g) sending a data packet to said selected authentication server, said data packet comprising said first hash value, said user name, and said time stamp;
(h) extracting said first hash value, said user name, and said time stamp from said data packet received from said client;
(i) checking whether an entry under said user name is available in said selected authentication server's database;
(j) if no entry under said user name is found, then returning a failure message to said client and repeating steps (b) to (g) for a next selected authentication server;
(k) if an entry under said user name is found, then retrieving said user's password;
(l) combining said time stamp, said retrieved password, and said service specific seed unique to said selected authentication server;
(m) applying said hash algorithm to said combination from Step (l) to generate a second hash value;
(n) comparing said first hash value and said second hash value;
(o) if said first hash value and said second hash value do not match, then returning a failure message to said client and repeating steps (b) to (g) for a next selected authentication server;
(p) if said first hash value and said second hash value match, then returning a successful authentication message to said client;
(q) caching and distributing said positive authentication result;
and
(r) when said entire list has been tested and no one authenticates said user, then resulting in authentication failure.

16 more elements

In a computerized network which is registered with a unique domain name, said network comprising at least one orient and a plurality of authentication servers, said client and said authentication servers being communicatively coupled to each other via a global telecommunications network, each of said authentication servers having a fully qualified domain name which is a local host name with said unique domain name appended, a method for providing distilbuted authentication service, wherein a given user enters a global user identification (GUID) and a password for authentication to be carried out at a target authentication server, said GUID comprising a user name, a delimitation symbol, and a domain which is same as said local host name of said target authentication server, said method comprising said steps of:

(a) parsing, by said client, an entered GUID and password;
(b) generating a time stamp;
(c) extracting said user name from said GUID;
(d) extracting a domain from said GUID;
(e) combining said password and a service specific seed unique to said target authentication server;
(f) applying a hash algorithm to said combination and said time stamp to generate a first hash value;
(g) appending a unique domain name to said domain to form a fully qualified domain name (FQDN) for said target authentication server;
(h) looking up said FQDN from a local mapping list to obtain an address representing said target authentication server;
(i) if Step (h) fails, looking up said FQDN in a domain name system (DNS) to obtain an address representing said target authentication server;
(j) sending a data packet to said target authentication server, said data packet comprising said first hash value, said user name, and said time stamp;
(k) extracting said first hash value, said user name, and said time stamp from said data packet received from said client;
(l) checking whether an entry under said user name is available in said target authentication server's database;
(m) if no entry under said user name is found, then returning a failure message to said client;
(n) if an entry under said user name is found, then retrieving said user's password;
(o) combining said time stamp, said retrieved password and said service specific seed unique to said target authentication server;
(p) applying said hash algorithm to said combination from Step (o) to generate a second hash value;
(q) comparing said first hash value and said second hash value;
(r) if said first hash value and said second hash value do not match, then returning a failure message to said client;
(s) if said first hash value and said second hash value match, then returning a successful authentication message to said client;
and (t) caching and distributing said positive authentication result.

17 more elements

In a computerized network comprising at least one client end a plurality of authentication servers, said client and said authentication servers being communicatively coupled to each other via a global telecommunications network, a method fur providing distributed authentication service comprising said steps of:

(1) parsing a user's login information which includes a user ID and a password;
(2) if said entered user ID is a global user ID (GUID), proceeding to process A;
and
(3) if said entered user ID is a regular user name, proceeding to process B;
and
wherein said process A comprising said steps of:
(a) generating a time stamp;
(b) extracting said user's user name and a domain from said GUID;
(c) combining said password and a service specific seed unique to a target authentication server identified by said domain of said GUID;
(d) applying a hash algorithm to said combination and said time stamp to generate a first hash value;
(e) finding an IP address for said target authentication server;
(f) sending a data packet to said target authentication server, said data packet comprising said first hash value, said user name, and said time stamp;
(g) extracting said first hash value, said user name, and said time stamp from said data packet received from said client;
(h) checking whether an entry under said user name is available in said target authentication servers database;
(i) if no entry under said user name is found, then returning a failure message to said client;
(j) if an entry under said user name is found, then retrieving said user's password;
(k) combining said time stamp, said retrieved password, and said service specific seed unique to said target authentication server;
(l) applying said hash algorithm to said combination from Step (k) to generate a second hash value;
(m) comparing said first hash value and said second hash value;
(n) if said first hash value and said second hash value do not match, then returning a failure message to said client;
(o) if said first hash value and said second hash value match, then returning a successful authentication message to said client;
and
(p) caching and distributing said positive authentication result;
and wherein said process B comprising said steps of:
(aa) generating a time stamp;
(bb) selecting an authentication server from a list of authentication servers;
(cc) combining said password and a service specific seed unique to an authentication server selected from said list of authentication servers;
(dd) applying a hash algorithm to said combination and said time stamp to generate a first hash value;
(ee) finding an IP address representing said currently selected authentication server;
(ff) sending a data packet to said currently selected authentication server, said data packet comprising said first hash value, said user name, and said time stamp;
(gg) extracting said first hush value, said user name, and said time stamp from said date packet received from said client;
(hh) checking whether an entry under said user name is available in said currently selected authentication server's database;
(ii) if no entry under said user name is found, then returning a failure message to said client and repeating steps (aa) to (if) for a next selected authentication server;
(jj) if an entry under said user name is found, then retrieving said user's password;
(kk) combining said time stamp, said retrieved password and said service specific seed unique to said currently selected authentication server;
(ll) applying said hash algorithm to said combination from Step (kk) to generate a second hash value;
(mm) comparing said first hash value and said second hash value;
(nn) if said first hash value and said second hash value do not match, then returning a failure message to said client and repeating steps (aa) to (ff) for a next selected authentication server;
(oo) if said first hash value and said second hash value match, then returning a successful authentication message to said client;
and (pp) caching and distributing said positive authentication result.

37 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 10/291,281Filed 7 Nov 2002 · continuation in part
Priority: 26 Feb 2002
Published: US 2003/0163730 A128 Aug 2003
Granted: 5 Jun 2007
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification11 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 9/3236
Including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system or for message authentication, e.g. authorization, entity…: using…

Family

Application10/086,104Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 26 Feb 2002
US 2003/0163737 A1Pre-grant publication · published 28 Aug 2003
US 2003/0163730 A1Published application
US 7,260,836 B2Related patent
US 7,228,417 B2This patent

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