Accessing secure network areas by utilizing mobile-device authentication

One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of providing a user access to digitally secured information by authenticating a mobile device, the method comprising:

• receiving a request from a subscriber to verify the user's attempt to access the digitally secured information maintained by the subscriber, the digitally secured information being information that requires validation of a set of security credentials associated with the user to access, wherein the request is generated upon the subscriber detecting the user attempting to access the digitally secured information via a user interface on a computing device;
• upon receiving the request at a communications-network server, performing a set of network-authentication procedures at the communications-network server, wherein the network-authentication procedures comprise:
• (a) accessing a dial-in phone number pre-established for the subscriber;
• (b) conveying the dial-in phone number to the subscriber for presentation to the user via the user interface of the computing device, wherein the presentation on the user interface prompts the user to enter the dial-in phone number into the mobile device;
• (c) upon entry of the conveyed phone dial-in number to the mobile device and placement of a call from the mobile device to the dial-in number, receiving the call at the communications-network server, wherein the call carries a device identifier communicated from the mobile device associated with the user;
• and
• (d) identifying the mobile device upon extracting the device identifier communicated to the communications-network server and upon matching the device identifier against stored user information;
• and
• initiating a communication to the subscriber to grant access to the digitally secured information upon the validation of the device identifier.

One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of granting website access to a user, the method comprising:

• upon receiving an indication that the user is attempting to access the website, receiving at a communications network a request for authentication from the website maintained by a subscriber, wherein the user is attempting to access the website via a computing device over an Internet connection apart from the communications network, and wherein the request is conveyed from the subscriber;
• upon receiving at the communications network the request for authentication from the subscriber, transmitting from the communications network a message to a mobile device associated with the user;
• receiving the response at the communications network from the mobile device, wherein the response is automatically generated and conveyed upon the mobile device consuming the message;
• and
• incident to authenticating the mobile device on the communications network, providing an indication of validity from the communications network to the subscriber, wherein the indication of validity is employed by the subscriber to grant the user access to the website.

One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of granting website access to a user, the method comprising:

• detecting that the user is attempting to access a secured portion of the website maintained by the subscriber, the secured portion of the website representing digitally secure information that requires validation of a set of security credentials associated with the user;
• causing a link to be presented on a user interface coupled to a computing device;
• recognizing a user-initiated selection of the link via the user interface;
• upon recognizing the user-initiated selection, sending a request to a communications network to validate the set of security credentials using a network-authentication procedure;
• receiving from the communications network a dial-in phone number that the user is to call using a mobile device associated with the user;
• presenting the dial-in phone number to the user at the user interface of the computing device,
• wherein entering the dial-in phone number to the mobile device starts the network-authentication procedure that determines whether the mobile device is authorized to utilize the communications network,
• wherein the mobile device is authenticated when the mobile device is allowed to reach a destination associated with the dial-in phone number, and
• wherein, upon authentication of the mobile device, the communications network creates a success indication that indicates that the mobile device was allowed to reach the destination associated with the dial-in phone number;
• receiving the success indication at the subscriber;
• and
• incident to receiving the success indication, granting the user access to the secured portion of the website.