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US 8,572,381 B1Granted
Challenge protected user queries
AssigneeCisco Technology, Inc.
InventorsJeffrey A. Kraemer, Philip J. S. Gladstone
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method, apparatus and computer program product for providing challenge protected user queries on a local system is presented. A query is presented to a user. A response to the query is received and a determination is made whether the response is administratively less desirable than a threshold. When the response is administratively less desirable than said threshold, then a challenge is provided to the user. The response is accepted when the user responds correctly to the challenge and the response is not accepted when the user fails to correctly respond to the challenge.
Claims11
A method of providing challenge protected user queries, the method comprising:
- in response to detecting that an executable process is attempting a modification to a computer system, presenting a query related to the attempted modification and a set of acceptable responses to a user;
- receiving a particular response of the set of acceptable responses to the query;
- and
- upon determining that the particular response requires further validation of the user:
- providing a challenge to the user;
- and
- performing one of the group consisting of, accepting the response when the user correctly responds to the challenge, and not accepting the response when the user fails to respond correctly to the challenge;
- wherein the challenge is not provided to the user upon determining that the particular response does not require further validation of the user;
- wherein determining whether the particular response requires further validation of the user comprises at least one of determining whether the particular response is less secure than a threshold, determining whether the particular response is less secure than a default response for the query, and determining whether the particular response indicates that the user accepts a modification that presents a security risk to the computer system;
- wherein the particular response does not require further validation of the user when the particular response denies the modification to the computer system;
- and
- wherein the method is performed by one or more computing devices.
9 more elements
A non-transitory computer readable medium having computer readable code thereon for providing challenge protected user queries on a local system, the medium comprising:
- instructions for, in response to detecting that an executable process is attempting a modification to the local system, presenting a query related to the attempted modification and a set of acceptable responses to a user;
- instructions for receiving a particular response of the set of acceptable responses to said query;
- instructions for determining whether said particular response requires further validation of the user;
- and
- instructions for upon determining that said particular response requires further validation of the user, then:
- providing a challenge to said user;
- and
- performing one of the group consisting of accepting said response when said user correctly responds to said challenge, and not accepting said response when said user fails to respond correctly to said challenge;
- wherein said instructions for determining whether said particular response requires further validation of the user comprises at least one of instructions for determining whether said particular response is less secure than a threshold, instructions for determining whether said particular response is less secure than a default response for said query, and instructions for requiring further validation of the user when the particular response indicates that the user accepts a modification that presents a security risk to the local system;
- instructions for not requiring further validation when the particular response denies the modification to the local system;
- and
- wherein the challenge is not provided to the user upon determining that the particular response does not require further validation of the user.
9 more elements
A computer system comprising:
- a memory;
- a processor;
- a communications interface;
- an interconnection mechanism coupling the memory, the processor and the communications interface;
- and
- wherein the memory is encoded with an application that when performed on the processor, provides a process for of providing challenge protected user queries on a local system, the process causing the computer system to perform the operations of:
- in response to detecting that an executable process is attempting a modification to the local system, presenting a query and a set of acceptable responses to a user;
- receiving a particular response of the set of acceptable responses to said query;
- determining whether said particular response requires further validation of the user;
- and
- upon determining that said response requires further validation of the user, then:
- providing a challenge to said user;
- and
- performing one of the group consisting of accepting said response when said user correctly responds to said challenge, and not accepting said response when said user fails to respond correctly to said challenge;
- wherein the determining whether said particular response requires further validation of the user comprises at least one of determining whether said particular response is less secure than a threshold, determining whether said particular response is less secure than a default response for said query, and determining whether the particular response indicates that the user accepts a modification that presents a security risk to the local system;
- wherein the particular response does not require further validation of the user when the particular response denies the modification to the local system;
- and
- wherein the challenge is not provided to the user upon determining that the particular response does not require further validation of the user.
15 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.