Confidence-based authentication

A system, comprising:

• at least one computing device;
• and
• an authentication application executable in the at least one computing device, the authentication application comprising:
• logic that obtains an identification of a user account from a user;
• logic that determines a minimum confidence threshold;
• logic that presents a plurality of authentication questions to the user, the plurality of authentication questions being determined based at least in part on stored transaction information associated with the user account;
• logic that obtains a corresponding answer to each of a subset of the plurality of authentication questions from the user, each of the answers being associated with a respective authentication point value, at least two of the answers being associated with different respective authentication point values;
• logic that generates a confidence score for the user, wherein the confidence score is increased by the respective authentication point values of the answers that are correct;
• and
• logic that authorizes access by the user to a resource associated with the user account in response to determining that the confidence score meets the minimum confidence threshold.

A method, comprising:

• obtaining, by at least one computing device, an identification of a user account from a user;
• determining, by the at least one computing device, a minimum confidence threshold and a minimum inverse confidence threshold;
• presenting, by the at least one computing device, a plurality of authentication questions to the user, the plurality of authentication questions being determined based at least in part on stored transaction information associated with the user account;
• obtaining, by the at least one computing device, a corresponding answer to each of a subset of the plurality of authentication questions from the user, each of the answers being associated with a respective authentication point value;
• generating, by the at least one computing device, a confidence score for the user, wherein the confidence score is increased by the respective authentication point values of the answers that are correct;
• generating, by the at least one computing device, an inverse confidence score for the user, wherein the inverse confidence score is increased by the respective authentication point values of the answers that are incorrect;
• and
• authorizing, by the at least one computing device, access by the user to a resource associated with the user account in response to determining that the confidence score meets the minimum confidence threshold and the inverse confidence score does not meet the minimum inverse confidence threshold.