US 8,893,243 B2Granted

Method and system protecting against identity theft or replication abuse

AssigneeSMS Passcode A/S

InventorsDavid Hald, Claus Rosendal, Jakob {acute over (Ø)}stergaard

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A system detecting and protecting against identity theft by abusing a computer users ID and password or protecting a user against identity replication through parallel user session via a second authentication level using a second channel, a one-time-passcode and user contextual location information. When accessing networks, computer systems or programs, the said networks, computer systems or programs will validate user ID and password and collect contextual information about the user, the device, the used network etc. Once validated, a message is send by a second means that may be a cell phone SMS network or an instant message, said message containing a real-time session-specific one-time passcode. The session specific code and the collected information provides information enabling the user to detect a compromised identity through a mismatch between presented information and the information representing the user and the passcode protects against fraudulent access.

Claims13

Dependent claims

A method, implemented by a computer-implemented authentication system, for authenticating a user attempting to access a target component of a computer system from a first user system, the first user system being connectable to a first communications network, the method comprising:

receiving, by at least one computing device, user authentication information entered by the user via a first user-interface of the first user system;
obtaining, by the at least one computing device, via the first communications network a session identifier and at least one item of contextual information identifying the first user system or a property of the first communications network;
verifying, by the at least one computing device, the user authentication information, and responsive to successful verification of the user authentication information, sending a message from the computer-implemented authentication system via a second communications network to a second user system, the message comprising
(a) at least one item of said obtained contextual information or derived information of said obtained contextual information, allowing the second user system to present at least the at least one item of contextual information to the user via a second user interface so as to allow the user to verify the at least one item of contextual information, and
(b) a real-time session-specific one-time passcode, different from the at least one item of said obtained contextual information, and associated with the session identifier;
receiving, by the at least one computing device, via the first user system and the first communications network a passcode entered by the user into the first user system;
verifying, by the at least one computing device, the entered passcode against the real-time session-specific one-time passcode and/or the session identifier;
and responsive to a successful verification of the entered passcode, granting to the first user system access to the target component.

5 more elements

A system for authenticating a user attempting to access a target component of a computer system from a first user system, the first user system being connectable to a first communications network, the system comprising:

a first user system to receive user authentication information entered by the user via a first user-interface of the first user system;
a communications network to obtain a session identifier and at least one item of contextual information identifying the first user system or a property of the first communications network;
and
an authentication system comprising at least one microprocessor, the at least one microprocessor to:
verify the user authentication information and, responsive to successful verification of the user authentication information, sending a message from the computer-implemented authentication system via a second communications network to a second user system, the message comprising:
a) at least one item of said obtained contextual information or derived information of said obtained contextual information, allowing the second user system to present at least the at least one item of contextual information to the user via a second user interface so as to allow the user to verify the at least one item of contextual information, and
b) a real-time session-specific onetime passcode, different from the at least one item of said obtained contextual information, and associated with the session identifier;
receive via the first user system and the first communications network a passcode entered by the user into the first user system;
and
verify the entered passcode against the real-time session-specific one-time passcode and/or the session identifier;
and responsive to a successful verification of the entered passcode, grant to the first user system access to the target component.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.