Authentication using third-party data

• US 10,025,914 B1
• Filed: 10/12/2015
• Issued: 07/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wells Fargo Bank NA (Wells Fargo & Company)
• Original Assignee: Wells Fargo Bank NA (Wells Fargo & Company)
• Inventors: Hatch, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Armouche, Hadi S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Naghdali, Khalil
• Application Number:
  US14/881,123
• Time in Patent Office: 1,009 Days
• Field of Search: 726 7
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/316 by observing the pattern of computer usage, e.g. typical user behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/36 by graphic or iconic representation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0884 by delegation of authentication, e.g. a proxy authenticates an entity to be authenticated on behalf of this entity vis-à-vis an authentication entity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security

Abstract

In an example, techniques of this disclosure include establishing, by a computing device, authentication data for authenticating a user of a service provided by a service provider, where the authentication data comprises one or more first data entries and one or more second data entries that correspond to the one or more first data entries. The techniques also include retrieving, from at least one third-party service provider, one or more second data entries maintained by the at least one third-party service provider that correspond to the one or more first data entries, and authenticating the user based on the authentication data, where authenticating the user comprises comparing the one or more first data entries to the one or more second data entries retrieved from the at least one third-party service provider.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

establishing, by a computing device of a service provider, authentication data for authenticating a user of a service provided by the service provider, wherein the authentication data for the user comprises one or more first data entries and one or more second data entries that correspond to the one or more first data entries, wherein the one or more first data entries are stored at the computing device, and wherein the one or more second data entries are maintained by at least one third-party service provider;

receiving, by the computing device and from a user device, a request to authenticate the user to access the service provided by the service provider;

in response to the request, generating, by the computing device, an authentication challenge comprising a plurality of user selectable data entries that include the one or more first data entries;

receiving, by the computing device and from the user device, input that indicates a selection of the one or more first data entries from the plurality of user selectable data entries;

retrieving, by the computing device and from a user account of the user at the at least one third-party service provider, the one or more second data entries that correspond to the selection of the one or more first data entries; and

authenticating, by the computing device, the user to access the service provided by the service provider based on the authentication data for the user, wherein authenticating the user comprises comparing the one or more first data entries stored at the computing device to the one or more second data entries retrieved from the user account of the user at the at least one third-party service provider.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more first data entries comprise a plurality of first data entries, wherein the one or more second data entries comprise a plurality of second data entries, and wherein retrieving the plurality of second data entries comprises retrieving the plurality of second data entries from a plurality of third-party service providers.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing the authentication data comprises:

generating the one or more first data entries to be stored at the computing device;

modifying the one or more first data entries, wherein modifying the one or more first data entries comprises modifying at least one portion of data included in the one or more first data entries; and

generating the one or more second data entries to be maintained by the at least one third-party service provider based on the modified data of the one or more first data entries.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the one or more first data entries comprise text, and wherein modifying the one or more first data entries comprises applying an encryption technique to the text.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the one or more first data entries comprise images, and wherein modifying the one or more first data entries comprises modifying the images, adding an electronic tag to the images or modifying binary code associated with the images.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the one or more first data entries comprise videos, and wherein modifying the one or more first data entries comprises modifying a frame of the videos or modifying a frame rate of the videos.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein generating the one or more first data entries comprises:

retrieving, from the user account of the user at the at least one third-party service provider, one or more sample data entries generated by the user for the user account and maintained by the at least one third-party service provider; and

generating the one or more first data entries to be stored at the computing device based on the one or more sample data entries.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prior to establishing the authentication data, receiving the one or more second data entries from the user account of the user at the at least one third-party service provider, wherein the one or more second data entries are user-generated data entries for the user account; and

wherein establishing the authentication data comprises modifying at least one portion of data included in the one or more second data entries, and generating the one or more first data entries based on the modified data of the one or more second data entries.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein retrieving the one or more second data entries comprises applying a date range or a data type range and retrieving the one or more second data entries from the user account of the user at the at least one third-party service provider that are included in the date range or the data type range.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the user account of the user at the at least one third-party service provider comprises one or more social media accounts registered to the user, and wherein the one or more second data entries comprise at least one of text, an image, or a video posted to the one or more social media accounts of the user.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing the authentication data comprises at least one of:

storing, by the computing device, the one or more second data entries to the user account of the user at the at least one third-party service provider;

or

prompting, by the computing device, the user to store the one or more second data entries to the user account of the user at the at least one third-party service provider.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein retrieving the one or more second data entries comprises accessing, by the computing device, the user account of the user at the at least one third-party service provider using credentials for the user account that are stored at the computing device.

13. A computing device of a service provider, the computing device comprising:

one or more memory units configured to store one or more first data entries of authentication data for a user; and

one or more processors configured to;

establish the authentication data for authenticating the user of a service provided by the service provider, wherein the authentication data for the user comprises the one or more first data entries and one or more second data entries that correspond to the one or more first data entries, wherein the one or more second data entries are maintained by at least one third-party service provider;

receive, from a user device, a request to authenticate the user to access the service provided by the service provider;

in response to the request, generate an authentication challenge comprising a plurality of user selectable data entries that include the one or more first data entries;

receive, from the user device, input that indicates a selection of the one or more first data entries from the plurality of user selectable data entries;

retrieve, from a user account of the user at the at least one third-party service provider, the one or more second data entries that correspond to the selection of the one or more first data entries; and

authenticate the user to access the service provided by the service provider based on the authentication data for the user, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to compare the one or more first data entries stored in the one or more memory units to the one or more second data entries retrieved from the user account of the user at the at least one third-party service provider.

14. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the one or more first data entries comprise a plurality of first data entries, wherein the one or more second data entries comprise a plurality of second data entries, and wherein to retrieve the plurality of second data entries, the one or more processors are configured to retrieve the plurality of second data entries from a plurality of third-party service providers.

15. The computing device of claim 13, wherein to establish the authentication data, the one or more processors are configured to:

generate the one or more first data entries to be stored in the one or more memory units;

modify the one or more first data entries, wherein the one or more processors are configured to modify at least one portion of data included in the one or more first data entries; and

generate the one or more second data entries to be maintained by the at least one third-party service provider based on the modified data of the one or more first data entries.

16. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

prior to establishing the authentication data, receive the one or more second data entries from the user account of the user at the at least one third-party service provider, wherein the one or more second data entries are user-generated data entries for the user account; and

wherein to establish the authentication data, the one or more processors are configured to modify at least one portion of data included in the one or more second data entries, and generate the one or more first data entries based on the modified data of the one or more second data entries.

17. The computing device of claim 13, wherein to retrieve the one or more second data entries, the one or more processors are configured to apply a date range or a data type range and retrieve the one or more second data entries from the user account of the user at the at least one third-party service provider that are included in the date range or the data type range.

18. The computing device of claim 13, wherein to establish the authentication data, the one or more processors are configured to at least one or:

store the one or more second data entries to the user account of the user at the at least one third-party service provider;

or

prompt the user to store the one or more second data entries to the user account of the user at the at least one third-party service provider.

19. The computing device of claim 13, wherein to retrieve the one or more second data entries, the one or more processors are configured to access the user account of the user at the at least one third-party service provider using credentials for the user account that are stored at the computing device.

20. A non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause one or more processors of a computing device of a service provider to:

establish authentication data for authenticating a user of a service provided by the service provider, wherein the authentication data for the user comprises one or more first data entries and one or more second data entries that correspond to the one or more first data entries, wherein the one or more first data entries are stored at the computing device, and wherein the one or more second data entries are maintained by at least one third-party service provider;

receive, from a user device, a request to authenticate the user to access the service provided by the service provider;

in response to the request, generate an authentication challenge comprising a plurality of user selectable data entries that include the one or more first data entries;

receive, from the user device, input that indicates a selection of the one or more first data entries from the plurality of user selectable data entries;

retrieve, from a user account of the user at the at least one third-party service provider, the one or more second data entries that correspond to the selection of the one or more first data entries; and

authenticate the user to access the service provided by the service provider based on the authentication data for the user, wherein authenticating the user comprises comparing the one or more first data entries stored at the computing device to the one or more second data entries retrieved from the user account of the user at the at least one third-party service provider.