Systems and methods for event-based authentication

• US 10,326,748 B1
• Filed: 02/25/2015
• Issued: 06/18/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Quest Software, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Quest Software, Inc.
• Inventors: Brisebois, Michel Albert, Johnstone, Curtis T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Feild, Lynn D
• Assistant Examiner(s): McCoy, Richard A
• Application Number:
  US14/631,826
• Time in Patent Office: 1,574 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method is performed by a computer system. The method includes receiving a request to authenticate a user of an enterprise computing system. The method further includes, responsive to the request, selecting a set of previous user-initiated events of the user on the enterprise computing platform. Further, the method includes accessing user-specific event information related to the selected set of previous user-initiated events. In addition, the method includes generating, from at least a portion of the user-specific event information, a user-specific authentication sequence comprising a plurality of event-information requests. Additionally, the method includes administering the user-specific authentication sequence to the user, the administering comprising requiring the user to provide a valid response to each of the event-information requests as a precondition to successful authentication.

Claims

1. A method of dynamic event-based authentication comprising, by a computer system:

receiving a request to authenticate a user of a user device currently accessing an enterprise computing system;

determining an authentication context of the request, the authentication context identifying at least the user device and a current physical location of the user device;

dynamically selecting an authentication template, from among a plurality of stored authentication templates, based, at least part, on a discrete level of security deemed warranted by the authentication context;

wherein the plurality of stored authentication templates each specify one or more user-initiated event types in combination with one or more corresponding user-initiated event requests;

responsive to the request, selecting a set of previous user-initiated events of the user on the enterprise computing platform based, at least part, on the specified one or more user-initiated event types of the dynamically selected authentication template, the previous user-initiated events each relating to a discrete user action with respect to a resource on the enterprise computing system;

accessing user-specific event information related to the selected set of previous user-initiated events, wherein the user-specific event information corresponds to a field of at least one of the one or more corresponding user-initiated event requests of the selected authentication template;

generating, from at least a portion of the user-specific event information, a user-specific authentication sequence comprising a plurality of event-information requests that conform to the one or more corresponding user-initiated event requests of the authentication template; and

administering the user-specific authentication sequence to the user, the administering comprising requiring the user to provide a valid response to each of the plurality of event-information requests as a precondition to successful authentication.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the authentication template specifies a form of the plurality of event-information requests; and

the generating comprises populating the authentication template with the at least a portion of the user-specific event information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the authentication context comprises information related to a content-based classification of a network resource requested by the user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting comprises randomly selecting the set subject to one or more constraints.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the one or more constraints comprise event-timing information.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the user-specific authentication sequence is single-use.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising, responsive to successful authentication, granting the user access to a requested network resource.

8. An information handling system comprising a processor and memory, wherein the processor and memory in combination are operable to implement a method comprising:

receiving a request to authenticate a user of a user device currently accessing an enterprise computing system;

determining an authentication context of the request, the authentication context identifying at least the user device and a current physical location of the user device;

dynamically selecting an authentication template, from among a plurality of stored authentication templates, based, at least part, on a discrete level of security deemed warranted by the authentication context;

wherein the plurality of stored authentication templates each specify one or more user-initiated event types in combination with one or more corresponding user-initiated event requests;

responsive to the request, selecting a set of previous user-initiated events of the user on the enterprise computing platform based, at least part, on the specified one or more user-initiated event types of the dynamically selected authentication template, the previous user-initiated events each relating to a discrete user action with respect to a resource on the enterprise computing system;

accessing user-specific event information related to the selected set of previous user-initiated events, wherein the user-specific event information corresponds to a field of at least one of the one or more corresponding user-initiated event requests of the selected authentication template;

generating, from at least a portion of the user-specific event information, a user-specific authentication sequence comprising a plurality of event-information requests that conform to the one or more corresponding user-initiated event requests of the authentication template; and

administering the user-specific authentication sequence to the user, the administering comprising requiring the user to provide a valid response to each of the plurality of event-information requests as a precondition to successful authentication.

9. The information handling system of claim 8, wherein:

the authentication template specifies a form of the plurality of event-information requests; and

the generating comprises populating the authentication template with the at least a portion of the user-specific event information.

10. The information handling system of claim 8, wherein the authentication context comprises information related to a content-based classification of a network resource requested by the user.

11. The information handling system of claim 8, wherein the selecting comprises randomly selecting the set subject to one or more constraints.

12. The information handling system of claim 11, wherein the one or more constraints comprise event-timing information.

13. The information handling system of claim 8, wherein the user-specific authentication sequence is single-use.

14. A computer-program product comprising a non-transitory computer-usable medium having computer-readable program code embodied therein, the computer-readable program code adapted to be executed to implement a method comprising:

receiving a request to authenticate a user of a user device currently accessing an enterprise computing system;

determining an authentication context of the request, the authentication context identifying at least the user device and a current physical location of the user device;

dynamically selecting an authentication template, from among a plurality of stored authentication templates, based, at least part, on a discrete level of security deemed warranted by the authentication context;

wherein the plurality of stored authentication templates each specify one or more user-initiated event types in combination with one or more corresponding user-initiated event requests;

responsive to the request, selecting a set of previous user-initiated events of the user on the enterprise computing platform based, at least part, on the specified one or more user-initiated event types of the dynamically selected authentication template, the previous user-initiated events each relating to a discrete user action with respect to a resource on the enterprise computing system;

accessing user-specific event information related to the selected set of previous user-initiated events, wherein the user-specific event information corresponds to a field of at least one of the one or more corresponding user-initiated event requests of the selected authentication template;

generating, from at least a portion of the user-specific event information, a user-specific authentication sequence comprising a plurality of event-information requests that conform to the one or more corresponding user-initiated event requests of the authentication template; and

administering the user-specific authentication sequence to the user, the administering comprising requiring the user to provide a valid response to each of the plurality of event-information requests as a precondition to successful authentication.