Proof of image authentication on a blockchain

• US 10,361,866 B1
• Filed: 08/13/2018
• Issued: 07/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TruePic, Inc.
• Original Assignee: TruePic, Inc.
• Inventors: McGregor, Jeffrey, Stack, Craig, Lyons, Jason, Robben, Matthew
• Primary Examiner(s): Abyaneh, Ali S
• Application Number:
  US16/101,819
• Time in Patent Office: 344 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6209 to a single file or object, e.g. in a secure envelope, encrypted and accessed using a key, or with access control rules appended to the object itself
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 1/0007 Image acquisition
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0637 Modes of operation, e.g. cipher block chaining [CBC], electronic codebook [ECB] or Galois/counter mode [GCM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/321 involving a third party or a trusted authority
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3236 using cryptographic hash functions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3239 involving non-keyed hash functions, e.g. modification detection codes [MDCs], MD5, SHA or RIPEMD
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/50 using hash chains, e.g. blockchains or hash trees

Abstract

Disclosed is improved technology for authenticating electronic images and storing proof of tampering or non-tampering on the blockchain. An image authentication application of a user device may generate an image. The user device may generate an image hash of the image using a hash function. The image hash may be written to the blockchain. This may occur immediately after the image has been taken. The user device may upload the image to an authentication server, which authenticates the image. At various times, such as after receipt, during authentication, and/or after authentication, the authentication server may generate an image hash of the image using the hash function. The authentication server may write the image hash(es) to the blockchain. As such, a state of the image at various times may be recorded on the blockchain to determine whether or not the image has been tampered with between various times.

Claims

1. A system for proving electronic images have not been tampered with via a decentralized ledger, the system comprising:

an authentication server; and

a user device comprising one or more device physical processors programmed to;

generate an electronic image;

transmit the electronic image for authentication to an authentication server that authenticates the electronic image;

generate a device-generated hash of the electronic image based on a hash function at a first time;

generate an image identifier for the electronic image, the image identifier comprising the device-generated hash;

generate a device-generated blockchain transaction comprising the device-generated hash for incorporation into a device-initiated block of the decentralized ledger, wherein the device-initiated block provides proof on the decentralized ledger of a state of the electronic image at the first time the electronic image was generated;

obtain a device-initiated block identifier for the device-initiated block from a blockchain network; and

store, at a storage accessible to the user device and the authentication server, the image identifier in association with the device-initiated block identifier;

wherein the authentication server comprises one or more server physical processors programmed to;

receive the electronic image from the user device for authentication;

authenticate the electronic image at a second time;

generate a server-generated hash of the electronic image based on the hash function;

generate a server-generated blockchain transaction comprising the server-generated hash for incorporation into a server-initiated block of the decentralized ledger, wherein the server-initiated block provides proof on the decentralized ledger of a state of the electronic image at the second time the electronic image was authenticated

receive the image identifier from the user device;

obtain a server-initiated block identifier for the server-initiated block from the blockchain network;

store, at the storage accessible to the user device and the authentication server, the image identifier in association with the server-initiated block identifier; and

receive a request to determine whether a copy of the electronic image has been tampered with between the first time and the second time, wherein the request includes the image identifier that identifies the electronic image;

wherein responsive to receipt of the request, the authentication server is further programmed to;

identify the device-initiated block and the server-initiated block on the decentralized ledger based on the image identifier, wherein to identify the device-initiated block and the server-initiated block, the authentication server is programmed to consult the storage accessible to the user device and the authentication server using the image identifier;

obtain the device-generated hash from the device-initiated block;

obtain the server-generated hash from the server-initiated block;

compare the device-generated hash and the server-generated hash; and

determine whether or not the copy of the electronic image has been tampered with between the first time and the second time based on the comparison, wherein a match between the device-generated hash and the server-generated hash indicates no tampering and a non-match indicates tampering.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the authentication server is further programmed to:

receive a second request to determine whether a copy of the electronic image has been tampered with after the first time at which the electronic image was generated, the second request including the image identifier that identifies the electronic image and a copy of the electronic image, wherein responsive to receipt of the second request, the authentication server is further programmed to;

identify the device-initiated block on the decentralized ledger based on the image identifier;

obtain the device-generated hash from the device-initiated block;

generate a hash of the copy of the electronic image based on the hashing function;

compare the hash and the device-generated hash; and

determine whether or not the copy of the electronic image has been tampered with based on the comparison, wherein a match between the hash and the device-generated hash indicates no tampering after the first time and a non-match indicates tampering.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the authentication server is further programmed to:

receive a second request to determine whether a copy of the electronic image has been tampered with after the second time at which the electronic image was authenticated, the second request including the image identifier that identifies the electronic image and a copy of the electronic image, wherein responsive to receipt of the second request, the authentication server is further programmed to;

identify the server-initiated block on the decentralized ledger based on the image identifier;

obtain the server-generated hash from the server-initiated block;

generate a hash of the copy of the electronic image based on the hashing function;

compare the hash and the server-generated hash; and

determine whether or not the copy of the electronic image has been tampered with after the second time based on the comparison, wherein a match between the hash and the server-generated hash indicates no tampering after the second time and a non-match indicates tampering.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein to authenticate the image, the authentication server is programmed to:

compare the electronic image to a database of electronic images to determine whether the electronic image matches any image from the database of electronic images, wherein no matches supports a conclusion that the electronic image is authentic.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein to authenticate the electronic image, the authentication server is programmed to:

obtain an expected location of a user associated with the user device;

obtain a location at which an image authentication application that generate the image was opened at the user device;

determine a distance between the expected location and the location at which the image authentication application was opened at the user device; and

determine whether the electronic image is authentic based on the distance.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein to authenticate the electronic image, the authentication server is programmed to:

obtain an expected location of the user;

obtain a location at which the electronic image was generated;

determine a distance between the expected location and the location at which the electronic image was generated; and

determine whether the electronic image is authentic based on the distance.