Click Passwords

• US 20040010721A1
• Filed: 06/28/2002
• Published: 01/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Kirovski, Darko, Roberts, Paul, Jojic, Nebojsa
• Granted Patent: US 7,243,239 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/36 by graphic or iconic representation

Abstract

Methods, systems, devices and/or storage media for passwords. An exemplary method tiles an image, associates an index with each tile and optionally determines offsets for select tiles. Further, the tiling optionally relies on probability and/or entropy. An exemplary password system includes an image; a grid associated with the image, the grid composed of polygons; an index associated with each polygon; and an offset associated with each polygon wherein password identification relies on one or more indices and one or more offsets.

Claims

1. A method of storing password information comprising:

displaying an image locally;

selecting a password using the image;

based at least in part on the selecting, generating password information; and

storing the password information remotely.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating includes hashing.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating includes determining a tolerance.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating includes determining one or more offsets or one or more transforms.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating includes salting.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating includes randomly selecting an offset or a transform from one or more offsets or one or more transforms.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating a grid with the image.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the gird comprises one or more shapes.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the grid comprises a plurality of polygons.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein each polygon has the same number of sides.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein each polygon has the same size.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein each polygon is a hexagon.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein each polygon has an index.

14. One or more computer-readable media having computer-readable instructions thereon which, when executed by a programmable device, display an image on a display device, allow a user to select a password using the image, generate password information based at least in part on the password;

and store the password information remotely.

15. A method for use in a password system comprising:

tiling at least part of an image using tiles having one or more shapes;

determining a tolerance for each tile;

displaying the image;

selecting a position on the image wherein the position is associated with a password;

associating the position with a tile; and

applying the tolerance to the position if the position lies outside of the tile.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the tiling includes tiling based at least in part on a selection probability.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the tiling includes tiling based at least in part on entropy.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the tiling aims to maximize entropy.

19. One or more computer-readable media having computer-readable instructions thereon which, when executed by a programmable device, display an image on a display device, allow a user to select a position on the image wherein the position is associated with a password, associate the position with a tile, and apply a tolerance to the position if the position lies outside of the tile.

20. A method of selecting password information comprising:

tiling at least part of an image with tiles having one or more shapes;

displaying the image;

selecting a position on the image, the position associated with a password;

associating the position with a tile;

determining a set of offsets for the tile; and

selecting one of the offsets from the set of offsets.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising storing the selected offset.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the storing stores the selected offset in association with a stored hash value, the stored hash value associated with the password.

23. The method of claim 20, further comprising using the selected offset as a tolerance.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein the tiling includes tiling based at least in part on a selection probability.

25. The method of claim 20, wherein the tiling includes tiling based at least in part on entropy.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the tiling aims to maximize entropy.

27. The method of claim 20, wherein the selecting occurs randomly or pseudo-randomly.

28. One or more computer-readable media having computer-readable instructions thereon which, when executed by a programmable device, display an image on a display device, allow a user to select a position on the image wherein the position is associated with a password, associate the position with a tile, determine a set of offsets for the tile;

and select one of the offsets from the set of offsets.

29. A method of generating password information comprising:

tiling at least part of an image using a plurality of polygons;

assigning an index to each polygon;

displaying the image without displaying the polygons;

selecting two or more positions on the image;

associating each position with a polygon; and

hashing the indices of the associated polygons.

30. The method of claim 29 further comprising storing the result of the hashing.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein the storing stores the result of the hashing with one or more selected offsets.

32. The method of claim 29, further comprising salting the indices prior to the hashing.

33. The method of claim 29, wherein the tiling includes tiling based at least in part on a selection probability.

34. The method of claim 29, wherein the tiling includes tiling based at least in part on entropy.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the tiling aims to maximize entropy.

36. One or more computer-readable media having computer-readable instructions thereon which, when executed by a programmable device, tile at least part of an image using a plurality of polygons;

assign an index to each polygon;

display the image on a display device, allow a user to select two or more positions on the image wherein each position is associated with a password, associate each position with a polygon, and hash the indices of the associated polygons.

37. A data set for a password having “

n”

entries wherein each entry has an index, the data set comprising;

a hash value based at least on a hash of the “

n”

indices; and

“

n”

offsets, wherein the “

n”

offsets include an offset for each of the “

n”

entries.

38. The data set of claim 37, further comprising a user value.

39. The data set of claim 37, wherein the hash value is based on a hash of one or more salt values and the “

n”

indices.

40. The data set of claim 37, wherein the “

n”

offsets are two-dimensional offsets.

41. The data set of claim 37, represented by the following equation:

ψ

₁ equals the hash value; and

ψ

₂({x_i,y_i},{x_i+1,y_i+1}, . . . {x_n,y_n}) equals the “

n”

offsets.

42. A password system comprising:

an image;

a grid associated with the image, the grid comprising polygons;

an index associated with each polygon;

an offset associated with each polygon; and

wherein password identification relies on one or more indices and one or more offsets.

43. The password system of claim 42, wherein the offset associated with each polygon is selected from a set of offsets associated with each polygon.

44. The password system of claim 43, wherein the offset associated with each polygon is selected randomly or pseudo-randomly.

45. The password system of claim 42 further comprising a tolerance.

46. The password system of claim 42 wherein the grid is generated on the basis of one or more probabilities.

47. The password system of claim 42 wherein the grid is generated on the basis of entropy.

48. A computing device comprising:

an image; and

a data set wherein the data set comprises a hash value based on two or more positions in the image and two or more offsets applicable to positions in the image.

49. A computing device comprising:

display means for displaying an image;

selection means for selecting positions in the image;

processor means for generating a data set based on the selected positions wherein the data set includes a hash value and offsets.

50. A method for defining a password space comprising:

determining a tiling for an image using a Voronoi grid; and

defining a password space based on the tiling.

51. The method of claim 50 further comprising analyzing the image using image analysis prior to the determining.

52. The method of claim 51 wherein the analyzing includes segmentation and/or probability weighting.

53. The method of claim 50 further comprising displaying the image without the Voronoi grid.

54. The method of claim 50 further comprising transmitting the image in response to a request for the image.

55. The method of claim 54 wherein the transmitting transmits the image from a server to a client.

56. The method of claim 55 wherein a user at the client selects one or more positions on the image.

57. The method of claim 56 wherein the one or more positions correspond to a new password and/or an established password.

58. The method of claim 50 wherein the Voronoi grid comprises one or more polygons.

59. The method of claim 58 further comprising defining a tolerance region and/or a core region for one or more of the polygons.

60. One or more computer-readable media having computer-readable instructions thereon which, when executed by a programmable device, determine a tiling for an image using a Voronoi grid;

and define a password space based on the tiling.

61. A system for defining a password space comprising:

means for determining a tiling for an image using a Voronoi grid; and

means for defining a password space based on the tiling.