Systems and methods for secure authentication of electronic transactions

• US 20050044385A1
• Filed: 01/07/2003
• Published: 02/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: U.S. Encode Corporation
• Original Assignee: U.S. Encode Corporation
• Inventors: Holdsworth, John
• Application Number:
  US10/338,822
• Publication Number:
  US 20050044385A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/185
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/34 involving the use of external additional devices, e.g. dongles or smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/36 by graphic or iconic representation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2117 User registration
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/108 Remote banking, e.g. home banking
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/341 Active cards, i.e. cards including their own processing means, e.g. including an IC or chip
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/367 involving electronic purses or money safes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3672 initialising or reloading thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/382 insuring higher security of transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3821 Electronic credentials
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40975 using encryption therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1016 Devices or methods for securing the PIN and other transaction-data, e.g. by encryption arrangements for secret communication, see H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1025 Identification of user by a PIN code
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0869 involving random numbers or seeds
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3213 using tickets or tokens, e.g. Kerberos network architectures or network communication protocols for entities authentication using tickets in a packet data network H04L63/0807
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3231 Biological data, e.g. fingerprint, voice or retina network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using biometrical features in a packet data network H04L63/0861
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3271 using challenge-response

Abstract

An online transaction system configured to implement authentication methods that allow for strong multi-factor authentication in online environments. The authentication methods can be combined with strong security methods to further ensure that the authentication process is secure. Further, the strong multi-factor authentication can be implemented with zero adoption dependencies through the implementation of automated enrollment methods.

Claims

11. A method for secure authentication, comprising:

receiving an authentication request comprising transactional information;

generating an authentication request message in response to the authentication request;

transmitting the authentication request message to a terminal; and

receiving a response to the authentication request message from the terminal that is encrypted using a transactionally unique session key.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein generating the authentication request message comprises encrypting the authentication request message.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein encrypting the authentication message comprises generating a random number.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein encrypting the authentication message comprises generating a time stamp.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein encrypting the authentication message comprises generating an electronic signature.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein encrypting the authentication message comprises retrieving a message key.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising decrypting the received response using the transactionally unique session key.

18. A terminal configured for secure authentication, the termianl comprising client software configured to allow the terminal to:

receive an authentication request message from an authentication authority;

prompt a user to interface a token with the terminal;

extract unique information from the token once it is interfaced with the terminal;

prompt the user for a personal identifier; and

generate a response to the authentication request message based on the personal identifier and the unique information.

1. A method for secure authentication, comprising:

receiving an authentication request message at a terminal from an authentication authority;

prompting a user to interface a token with the terminal;

extracting unique information from the token once it is interfaced with the terminal;

prompting the user for a personal identifier; and

generating a response to the authentication request message based on the personal identifier and the unique information.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a transactionally unique session key, using the transactionally unique session key to encrypt the response, and transmitting the encrypted response to the authentication authority.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the personal identifier is linked with an account associated with the token.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the unique information comprises a unique serial number.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the unique information comprises a message key.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the unique information comprises random data.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the unique information comprises a network address associated with the authentication authority.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a time stamp and generating the response based on the time stamp.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the authentication request message is encrypted, and wherein the method further comprises decrypting the received authentication request message.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising synchronizing a time associated with the response based at least in part on time information included in the authentication request message.

19. The terminal of claim 18, wherein the client software is further configured to allow the terminal to generate a transactionally unique session key, use the transactionally unique session key to encrypt the response, and transmit the encrypted response to the authentication authority.

20. The terminal of claim 18, wherein the personal identifier is linked with an account associated with the token.

21. The terminal of claim 18, wherein the unique information comprises a unique serial number.

22. The terminal of claim 18, wherein the unique information comprises a message key.

23. The terminal of claim 18, wherein the unique information comprises random data.

24. The terminal of claim 23, wherein the client software is further configured to access the network address and automatically connect with the authentication authority.

25. The terminal of claim 18, wherein the client software is further configured to allow the terminal to generate a time stamp and generate the response based on the time stamp.

26. The terminal of claim 18, wherein the authentication request message is encrypted, and wherein the client software is further configured to allow the terminal to decrypt the received authentication request message.

27. The terminal of claim 18, wherein the client software is further configured to allow the terminal to associated a time with the response based at least in part on time information included in the authentication request message.

23-1. The terminal of claim 18, wherein the unique information comprises a network address associated with the authentication authority.