System and method for scrambling keystrokes related to a password

• US 20070061589A1
• Filed: 08/28/2006
• Published: 03/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Gomez, Laurent, Spadone, Pascal, Ulmer, Cedric, Hebert, Cedric
• Application Number:
  US11/511,910
• Publication Number:
  US 20070061589A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/185
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/83 input devices, e.g. keyboards, mice or controllers thereof

Abstract

An embodiment relates to a system for scrambling characters of a password entered by a user on an input device. The system includes a keystroke controller to identify a keystroke that represents a character of the password entered on the input device. The system further includes a scrambling pad to scramble the character represented by the identified keystroke into a scrambled character according to a transformation rule.

Claims

1. A system to scramble characters of a password entered by a user on an input device, the system comprising:

a keystroke controller to identify a keystroke that represents a character of the password entered on the input device; and

a scrambling pad to scramble the character represented by the identified keystroke into a scrambled character according to a transformation rule and to generate the transformation rule by using a shift transformation and an integer for shifting that is selected in a random-like way.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein scrambling of a character of a password can be deactivated by the user.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the keystroke controller is further to identify an application program for which the password is entered and the scrambling pad is further to apply a transformation rule that is associated to the identified application program.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the transformation rule complies with a restriction for scrambled characters of the password.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein system is stored on a portable storage device.

6. A computer implemented method to scramble characters of a password entered by a user on an input device, the method comprising:

identifying a keystroke that represents a character of the password entered on the input device;

generating a transformation rule by using a shift transformation and an integer for shifting that is selected in a random-like way; and

scrambling the character represented by the identified keystroke into a scrambled character according to the transformation rule.

7. The method of claim 6, further repeating for at least a further keystroke identifying the further keystroke representing a further character of the password and scrambling the further character into a further scrambled character according to the transformation rule.

8. The method of claim 6, further identifying a restriction for scrambled characters of the password prior to generating the transformation rule and generating the transformation rule so that the restriction is fulfilled.

9. The method of claim 6, further identifying an application program for which the password is entered and wherein the transformation rule is associated to the identified application program.

10. A computer program product comprising instructions to scramble characters of a password entered by a user on an input device, the computer program product, the instructions being transferable to a computer system and causing the computer system to execute operations of:

identifying a keystroke that represents a character of the password entered on the input device;

generating a transformation rule by using a shift transformation and an integer for shifting that is selected in a random-like way; and

scrambling the character represented by the identified keystroke into a scrambled character according to the transformation rule.