METHODS, APPARATUS AND SYSTEMS FOR TIME-BASED FUNCTION BACK-OFF

• US 20080072283A1
• Filed: 08/23/2006
• Published: 03/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Lord, Robert, Relyea, Robert, Parkinson, Steven William
• Granted Patent: US 8,806,219 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0853 using an additional device, e.g. smartcard, SIM or a different communication terminal cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving additional secure or trusted devices H04L9/3234

Abstract

An embodiment generally relates to a method of increasing user convenience The method includes displaying a log-in user interface and receiving an authentication attempt in the log-in user interface. The method also includes determining a status of the authentication attempt and delaying a completion of an authentication attempt by a time-based function in response to a status being a failed authentication attempt

Claims

1. A method of increasing user convenience, the method comprising:

displaying a log-in user interface;

receiving an authentication attempt in the log-in user interface;

determining a status of the authentication attempt;

delaying a completion of the authentication attempt by a time-based function in response to a status being a failed authentication attempt.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising logging in a user in response to a status of a valid authentication attempt.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the time-based function is an exponential function.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the exponential function with a base value b and a variable x is a number of authentication attempts.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the base value, b, is user selected.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein a delay value is the further comprising:

determining the number of authentication attempts; and

determining the delay value based on the time-based function.

7. An apparatus comprising means to implement the method of claim 1.

8. A computer-readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions for performing the method of claim 1.

9. A system for managing users, the system comprising:

a server configured to provide application and data services to a plurality of users;

at least one client configured to interface with the server; and

a delay module configured to be executed by the at least one client, wherein the delay module is configured to monitor a number of authentication attempts by a user of the at least one client and to delay a return of an authentication attempt based on a time-based function and the number of authentication attempts.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the delay module is configured to determine a status for each authentication attempt.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the delay module is further configured to increase a counter for a number of failed authentication attempts.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the time-based function is a mathematical expression where an interval increases between successive values.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the time-based function is an exponential function.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the exponential function with a base value, b, and a variable x is the counter.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the base value, b, is user selected.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the time-based function is a linear function based on a base value, b, multiplied by the number of failed authentication attempts.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the base value, b, is user-selected.

18. The system of claim 10, further comprising of logging-in in response to a valid authentication attempt.

19. An apparatus, comprising:

a delay module adapted to interface with an existing log-in process executing on a computing platform; and

a counter configured to maintain a number of failed authentication attempts, wherein the delay module is configured to monitor each log-in attempt, determining a status of each log-in attempt, and delaying a completion of an authentication attempt by a time-based function in response to a status being a failed authentication attempt.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising a counter configured to monitor a number of failed authentication attempts during a log-in procedure.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the time-based function is a mathematical expression where an interval increases between successive values.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the time-based function is an exponential function.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the time-base function is a linear function.

24. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the delay module resets after a user-specified length of time after the return of the log-in user interface and no authentication attempts have occurred during the user-specified length of time.

25. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the delay module resets after a successful authentication attempt.

26. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the delay module resets after a removal of the token.

27. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the delay module is configured to calculate a time delay based on the time-based function and a value of the failed authentication attempts counter.

28. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the delay module may reset the time delay to a rail value in response to time delay being greater than the rail value.