CONTROLLED AND CLIENT-SIDE AUTHENTICATION MODULE

• US 20090165109A1
• Filed: 11/17/2008
• Published: 06/25/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CA, Inc. (d/b/a CA Technologies) (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Arcot Systems, Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hird, Geoffrey
• Granted Patent: US 9,477,830 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/7
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/33 using certificates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/60 Digital content management, e.g. content distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0631 Substitution permutation network [SPN], i.e. cipher composed of a number of stages or rounds each involving linear and nonlinear transformations, e.g. AES algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3226 using a predetermined code, e.g. password, passphrase or PIN network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using passwords in a packet data network H04L63/083
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3263 involving certificates, e.g. public key certificate [PKC] or attribute certificate [AC]; Public key infrastructure [PKI] arrangements network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using certificates in a packet data network H04L63/0823

Abstract

A computerized method of accessing a secure resource using an application associated with a user'"'"'s computing device is provided. The application is programmed, in part, to monitor user browsing activity and wherein the application has associated therewith one or more predefined Uniform Resource Locaters (URLs) to trusted sites, each having an associated trusted root certificate and security key. The method includes the application detecting a user attempt to log into a secure resource, the application scanning in-process browser processes to identify a browser process that is in a login state, the application associating the browser process in a login state with one of the trusted sites, the application initiating a new browser session with the trusted site using the associated predefined URL, the application obtaining a login password from the user, the application supplying to the trusted site the associated security key and login password, and the user'"'"'s computer displaying subsequent browsing activity.

Claims

1. A computerized method of accessing a secure resource using an application associated with a user'"'"'s computing device, wherein the application is programmed, in part, to monitor user browsing activity and wherein the application has associated therewith one or more predefined Uniform Resource Locaters (URLs) to trusted sites, each having an associated trusted root certificate and security key, the method comprising:

the application detecting a user attempt to log into a secure resource;

the application scanning in-process browser processes to identify a browser process that is in a login state;

the application associating the browser process in a login state with one of the trusted sites;

the application initiating a new browser session with the trusted site using the associated predefined URL;

the application obtaining a login password from the user;

the application supplying to the trusted site the associated security key and login password; and

the user'"'"'s computer displaying subsequent browsing activity.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the application killing preexisting browser processes.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the security key comprises an Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) cipher.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the security key comprises a Triple Data Encryption Standard (TDES) cipher.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the application scanning in-process browser processes to identify a browser process that is in a login state and associating the browser process in a login state with one of the trusted sites comprises:

the application identifying in-process browser processes;

the application identifying URL and page source content of each process; and

the application preserving state information for at least the browser process in a login state.

6. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions, wherein the instructions have associated therewith one or more predefined Uniform Resource Locaters (URLs) to trusted sites, each having an associated trusted root certificate and security key, wherein the instructions program an associated computing device to:

monitor user browsing activity to thereby detect a user attempt to log into a trusted site;

scan in-process browser processes to identify a browser process that is in a login state;

associate the browser process in a login state with one of the trusted sites;

initiate a new browser session with the trusted site using the associated predefined URL;

obtain a login password from the user; and

supply to the trusted site the associated security key and login password to thereby allow the user to access the trusted site.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the instructions further program the computing device to kill preexisting browser processes.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the security key comprises an Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) cipher.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the security key comprises a Triple Data Encryption Standard (TDES) cipher.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 6, wherein the instructions, in programming the computing device to scan in-process browser processes to identify a browser process that is in a login state and associate the browser process in a login state with one of the trusted sites, the instructions program the computer to:

identify in-process browser processes;

identify URL and page source content of each process; and

preserve state information for at least the browser process in a login state.

11. A computer-implemented method for securely accessing online resources, comprising:

providing an application for execution on a user computer, wherein the application has associated therewith one or more predefined Uniform Resource Locaters (URLs) to trusted sites, each having an associated trusted root certificate and security key;

a user executing the application on the user computer;

the application monitoring user browsing activity;

the application detecting a user attempt to log into a secure resource;

the application scanning in-process browser processes to identify a browser process that is in a login state;

the application associating the browser process in a login state with one of the trusted sites;

the application initiating a new browser session with the trusted site using the associated predefined URL;

the application obtaining a login password from the user;

the application supplying to the trusted site the associated security key and login password; and

the user'"'"'s computer displaying subsequent browsing activity.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, further comprising the application killing preexisting browser processes.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the security key comprises an Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) cipher.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the security key comprises a Triple Data Encryption Standard (TDES) cipher.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the application scanning in-process browser processes to identify a browser process that is in a login state and associating the browser process in a login state with one of the trusted sites comprises:

the application identifying in-process browser processes;

the application identifying URL and page source content of each process; and

the application preserving state information for at least the browser process in a login state.