AUTHENTICATION SYSTEMS AND METHODS USING A PACKET TELEPHONY DEVICE

• US 20110022841A1
• Filed: 07/27/2009
• Published: 01/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vonage America Incorporated (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Original Assignee: Vonage Network LLC (Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson)
• Inventors: Petillo, Richard
• Granted Patent: US 8,635,454 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/168
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/06 for supporting key management in a packet data network cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key management H04L9/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32

Abstract

Authentication systems and methods for increasing the security of online account access and transactions by leveraging the use of customer equipment provided by VoIP service providers. A method includes registering a packet telephony device with a packet telephony service provider for subsequent packet telephony communication, where the registration is based at least on an encoded encryption key. On a subsequent request to access an account, instructions are transmitted which require physical access to the packet telephony device to perform. Upon receipt of an indication that the instructions were successfully performed, the request is authenticated and access to the account is granted. Authentication may require a secure connection be automatically established between a web-enabled device and a packet telephony device. The instant disclosure leverages the security in the customer equipment hardware such as a Terminal adaptor (TA) or router so that a compromised account may be recovered.

Claims

1. A method for authenticating a request from a web-enabled device comprising:

registering a packet telephony device with a packet telephony service provider for subsequent packet telephony communication based at least on an encryption key encoded therein;

receiving the request from the web-enabled device;

transmitting an instruction to the web-enabled device, the performance of which requires physical access to said packet telephony device;

receiving an indication of the performance of the instruction; and

authenticating the request based upon the indication of the performance of the instruction.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving the indication of the performance comprises receiving a web based indication from the web-enabled device that the instruction has been performed.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving the indication of the performance comprises receiving a packet telephony based indication from the packet telephony device that the instruction has been performed.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the instruction includes a code.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving the indication of the performance of the instruction comprises receiving a translated code via the web-enabled device, the translated code being a first code translated based at least in part on the encryption key in the packet telephony device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein performance of the instruction comprises:

receiving a first code into the packet telephony device;

translating the first code based upon the encryption key in the packet telephony device to produce a translated code;

displaying the translated code on the packet telephony device; and

receiving the translated code in the web-enabled device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving the indication of the performance of the instruction comprises receiving a translated code transmitted by the packet telephony device, the translated code being a first code translated based on the encryption key in the packet telephony device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing the instruction wherein the step of performing the instruction comprises:

receiving a first code in the packet telephony device;

translating the first code based upon the encryption key in the packet telephony device to produce a translated code; and

transmitting from the packet telephony device the translated code.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the instruction is a software-based instruction prompting an automated communication between the web-enabled device and the packet telephony device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the instruction is text displayed on the web-enabled device, whereby a user can read and comply with the instruction.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the packet telephony device communicates with the web-enabled device over a wireless connection in a wireless local area network or wireless personal area network.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the wireless connection is a Bluetooth connection.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the wireless connection is a connection using a standard in the IEEE 802.11 set of standards.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the packet telephony device communicates with the web-enabled device over a secure network.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the instruction is selected from the group consisting of:

an instruction to temporarily disable said packet telephony device, an instruction to enter in said web-enabled device a user identification code transmitted to and decoded by said packet telephony device, an instruction to depress one or more buttons on said packet telephony device, and combinations thereof.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving a request further comprises receiving a user name and password.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of authenticating the request is performed after a subscriber account related to the request has been identified as compromised.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the request is a request to access a subscriber account.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the subscriber account is a non-telephony account.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of transmitting a website verification code to both the web-enabled device and the packet telephony device for display respectively thereon, whereby a subscriber has an indication of the authenticity of a website.

21. A method for authenticating a website to a subscriber comprising:

registering a packet telephony device with a packet telephony service provider for subsequent packet telephony communication by verifying an encryption key encoded therein;

receiving a request via said website to access a subscriber account from a web-enabled device;

transmitting codes to both the web-enabled device and the packet telephony device for display respectively thereon associated website verification codes, whereby a subscriber has an indication of the authenticity of the website.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the associated website verification codes are a function of the transmitted codes.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein at least one of the associated website verification codes is a function of at least one of the transmitted codes and the encryption key.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the associated website verification codes are identical.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein the associated website verification codes share a logical relationship.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein the step of receiving a request further comprises receiving a user name and password.

27. The method of claim 21, further comprising determining the packet telephony device associated with the user name.

28. The method of claim 21, wherein the packet telephony service provider has the encryption key of the packet telephony device and the code transmitted to the packet telephony device is the website verification code encoded based on the encryption key.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the transmitted code is decoded at the packet telephony device using the encryption key to obtain the website verification code.

30. A method for authenticating a request from a web-enabled device comprising:

registering a packet telephony device with a packet telephony service provider for subsequent packet telephony communication based at least on an encryption key encoded therein;

receiving the request from the web-enabled device;

transmitting a first code to one of said packet telephony device and said web-enabled device;

receiving a translated code from another of said devices, the translated code being a translation of said first code based at least in part on said encryption key; and

authenticating the request based on the received translated code.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising the step of establishing a secure connection between said packet telephony device and said web-enabled device.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein said secure connection is a wireless connection over a wireless local area network or wireless personal area network.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the wireless connection is a Bluetooth connection.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein the wireless connection is a connection using a standard in the IEEE 802.11 set of standards.

35. The method of claim 31, wherein said secure connection is over a private network.