METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR THIRD PARTY CLIENT AUTHENTICATION

• US 20110265172A1
• Filed: 04/26/2010
• Published: 10/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: HON, Lenny Kwok-Ming, SHARMA, Girish Kumar, BURJOSKI, Joseph Daniel, SCHNEIDER, Kenneth Cyril
• Granted Patent: US 8,918,848 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/8
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0815 providing single-sign-on or federations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0884 by delegation of authentication, e.g. a proxy authenticates an entity to be authenticated on behalf of this entity vis-à-vis an authentication entity

Abstract

Methods and systems for third party client authentication of a client. A method includes displaying a user interface on a display of the client, the user interface including an option to select a supported credential type of a third party authentication server, receiving a command selecting the supported credential type, and sending credential information and the selected supported credential type to an authentication server for third party authentication by the third party authentication server. The third party authentication server may support a token-based authentication protocol for implementing single sign on (SSO).

Claims

1. A method for third party authentication of a client, comprising:

displaying a user interface on a display of the client, the user interface including an option to select a supported credential type of a third party authentication server;

receiving a command selecting the supported credential type; and

sending credential information and the selected supported credential type to an authentication server for third party authentication by the third party authentication server.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising receiving in the client, from the authentication server, an identification of the supported credential type of the third party authentication server.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said third party authentication server supports one or more supported credential types, wherein said displaying includes displaying the supported credential type in a list of said one or more supported credential types.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said third party authentication server supports one or more supported credential types, further comprising requesting an identification of said third party authentication server and an identification of said one or more supported credential types.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising, prior to sending, encoding together the credential information and the selected credential type.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising sending to the authentication server an identification of a selected third party authentication server.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the authentication server includes a pluggable external authentication module associated with the third party authentication server, the pluggable external authentication module being configured to support the supported credential type.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the pluggable external authentication module is configured to support a plurality of credential types supported by the third party authentication server.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the client obtaining a token from the third party authentication server, wherein said third party authentication server supports a token-based authentication protocol, and wherein said credential information includes said token.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said supported credential type includes a single sign on (SSO) authentication protocol.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the client includes a client device and a client server, the user interface being displayed on the client device.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising accessing said credential information from a memory of the client.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising receiving said credential information from the user interface of the client.

14. A client, comprising:

one or more controllers for controlling operation of the client;

a display for displaying a user interface, the user interface including an option to select a supported credential type of a third party authentication server;

an input device for receiving a command selecting the supported credential type; and

a communication subsystem for sending credential information and the selected supported credential type to an authentication server for third party authentication by the third party authentication server.

15. A method for third party authentication of a client, the method being performed by an authentication server, comprising:

requesting, from a module associated with a third party authentication server, supported credential types of said third party authentication server;

receiving said supported credential types; and

sending to the client an identification of the supported credential types.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the authentication server includes a pluggable external authentication module associated with the third party authentication server, the pluggable authentication module being configured to support the supported credential type.

17. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the pluggable external authentication module is configured to support a plurality of credential types supported by the third party authentication server.

18. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein said module is included in said pluggable external authentication module.

19. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein said module is included in said third party authentication server.

20. The method as claimed in claim 15, further comprising:

receiving, from the client, credential information and a selected supported credential type of the supported credential types; and

sending said credential information and the selected supported credential type to the third party authentication server for third party authentication.

21. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the authentication server comprises part of a service, wherein successful authentication permits access to applications of the service.

22. The method as claimed in claim 15, further comprising receiving from the client an identification of a selected third party authentication server.

23. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein said supported credential type includes a ticket-based authentication protocol.

24. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein said supported credential type includes a single sign on (SSO) authentication protocol.

25. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein said credential information includes a token, and wherein said third party authentication server supports a token-based authentication protocol.