CHALLENGING A FIRST TERMINAL INTENDING TO COMMUNICATE WITH A SECOND TERMINAL

• US 20120059897A1
• Filed: 05/20/2009
• Published: 03/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Barriga, Luis, Liljenstam, Michael, Naslund, Mats, Nerbrant, Per-Olof
• Granted Patent: US 9,252,959 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2133 Verifying human interaction, e.g., Captcha
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/805 Lightweight hardware, e.g. radio-frequency identification [RFID] or sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3271 using challenge-response
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup

Abstract

The invention relates to a method, party challenging device (18) and computer program products for providing a challenge to a first terminal (10) intending to communicate with a second terminal (24) via two networks (N1, N2). The party challenging device receives a first electronic message (1M) concerning a transfer of media from the first terminal to the second terminal sent from the first terminal (10) and addressed to the second terminal (24), obtains communication contextual data associated with the first party or the first terminal, provides an electronic challenge message (CHM) including a challenge (CHl1) based on the obtained data and sends the challenge message to the first terminal in order to enable a decision to be made how to process the invitation message for the second terminal based on the correctness of a response (RM) including a response to the challenge.

Claims

1. A method for providing a challenge to a first terminal intending to communicate with a second terminal via at least one communication network, the method being performed in a party challenging device and comprising the steps of:

receiving a first electronic message concerning a transfer of media from the first terminal to the second terminal, said first electronic message being sent from the first terminal associated with a first party and being addressed to the second terminal,

obtaining communication contextual data associated with the first party or the first terminal,

providing an electronic challenge message based on the obtained communication contextual data, said electronic challenge message comprising a challenge to the first party, and

sending said electronic challenge message to the first terminal, in order to enable a decision to be made on how to process said first electronic message for the second terminal based on the correctness of an electronic response message received from the first terminal, which electronic response message includes a response to the challenge provided in the electronic challenge message.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein there are different types of challenge messages and the step of providing an electronic challenge message that is based on the obtained communication contextual data involves determining a challenge message type based on the obtained contextual data.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the communication contextual data comprises collected mobility data of the first terminal.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the communication contextual data comprises position data of the first terminal.

5. The method according to claim 3 or 4, wherein said collected activity data comprises movement data of the first terminal.

6. The method according to any of claims 3-5, wherein the step of providing an electronic challenge message that is based on the obtained communication contextual data involves selecting information for inclusion in the electronic challenge message based on said collected mobility data.

7. The method according to any previous claim, wherein the communication contextual data comprises challenge presentation capability defining data.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein at least some challenge presentation capability defining data relates to the challenge presentation capability of the first terminal.

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, comprising the step of providing the first terminal with presentation settings adapted to the challenge presentation capability of a presentation device to be used by the first terminal for presenting the challenge.

10. The method according to any of claims 7-9, wherein at least some challenge presentation capability defining data relates to a further terminal associated with the first party.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein said communication contextual data comprises data identifying a separate communication channel to said further terminal.

12. The method according to any previous claim, further comprising the step of receiving communication contextual data from the first terminal.

13. The method according to any previous claim further comprising the step of receiving communication contextual data from at least one communication contextual data providing node in the at least one communications network.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein one communication contextual data providing node is a mobility data collection node and the communication contextual data received from this mobility data collection node comprises radio network measurements regarding the first terminal.

15. The method according to claim 13 or 14, wherein one communication contextual data providing node is a communication contextual data storage node and the communication contextual data received from this communication contextual data storage node comprises data identifying previous challenges or types thereof and communications in relation to the first party or first terminal.

16. The method according to any previous claim, wherein the communication contextual data comprises session type identifying data.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the session type identifying data is included in the first electronic message.

18. The method according to any previous claim, comprising the step of receiving said electronic response message, determining the correctness of the response and treating the first electronic message according to policy rules provided for correct responses if the response is correct and otherwise treating the first electronic message according to policy rules provided for incorrect responses.

19. The method according to any previous claim, wherein the communication contextual data includes challenge preference data provided by the first party.

20. The method according to any previous claim, wherein the electronic challenge message is a message of the type completely automated public Turing-test to tell computers and humans apart (CAPTCHA).

21. A party challenging device for providing a challenge to a first terminal intending to communicate with a second terminal via at least one communication network and comprising:

at least one communication interface, and

a challenge providing unit configured to

receive a first electronic message concerning a transfer of media from the first terminal to the second terminal, said first electronic message being sent from the first terminal associated with a first party and being addressed to the second terminal,

obtain communication contextual data associated with the first party or the first terminal,

provide an electronic challenge message based on the obtained communication contextual data, said electronic challenge message comprising a challenge to the first party, and

send said electronic challenge message to the first terminal, in order to enable a decision to be made how to process said first electronic message for the second terminal based on the correctness of an electronic response message received from the first terminal, which electronic response message includes a response to the challenge provided in the electronic challenge message.

22. The device according to claim 21, where there are different types of electronic challenge messages and said challenge providing unit when providing an electronic challenge message that is based on the obtained communication contextual data is further configured to determine a challenge message type based on the obtained contextual data.

23. The device according to claim 21 or 22, wherein said challenge providing unit when providing an electronic challenge message that is based on the obtained communication contextual data is further configured to select information for inclusion in the electronic challenge message based on said communication contextual data.

24. The device according to any of claims 21-23, wherein said challenge providing unit is further configured to receive said electronic response message, determine the correctness of the response and treat the first electronic message according to policy rules provided for correct responses if the response is correct and otherwise treat the first electronic message according to policy rules provided for incorrect responses.

25. A computer program comprising computer program code which when run on a party challenging device for providing a challenge to a first terminal intending to communicate with a second terminal via at least one communication network, causes said party challenging device to:

receive a first electronic message concerning a transfer of media from the first terminal to the second terminal, said first electronic message being sent from the first terminal associated with a first party and being addressed to the second terminal,

obtain communication contextual data associated with the first party or the first terminal,

provide an electronic challenge message based on the obtained communication contextual data, said electronic challenge message including a challenge to the first party, and

send said electronic challenge message to the first terminal, in order to enable a decision to be made how to process said first electronic message for the second terminal based on the correctness of an electronic response message received from the first terminal, which electronic response message includes a response to the challenge provided in the electronic challenge message.

26. A computer program product comprising a computer program according to claim 25 and a computer readable means on which the computer program is stored.