Orderly Change Between New And Old Passwords

• US 20120060213A1
• Filed: 09/03/2010
• Published: 03/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation, ServiceNow Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Childress, Rhonda L., Goldberg, Itzhack, Haugh, Julianne F.
• Granted Patent: US 8,607,330 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/18
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication

Abstract

A processor stores a current password in a current password storage area, which results in committing the current password as a valid password. In turn, the processor initiates a password change interval that indicates a required point at which to change the current password. The processor also stores a future password in a future password storage area, which activates the future password. Activating the future password allows a user to login using the future password, but is independent of the password change interval (e.g., does not reset the password change interval). The processor subsequently receives a login request from a user that includes a login password, and determines that the login password matches the future password. As a result, the processor authorizes the user in response to determining that the login password matches the future password.

Claims

1. A machine-implemented method comprising:

storing, by a processor, a current password in a current password storage area, wherein storing the current password results in committing the current password;

initiating, by the processor, a password change interval in response to committing the current password, the password change interval indicating a required point at which to change the current password;

storing, by the processor, a future password in a future password storage area, wherein storing the future password results in activating the future password, and wherein activating the future password is independent of resetting the password change interval;

receiving a login request that includes a login password corresponding to a user;

determining, by the processor, that the login password matches the future password; and

authorizing, by the processor, the user in response to determining that the login password matches the future password.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

incrementing a future password pass counter in response to the authorizing;

determining whether the future password pass counter reaches a threshold; and

indicating, by the processor, to change the current password in response

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a subsequent future password from a user;

validating the subsequent future password against one or more password criteria requirements;

replacing the future password with the subsequent future password in the future password storage area in response to validating the future password; and

wherein the validation of the subsequent future password is independent from resetting the password change interval.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein, in response to the password change interval indicating to change the current password, the method further comprises:

storing the future password in the current password storage area;

clearing the future password storage area; and

resetting the password change interval.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

invalidating the current password in response to changing the current password.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein each of a plurality of applications correspond to one of a plurality of password change interval trackers, each of the one of the plurality of password change interval trackers tracking a corresponding current password and a corresponding future password, the method further comprising:

receiving a password change request from a centralized password manager at each of the plurality of password change interval trackers; and

replacing, by each of the plurality of password change interval trackers, their corresponding current password with their corresponding future password.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a request from the user to change the current password; and

in response to receiving the request from the user to change the current password;

storing the future password in the current password storage area;

clearing the future password storage area; and

resetting the password change interval.

8. An information handling system comprising:

one or more processors;

a memory accessible by at least one of the processors;

a set of instructions stored in the memory and executed by at least one of the processors in order to perform actions of;

storing a current password in a current password storage area, wherein storing the current password results in committing the current password;

initiating a password change interval in response to committing the current password, the password change interval indicating a required point at which to change the current password;

storing a future password in a future password storage area, wherein storing the future password results in activating the future password, and wherein activating the future password is independent from resetting the password change interval;

receiving a login request that includes a login password corresponding to a user;

determining that the login password matches the future password; and

authorizing the user in response to determining that the login password matches the future password.

9. The information handling system of claim 8 wherein the set of instructions, when executed by one of the processors, further performs actions of:

incrementing a future password pass counter in response to the authorizing;

determining whether the future password pass counter reaches a threshold; and

indicating, by the processor, to change the current password in response to the future password pass counter reaching the threshold.

10. The information handling system of claim 8 wherein the set of instructions, when executed by one of the processors, further performs actions of:

receiving a subsequent future password from a user;

validating the subsequent future password against one or more password criteria requirements;

replacing the future password with the subsequent future password in the future password storage area in response to validating the future password; and

wherein the validation of the subsequent future password is independent from resetting the password change interval.

11. The information handling system of claim 8 wherein, in response to the password change interval indicating to change the current password, the set of instructions, when executed by one of the processors, further performs actions of:

storing the future password in the current password storage area;

clearing the future password storage area; and

resetting the password change interval.

12. The information handling system of claim 11 wherein the set of instructions, when executed by one of the processors, further performs actions of:

invalidating the current password in response to changing the current password.

13. The information handling system of claim 11 wherein each of a plurality of applications correspond to one of a plurality of password change interval trackers, each of the one of the plurality of password change interval trackers tracking a corresponding current password and a corresponding future password, and wherein the set of instructions, when executed by one of the processors, further performs actions of:

receiving a password change request from a centralized password manager at each of the plurality of password change interval trackers; and

replacing, by each of the plurality of password change interval trackers, their corresponding current password with their corresponding future password.

14. The information handling system of claim 8 wherein the set of instructions, when executed by one of the processors, further performs actions of:

receiving a request from the user to change the current password; and

in response to receiving the request from the user to change the current password;

storing the future password in the current password storage area;

clearing the future password storage area; and

resetting the password change interval.

15. A computer program product stored in a non-transitory computer readable medium, comprising functional descriptive material that, when executed by an information handling system, causes the information handling system to perform actions that include:

storing a current password in a current password storage area, wherein storing the current password results in committing the current password;

initiating a password change interval in response to committing the current password, the password change interval indicating a required point at which to change the current password;

storing a future password in a future password storage area, wherein storing the future password results in activating the future password, and wherein activating the future password is independent from resetting the password change interval;

receiving a login request that includes a login password corresponding to a user;

determining that the login password matches the future password; and

authorizing the user in response to determining that the login password matches the future password.

16. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the functional descriptive material that, when executed by the information handling system, causes the information handling system to further perform actions that include:

incrementing a future password pass counter in response to the authorizing;

determining whether the future password pass counter reaches a threshold; and

indicating, by the processor, to change the current password in response to the future password pass counter reaching the threshold.

17. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the functional descriptive material that, when executed by the information handling system, causes the information handling system to further perform actions that include:

receiving a subsequent future password from a user;

validating the subsequent future password against one or more password criteria requirements;

replacing the future password with the subsequent future password in the future password storage area in response to validating the future password; and

wherein the validation of the subsequent future password is independent from resetting the password change interval.

18. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein, in response to the password change interval indicating to change the current password, the functional descriptive material that, when executed by the information handling system, causes the information handling system to further perform actions that include:

storing the future password in the current password storage area;

clearing the future password storage area; and

resetting the password change interval.

19. The computer program product of claim 18 wherein the functional descriptive material that, when executed by the information handling system, causes the information handling system to further perform actions that include:

invalidating the current password in response to changing the current password.

20. The computer program product of claim 18 wherein each of a plurality of applications correspond to one of a plurality of password change interval trackers, each of the one of the plurality of password change interval trackers tracking a corresponding current password and a corresponding future password, the functional descriptive material that, when executed by the information handling system, causes the information handling system to further perform actions that include:

receiving a password change request from a centralized password manager at each of the plurality of password change interval trackers; and

replacing, by each of the plurality of password change interval trackers, their corresponding current password with their corresponding future password.