IDENTITY AUTHENTICATION AND SECURED ACCESS SYSTEMS, COMPONENTS, AND METHODS

• US 20120066507A1
• Filed: 11/23/2011
• Published: 03/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Innovation Investments, LLC
• Original Assignee: Innovation Investments, LLC
• Inventors: JOBMANN, Brian C.
• Granted Patent: US 8,275,995 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/186
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/34 involving the use of external additional devices, e.g. dongles or smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/62 Protecting access to data via a platform, e.g. using keys or access control rules
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2107 File encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/80 Wireless network architectures or network communication protocols for wireless network security H04W12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/082 applying multi-factor authentication cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system or for message authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0853 using an additional device, e.g. smartcard, SIM or a different communication terminal cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving additional secure or trusted devices H04L9/3234
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0861 using biometrical features, e.g. fingerprint, retina-scan cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using biological data H04L9/3231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0866 involving user or device identifiers, e.g. serial number, physical or biometrical information, DNA, hand-signature or measurable physical characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3231 Biological data, e.g. fingerprint, voice or retina network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using biometrical features in a packet data network H04L63/0861
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3234 involving additional secure or trusted devices, e.g. TPM, smartcard, USB or software token network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using an additional device in a packet data network H04L63/0853
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/068 using credential vaults, e.g. password manager applications or one time password [OTP] applications

Abstract

Security tokens contain data that is each uniquely encrypted based on a unique biometric identifier of an authorized user of that token. Decoders receive the token and the user'"'"'s biometric identifier, convert the biometric identifier to a biometric key, and apply the biometric key to decrypt the token. In this way, the decoders authenticate the users without performing a biometric identifier comparison. In some embodiments pieces or sets of the data are stored in designated data compartments, which are individually encrypted based on authority keys, and all of the encrypted data compartments are collectively encrypted based on the biometric key to create the token. The decoders store only the authority keys corresponding to the data compartments which they have authorization to open. In addition, in some embodiments the token and the biometric identifier are encrypted and sent to a remote authentication server for decryption of the token.

Claims

1. An identity authentication system for one or more users, the system comprising:

at least one credential issued to one of the users, wherein the credential includes a security token comprising data encrypted by encryption software with a cryptographic algorithm and encrypted based on a biometric key that is generated from a biometric identifier of the user; and

at least one decoder including a token interface device, a biometric input device, and a network interface device, and having access to encryption software with the cryptographic algorithm, wherein the biometric input device receives the biometric identifier from the user, the token interface device receives the token from the user credential, the network interface device requests and receives an OTK, the encryption software applies the cryptographic algorithm and the OTK to encrypt the token and the biometric key into a package, and the network interface device transmits the encrypted package; and

an authentication server including a network interface device, OTK generation software, conversion software, and decryption software with the cryptographic algorithm, wherein the network interface device receives the OTK request, the OTK generation software generates the OTK, the network interface device sends the OTK to the decoder and receives the encrypted package from the decoder, the conversion software converts the biometric identifier to the biometric key, and the decryption software applies the cryptographic algorithm and the biometric key to the token to decrypt and thereby open the token, wherein the token is only openable upon the user presenting the biometric identifier used to encrypt the token so that opening the token authenticates the user, and wherein the token is only openable upon the simultaneous presence of the token, the biometric identifier used to encrypt the token, and the authentication server with the decryption software including the cryptographic algorithm.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the token includes at least one data compartment storing the data, the data compartment is encrypted by the same or different encryption software and encrypted based on at least one authority key.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the authentication server has access to the at least one authority key, wherein after opening the token the authentication server applies the decryption software and the at least one authority key to open the data compartment.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the token encryption and the data compartment encryption are based on at least two biometric keys generated from the same or a different biometric identifier of the user.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the authentication server generates the at least two biometric keys from the same or the different biometric identifier, and the authentication server has access to the at least one authority key, wherein after opening the token with a first one of the biometric keys the authentication server applies the decryption software, the at least one authority key, and a second one of the biometric keys to open the data compartment.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the token includes a plurality of data compartments each able to store one piece or set of the data and each encrypted by the same or different encryption software and encrypted based on at least one of a plurality of authority keys, the data compartments are collectively encrypted based on the biometric key to form the token.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the authentication server has access to at least one of the authority keys, wherein after opening the token the authentication server applies the same or different decryption software and its at least one authority key to open the data compartment corresponding to its at least one authority key, and wherein the authentication server cannot open any of the data compartments for which it does not have access to the corresponding authority key.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the authentication server is located remotely from the decoder for remote authentication applications.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the decoder includes copies of the decryption software, the conversion software, and the authority keys for local authentication applications.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising a set-up workstation including at least one biometric input device, at least one token interface device, conversion software, and the encryption software with the cryptographic algorithm, wherein the biometric input device receives the biometric identifier from the user, the conversion software converts the biometric identifier to the biometric key, the encryption software applies the cryptographic algorithm and the biometric key to encrypt the data to form the token, and the token interface device transfers the token to the credential.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the set-up workstation has access to at least one authority key, encrypts at least a portion of the data in a data compartment of the token based on the authority key, and then encrypts the data compartment of the token based on the biometric key.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the credential is a network access credential and the token includes user identification information.

13. An authentication server for opening a security token of a credential of a user, the system comprising:

a network interface device;

OTK generation software that is operable to generate an OTK;

conversion software that is operable to convert biometric identifiers to biometric keys; and

decryption software with a cryptographic algorithm,

wherein the OTK generation software generates a OTK, the network interface device sends the OTK to a decoder and receives an encrypted package from the decoder, the conversion software converts the biometric identifier to the biometric key, and the decryption software applies the cryptographic algorithm and the biometric key to the token to decrypt and thereby open the token, wherein the token is only openable upon the user presenting the biometric identifier used to encrypt the token so that opening the token authenticates the user, and wherein the token is only openable upon the simultaneous presence of the token, the biometric identifier used to encrypt the token, and the authentication server with the decryption software including the cryptographic algorithm.

14. The authentication server of claim 13, wherein the token includes at least one data compartment storing the data, the data compartment is encrypted by the same or different encryption software and encrypted based on at least one authority key, and the authentication server has access to the at least one authority key, wherein after opening the token the authentication server applies the decryption software and the at least one authority key to open the data compartment.

15. The authentication server of claim 14, wherein the token encryption and the data compartment encryption are based on at least two biometric keys generated from the same or a different biometric identifier of the user, and the authentication server generates the at least two biometric keys from the same or the different biometric identifier, wherein the authentication server has access to the at least one authority key, wherein after opening the token with a first one of the biometric keys the authentication server applies the decryption software, the at least one authority key, and a second one of the biometric keys to open the data compartment.

16. The authentication server of claim 13, wherein the token includes a plurality of data compartments each able to store one piece or set of the data and each encrypted by the same or different encryption software and encrypted based on at least one of a plurality of authority keys, and wherein the data compartments are collectively encrypted based on the biometric key to form the token.

17. The authentication server of claim 13, wherein the authentication server has access to at least one of the authority keys, wherein after opening the token the authentication server applies the same or different decryption software and its at least one authority key to open the data compartment of the token corresponding to its at least one authority key, and wherein the authentication server cannot open any of the data compartments of the token for which it does not have access to the corresponding authority key.

18. The authentication server of claim 13, wherein the cryptographic algorithm of the decryption software is the same as that used to encrypt data based on the biometric key to create the token.

19. A method of authenticating the identity of a user with a security token comprising data encrypted based on a biometric key that is based on a biometric identifier of the user, the method comprising:

receiving from a decoder a request for an OTK;

generating the OTK and sending it to the decoder;

receiving from the decoder a package that includes the token and the biometric key and that is encrypted based on the OTK;

decrypting the encrypted package using the OTK to access the token and the biometric identifier;

converting, via conversion software, the biometric identifier to the biometric key; and

decrypting, via decryption software with a cryptographic algorithm, the token using the biometric key to open the token, wherein the decryption software applies the cryptographic algorithm and the biometric key to the token to decrypt and thereby open the token, wherein the token is only openable upon the user presenting the biometric identifier used to encrypt the token so that opening the token authenticates the user, and wherein the token is only openable upon the simultaneous presence of the token, the biometric identifier used to encrypt the token, and the authentication server with the decryption software including the cryptographic algorithm.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the token includes at least one data compartment storing the data and encrypted based on at least one authority key, and further comprising:

accessing the at least one authority key;

decrypting the data compartment using the at least one authority key after decrypting the token using the biometric key.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the step of decrypting the data compartment includes decrypting the data compartment using the at least one authority key and using a second biometric key generated from the same or a different biometric identifier of the user.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the token includes a plurality of data compartments each storing a portion of the data and each encrypted based on at least one of a plurality of authority keys, and further comprising:

accessing the authority keys;

decrypting the data compartments using the authority keys after decrypting the token using the biometric key.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of decrypting the token using the biometric key to open the token comprises applying a cryptographic algorithm that is the same as that used to encrypt data based on the biometric key to create the token.