PASSWORD MISMATCH WARNING METHOD AND APPARATUS

• US 20140137216A1
• Filed: 11/14/2012
• Published: 05/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Mohler, David S.
• Granted Patent: US 8,959,599 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/45 Structures or tools for the administration of authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0844 with user authentication or key authentication, e.g. ElGamal, MTI, MQV-Menezes-Qu-Vanstone protocol or Diffie-Hellman protocols using implicitly-certified keys
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/32 including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system or for message authentication, e.g. authorization, entity authentication, data integrity or data verification, non-repudiation, key authentication or verification of credentials

Abstract

Systems and methods for providing an authentication credential mismatch warning are disclosed. More particularly, at least one character from an authentication credential required to access a resource is recorded. When a user attempts to enter the required authentication credential, a mismatch warning can be generated if a monitored character is input incorrectly. The user can then revise the authentication credential input, prior to submitting the authentication credential to the resource.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

storing at least one character but less than all of the characters of a first authentication credential;

detecting a first attempt to enter the first authentication credential;

in response to detecting the first attempt to enter the first authentication credential, determining whether the at least one character is entered correctly;

in response to determining that the at least one character of the first authentication credential is not entered correctly, generating an alert signal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first authentication credential is a user name, a password, or a passphrase.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the at least one character of the first authentication credential is entered correctly includes determining whether a user has entered the at least one character in a character position in the first authentication credential that contains the at least one character.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the character position in the first authentication credential containing the at least one character is the first position.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein storing the at least one character of a first authentication credential includes associating the at least one character of the first authentication credential with a first resource.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

storing at least one character of a second authentication credential, wherein the first authentication credential is a first level authentication credential associated with the first resource, and wherein the second authentication credential is a second level authentication credential associated with the first resource.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

storing at least one character of a second authentication credential, wherein the first character of the first authentication credential is associated with a first resource, and wherein the first character of the second authentication credential is associated with a second resource.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

identifying the first resource, wherein detecting a first attempt to enter the first authentication credential includes identifying an attempt to enter the first authentication credential associated with the first resource.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

displaying the at least one character of the first authentication credential to a user.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

displaying the at least one character of the second authentication credential to the user.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to detecting a first attempt to enter the first authentication credential, performing a scan for malware, wherein the scan is performed prior to generating an alert signal.

12. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions, the computer executable instructions causing a processor to execute a method for providing an authentication credential mismatch warning, the computer executable instructions comprising:

instructions to maintain a record of less than all of the characters of at least a first authentication credential;

instructions to monitor authentication credential input;

instructions to compare the record of less than all of the characters of the first authentication credential to the authentication credential input to determine whether at least one character of the first authentication credential is entered correctly;

instructions to generate a warning in response to determining that the at least one character of the first authentication credential is not entered correctly.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12, wherein the at least one character of the first authentication credential is the first character of the first authentication credential.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 13, the computer executable instructions further comprising:

instructions to determine whether at least one character of a second authentication credential is entered correctly, wherein the at least one character of the second authentication credential is the second character of the second authentication credential.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the first authentication credential is a user name, and wherein the second authentication credential is a password.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12, the computer executable instructions further comprising:

instructions to identify a first selected resource, wherein the first authentication credential is associated with the first selected resource.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, the computer executable instructions further comprising:

instructions to display the at least one character of the first authentication credential associated with the first selected resource.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, the computer executable instructions further comprising:

instructions to display at least one character of a first authentication credential associated with a second resource.

19. A system for providing a warning of an authentication credential character mismatch, comprising:

memory;

an authentication credential character mismatch application stored in the memory;

authentication credential data stored in the memory, wherein the authentication credential data stored in memory includes at least one but less than all characters included in an authentication credential;

a user input;

a user output;

a processor, wherein the processor is operable to execute the authentication credential character mismatch application, wherein user input comprising at least one character of the authentication credential is monitored by the application, and wherein in response to a mismatch of the at least one character a mismatch warning is output.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising:

a first user device, wherein the processor and the memory are included in the first user device;

a server, wherein the authentication credential is associated with a website available through the server.