PASSWORD RESET SYSTEM

• US 20140337946A1
• Filed: 07/28/2014
• Published: 11/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wells Fargo Bank NA (Wells Fargo & Company)
• Original Assignee: Wells Fargo Bank NA (Wells Fargo & Company)
• Inventors: Jancula, Jeffrey John, Porter, Charles William, Fix, Linda Lee
• Granted Patent: US 9,323,919 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/6
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/16 Combinations of two or more digital computers each having at least an arithmetic unit, a program unit and a register, e.g. for a simultaneous processing of several programs coordinating program control therefor G06F9/52; in regulating and control system G05B
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/41 where a single sign-on provides access to a plurality of computers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/46 by designing passwords or checking the strength of passwords

Abstract

A customer initiated password reset system resets user passwords on a variety of network entities, such as internal systems, allowing simultaneous reset with a minimum number of user specified passwords that nonetheless satisfy the password specifications of these internal systems. Thereby, the user avoids the tedium of logging into each of these systems, changing their password, logging out, etc., for each system with the likelihood of creating unique passwords for each system that have to be remembered. By further incorporating a score metric based upon how many character sets are touched, a required degree of complexity can be measured and enforced against the password specifications. Advantageously, a table-based approach to enforcing password reset against the multiple password specifications facilitates making and fielding updates.

Claims

1. A method for guiding a user to simultaneously reset a plurality of passwords, comprising:

accessing a first password specification for a first network entity;

accessing a second password specification for a second network entity;

determining an aggregate password specification that satisfies both the first and second password specification; and

prompting a user to input a new password that satisfies the aggregate password specification to reset both a first and second password for the first and second network entities respectively.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising assessing a measure of password strength by determining a number of character sets touched by the password specification.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising increasing the measure of password strength in proportion to password length.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising prompting the user by dynamically calculating a password strength of the new password as input by the user.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining an aggregate password specification by entering characteristics into a table record for each password specification and determining a most stringent entry for each respective characteristic.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising ignoring records for a password specification not accessible by the user.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising ignoring records for a password specification not selected by the user.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising entering characteristics selected from a group consisting of minimum password length, maximum password length, minimum number of numerals, and minimum number of symbols.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising entering characteristics for a minimum number of upper case letters and a minimum number of lower case letters.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising prompting the user by changing a depiction of a rule when satisfied as characters are entered by the user.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising prompting the user by changing a depiction of a rule when violated as characters are entered by the user.

22. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising the user interface prompting the user by changing a depiction of a rule when violated as characters are entered by the user.

12. An apparatus for guiding a user to simultaneously reset a plurality of passwords, comprising:

a password reset agent for accessing a first password specification for a first network entity and for accessing a second password specification for a second network entity;

a processing component for determining an aggregate password specification that satisfies both the first and second password specification; and

a user interface for prompting a user to input a new password that satisfies the aggregate password specification to reset both a first and second password for the first and second network entities respectively.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising assessing a measure of password strength by determining a number of character sets touched by the password specification.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising the processing component increasing the measure of password strength in proportion to password length.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, further comprising the user interface prompting the user by dynamically calculating a password strength of the new password as input by the user.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising the processing component determining an aggregate password specification by entering characteristics into a table record for each password specification and determining a most stringent entry for each respective characteristic.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising the processing component ignoring records for a password specification not accessible by the user.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising the processing component ignoring records for a password specification not selected by the user.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising the password reset agent entering characteristics selected from a group consisting of minimum password length, maximum password length, minimum number of numerals, and minimum number of symbols.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising entering characteristics for a minimum number of upper case letters and a minimum number of lower case letters.

21. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising the user interface prompting the user by changing a depiction of a rule when satisfied as characters are entered by the user.

23. An apparatus for guiding a user to simultaneously reset a plurality of passwords, comprising:

means for accessing a first password specification for a first network entity;

means for accessing a second password specification for a second network entity;

means for determining an aggregate password specification that satisfies both the first and second password specification; and

means for prompting a user to input a new password that satisfies the aggregate password specification to reset both a first and second password for the first and second network entities respectively.