METHODS AND SYSTEM FOR PASSIVE AUTHENTICATION THROUGH USER ATTRIBUTES

• US 20160063492A1
• Filed: 02/27/2015
• Published: 03/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NCR Voyix Corporation
• Original Assignee: NCR Corporation (NCR Voyix Corporation)
• Inventors: Kobres, Erick, Antonakakis, Stavros, Mulani, Ajay Gordhandas, Mishra, Ravi Prakash, Bhowmick, Suman Kumar
• Granted Patent: US 10,460,090 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/316 by observing the pattern of computer usage, e.g. typical user behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/206 comprising security or operator identification provisions, e.g. password entry
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/208 Input by product or record sensing, e.g. weighing or scanner processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/321 using wearable devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/401 Transaction verification
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40145 Biometric identity checks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4016 involving fraud or risk level assessment in transaction processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/172 Classification, e.g. identification
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/00 Speaker identification or verification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity 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 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/065 Continuous authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/33 using wearable devices, e.g. using a smartwatch or smart-glasses
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/40 Security arrangements using identity modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/50 : Secure pairing of devices

Abstract

Data is automatically collected; the data relevant to user attributes. That data is provided as factors for passive authenticating the user for access to a device and/or a resource. In an embodiment, the data is used to establish a profile or a pattern for the user.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

collecting, on a device, data relevant to attributes of a user; and

passively authenticating the user based on the data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein collecting further includes gathering the data during an automatically triggered interval of time.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein gathering further includes starting the interval of time upon detection of a starting event and ending the interval of time upon detection of an ending event.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein starting further includes identifying the starting event as initial handling by the user of a shopping apparatus and identifying the ending event as an initiation of a checkout transaction at a Point-Of-Sale (POS) terminal.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein collecting further includes continuously gathering and updating the data when the user accesses one or more predefined resources executing on the device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein collecting further includes maintaining a profile or a pattern for the user based on the data.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein maintaining further includes continuously updating the profile or the pattern based on new collected data relevant to the attributes of the user.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein collecting further includes automatically collecting the data based on user operation of an apparatus to which the device is attached.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein collecting further includes automatically collecting the data from sensors interfaced to the device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein automatically collecting further includes obtaining at least a portion of the data as a smell value from a smell sensor interfaced to the device.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein automatically collecting further includes obtaining at least a portion of the data as activity data from an activity sensor interfaced to the device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein passively authenticating further includes automatically providing the data from the device to a passive authentication system at a Point-Of-Sale (POS) terminal during a checkout operation for a transaction being conducted by the user at the POS terminal.

13. A method, comprising:

activating a monitor operation on a device based on actions of a user with respect to at least one resource associated with the device;

gathering data as output from the monitor operation, and wherein the data is relevant to the actions; and

maintaining a user attribute profile for the user in response to the data, and providing a current version of the user attribute profile on demand to passive authenticate the user.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein activating further includes detecting at least one action based on an event raised on the device when the user accesses the resource.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein activating receiving further includes detecting at least one action when a communication associated with the resource is detected on a monitored communication port associated with the device.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein gathering further includes obtaining metadata from an operating system of the device and updating the data to include the metadata.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein maintaining further includes gathering the output from the monitor operation based on multiple actions of the user with respect to multiple resources.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein maintaining further includes managing the user attribute profile based at least in part on one or more of:

a sequence with which the user performs the multiple actions with respect to each of the multiple resources and a time spent by the user in accessing each of the multiple resources.

19. A system, comprising:

a device;

a resource profiler configured to;

i) execute on the device, ii) gather data relevant to a manner in which a user operates a resource, iii) continuously provide the data to passively authenticate the user, and iv) maintain a user-attribute profile for the user based on the data.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the device is one of:

a mobile phone, a wearable processing device, a tablet, a laptop, a computer desktop, a Point-Of-Sale (POS) terminal, a Self-Service Terminal (SST), an Automated Teller Machine (ATM), an appliance, an attachable device attached to an apparatus operated by the user, and a vehicle.