METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DISTINGUISHING HUMAN USERS FROM AUTOMATED AGENTS IN A COMPUTING ENVIRONMENT

• US 20200134159A1
• Filed: 03/16/2018
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Arkose Labs Holdings Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Arkose Labs Holdings Incorporated
• Inventors: Ford, Matthew Michael
• Granted Patent: US 11,416,599 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/36 by graphic or iconic representation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/46 by designing passwords or checking the strength of passwords
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2103 Challenge-response
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2133 Verifying human interaction, e.g., Captcha

Abstract

A method enables website providers to prohibit non-human users, such as programmed agents, from viewing their websites. According to a method for user authentication according to an embodiment, an authentication challenge is generated by a computing device, the authentication challenge including a number of challenge elements. The authentication challenge is presented to a user of a computing device and the user responds to the authentication challenge by selecting one or more challenge elements in accordance with an instruction provided to the user on how to complete the authentication challenge. The user is then notified whether they have successfully chosen the correct challenge element/s.

Claims

1-26. -26. (canceled)

27. A method for user authentication, the method comprising:

presenting an authentication challenge to a user of a computing device, the authentication challenge including a number of challenge elements;

receiving a response to the authentication challenge from the user, the response including a selection of one or more challenge elements in accordance with an instruction to the user on how to complete the authentication challenge;

wherein any challenge element that complies with the instruction comprises a visual indication of compliance;

notifying the user whether the selection of the one or more challenge elements correctly complied with the instruction; and

when the selection of the one or more challenge elements correctly complied with the instruction, allowing the user to perform a computer operation.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein any challenge element that fails to comply with the instruction comprises a visual indication of non-compliance.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the visual indication of compliance comprises a moving image that portrays one or more objects obeying the laws of gravity.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the visual indication of compliance comprises a correct moving image portraying one or more common objects falling from a top of a visible area of the respective challenge element to a bottom of the visible area of the respective challenge element, and

wherein the visual indication of non-compliance comprises an incorrect moving image portraying the one or more common objects falling in a direction that proceeds from a point other than the top of the visible area of the respective challenge element to a point other than the bottom of the visible area of the respective challenge element.

31. The method of claim 28, wherein the visual indication of compliance comprises a compliance image portraying an object that appears to be orientated upright.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the compliance image portrays multiple images in a stack, so that each image overlays another image so that the images are overlapping.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein the visual indication of non-compliance comprises a non-compliance image comprising the object in a position other than upright.

34. The method of claim 28, wherein the visual indication of compliance comprises a first image having a first visual property and a second image having a second visual property, the first image positioned relative to the second image.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the challenge instruction comprises a reference to a shape, the visual indication of compliance portrays the shape named in the instruction, and the visual indication of non-compliance portrays another shape different than the shape named in the instruction.

36. The method of claim 34, wherein the challenge instruction comprises a reference to a material, the visual indication of compliance portrays a first object made of the material named in the instruction, and the visual indication of non-compliance portrays a second object made of another material different than the material named in the instruction.

37. The method of claim 34, wherein the challenge instruction comprises a reference to a relative size property, the visual indication of compliance portrays the property named in the instruction, and the visual indication of non-compliance portrays another property different than the property named in the instruction.

38. The method of claim 34, wherein the challenge instruction comprises a position relative to another image, and the visual indication of compliance is in the position named in the instruction, and the visual indication of non-compliance is not in the position named in the instruction.

39. The method of claim 27, wherein the visual indication of compliance portrays a particular object that is moving through an area crowded with other objects, and at times the objects occlude or are occluded by each other, and at other times the objects appear to move into and out of areas of different light intensity.

40. The method of claim 27, wherein the visual indication of compliance comprises a moving image that portrays one or more avatars, and wherein at least one avatar is performing an activity.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein the moving image portrays a person performing the activity of committing an action that is commonly regarded in criminal law as illegal.

42. The method of claim 40, wherein each avatar in the moving image is rendered from a three-dimensional virtual object, and some of features of each three-dimensional virtual object are altered by one of a plurality of animations of the three-dimensional virtual object in a way that distorts a polygonal mesh of the three-dimensional virtual object over time.

43. The method of claim 27, wherein the visual indication of compliance comprises an image depicting an object, the object depicted in the form of a static or animated plurality of dots, in which the animated plurality of dots alternates between a shape resembling the object and a randomised arrangement.

44. The method of claim 43, wherein the plurality of dots comprises an animated image in which an overall form of the object remains detectable while the individual dots making up the image are in constant random motion.

45. The method of claim 27, wherein the visual indication of compliance comprises a moving image that portrays one or more objects interacting with each other in violation of a law of physics.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein the moving image portrays one or more objects colliding with one another and reacting in a way violating laws of physics of conservation of momentum.

47. The method of claim 27, wherein the authentication challenge comprises a reference image displaying an object, and wherein the visual indication of compliance portrays the object of the reference image rotated in a three-dimensional space.

48. The method of claim 27, wherein the visual indication of compliance portrays a face that appears to be looking at a virtual camera that is capturing the face.

49. The method of claim 27, wherein the visual indication of compliance comprises a simulated image of a class of natural phenomenon, the simulated image not classifiable by automated means, the simulated image classifiable by human skill.

50. The method of claim 49, wherein the instruction comprises a reference image, and the instruction instructs the user to select an image that portrays a same phenomenon shown in the reference image, and wherein a framing image contains multiple challenge elements within it, and, within the framing image, a correct challenge element that complies with the instruction portrays, by means of visual simulation, a natural phenomenon.

51. The method of claim 27, wherein a time to complete the authentication challenge is limited and predefined.

52. The method of claim 27, further comprising presenting a plurality of authentication challenges to the user, each authentication challenge being presented in sequence.

53. The method of claim 27, wherein the challenge elements include at least one of a plurality of visual components, a plurality of audio components, or a plurality of audio-visual components.

54. The method of claim 27, wherein the instruction comprises a direction for the user to move one or more of the challenge elements in such a way to make the one or more of the challenge elements go up, down, left, right, in, out, or to rotate around an axis.