Method and apparatus for establishing a protected channel between a user and a computer system
First Claim
1. Apparatus for establishing a protected channel between a user and a computer system in response to a user request, the computer system having a memory, a display device and an input device, the apparatus comprising:
- means responsive to the user request for generating an entry screen display which requests information to be entered by the user on the input device;
means for storing information unique to the user in the memory in a manner in which the unique information cannot be obtained by persons other than the user; and
means responsive to the information stored in the memory for generating an identifying graphic display which is distinct for the user along with the entry screen display.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
In order to establish a protected channel between a user and a software program running on a computer system, a graphic display unique to the user is displayed along with the normal information entry graphics. A foreign program which might duplicate the overall appearance of the entry graphics cannot display the unique visual display which would appear on the legitimate entry screen of a particular user. Thus, a user looking at his entry screen can tell by the visual display whether the entry screen has been generated by a legitimate program or by a foreign impostor program. Further, since it might be possible for an unauthorized person to surreptitiously observe the unique display pattern on the entry screen of an authorized user, to increase security, a program constructed according to the principles of the invention, changes the visual display as information is entered based on the partially entered information. Thus, even if an unauthorized person should oversee the entry of the information by an authorized user, memorize the display and incorporate the display in an impostor program, the impostor program would be unable to duplicate the sequence of visual displays which occurs during the entry of the information because the information itself is unknown.
119 Citations
21 Claims
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1. Apparatus for establishing a protected channel between a user and a computer system in response to a user request, the computer system having a memory, a display device and an input device, the apparatus comprising:
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means responsive to the user request for generating an entry screen display which requests information to be entered by the user on the input device; means for storing information unique to the user in the memory in a manner in which the unique information cannot be obtained by persons other than the user; and means responsive to the information stored in the memory for generating an identifying graphic display which is distinct for the user along with the entry screen display. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. Apparatus for establishing a protected channel between a user and a computer system during the entry of a password by a user, the computer system having a memory, an application program running in the memory, a display device and an input device, the apparatus comprising:
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means controlled by the application program for generating an entry screen display which requests password characters to be entered by the user on the input device; means for storing an ID code unique to the user in the memory in a manner in which the ID code cannot be obtained by persons other than the user; and means responsive to the ID code for generating a graphic display pattern which is distinct for the user as part of the entry screen display. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method for establishing a protected channel between a user and a computer system in response to a user request, the computer system having a memory, a display device and an input device, the method comprising the steps of:
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A. generating an entry screen display which requests information to be entered by the user on the input device; B. storing information unique to the user in the memory in a manner in which the unique information cannot be obtained by persons other than the user; and C. generating an identifying graphic display based on the unique information which identifying graphic display is distinct for the user along with the entry screen display. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A computer program product for establishing a protected channel between a user and a computer system in response to a user request, the computer system having a memory, a display device and an input device, the computer program product comprising:
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a computer useable medium comprising; means responsive to the user request for generating an entry screen display which requests information to be entered by the user on the input device; means for storing information unique to the user in the memory in a manner in which the unique information cannot be obtained by persons other than the user; and means responsive to the information stored in the memory for generating an identifying graphic display which is distinct for the user along with the entry screen display.
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Specification