Simple secure login with multiple-authentication providers

• US 7,228,417 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2002
• Issued: 06/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: America Online Inc. (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.)
• Inventors: Roskind, James
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu; Kim
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHAW, YIN CHEN
• Application Number:
  US10/291,281
• Publication Number:
  US 20030163737A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,671 Days
• Field of Search: 713/150, 713182-185, 713/168, 713/176, 726 2- 3, 726/5, 726/8, 726/9, 380/255, 709/219, 709/225
• US Class Current: 713/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2151 Time stamp
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/102 applying security measure for e-commerce data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for e-commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0815 providing single-sign-on or federations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3226 using a predetermined code, e.g. password, passphrase or PIN network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using passwords in a packet data network H04L63/083
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3236 using cryptographic hash functions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3271 using challenge-response

Abstract

A secure distributed single-login authentication system comprises a client and a server. The client collects a user name and password from a user and tests that user name and password at a variety of potential authentication servers to check where the login is valid. It combines the password with a time varying salt and a service specific seed in a message digesting hash and generates a first hash value. The client sends the hash value along with the user name and the time varying salt to a currently selected server. The server extracts the user name and looks up an entry under the user name from the selected server'"'"'s database. If an entry is found, it retrieves the password and performs the same hash function on the combination of the user name, the service specific seed, and the retrieved password to generate a second hash value. Then, it compares two hash values. If these two values match, the user is authenticated. In this way, the system never sufficiently reveals the password to authentication agents that might abuse the information.

Claims

1. In a computerized network comprising at least one client and a plurality of authentication servers, said client and said authentication servers being communicatively coupled to each other via a global telecommunications network, a method for providing distributed authentication service comprising said steps of:

(a) taking and parsing, by said client, an entered user name and password;

(b) generating a time stamp;

(c) selecting an authentication server from a list of authentication servers;

(d) combining said password and a service specific seed unique to an authentication server selected from said list of authentication servers;

(e) applying a hash algorithm to said combination and said time stamp to generate a first hash value;

(f) finding an address representing said selected authentication server;

(g) sending a data packet to said selected authentication server, said data packet comprising said first hash value, said user name, and said time stamp;

(h) extracting said first hash value, said user name, and said time stamp from said data packet received from said client;

(i) checking whether an entry under said user name is available in said selected authentication server'"'"'s database;

(j) if no entry under said user name is found, then returning a failure message to said client and repeating steps (b) to (g) for a next selected authentication server;

(k) if an entry under said user name is found, then retrieving said user'"'"'s password;

(l) combining said time stamp, said retrieved password, and said service specific seed unique to said selected authentication server;

(m) applying said hash algorithm to said combination from Step (l) to generate a second hash value;

(n) comparing said first hash value and said second hash value;

(o) if said first hash value and said second hash value do not match, then returning a failure message to said client and repeating steps (b) to (g) for a next selected authentication server;

(p) if said first hash value and said second hash value match, then returning a successful authentication message to said client;

(q) caching and distributing said positive authentication result; and

(r) when said entire list has been tested and no one authenticates said user, then resulting in authentication failure.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said hash algorithm is a message digesting (MD) algorithm or its equivalent.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said service specific seed is a domain name of said selected authentication server.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein Step (f) further comprising said steps of:

(s) looking up a local mapping list; and

(t) if Step (s) fails, consulting to a domain name system (DNS).

5. In a computerized network which is registered with a unique domain name, said network comprising at least one orient and a plurality of authentication servers, said client and said authentication servers being communicatively coupled to each other via a global telecommunications network, each of said authentication servers having a fully qualified domain name which is a local host name with said unique domain name appended, a method for providing distilbuted authentication service, wherein a given user enters a global user identification (GUID) and a password for authentication to be carried out at a target authentication server, said GUID comprising a user name, a delimitation symbol, and a domain which is same as said local host name of said target authentication server, said method comprising said steps of:

(a) parsing, by said client, an entered GUID and password;

(b) generating a time stamp;

(c) extracting said user name from said GUID;

(d) extracting a domain from said GUID;

(e) combining said password and a service specific seed unique to said target authentication server;

(f) applying a hash algorithm to said combination and said time stamp to generate a first hash value;

(g) appending a unique domain name to said domain to form a fully qualified domain name (FQDN) for said target authentication server;

(h) looking up said FQDN from a local mapping list to obtain an address representing said target authentication server;

(i) if Step (h) fails, looking up said FQDN in a domain name system (DNS) to obtain an address representing said target authentication server;

(j) sending a data packet to said target authentication server, said data packet comprising said first hash value, said user name, and said time stamp;

(k) extracting said first hash value, said user name, and said time stamp from said data packet received from said client;

(l) checking whether an entry under said user name is available in said target authentication server'"'"'s database;

(m) if no entry under said user name is found, then returning a failure message to said client;

(n) if an entry under said user name is found, then retrieving said user'"'"'s password;

(o) combining said time stamp, said retrieved password and said service specific seed unique to said target authentication server;

(p) applying said hash algorithm to said combination from Step (o) to generate a second hash value;

(q) comparing said first hash value and said second hash value;

(r) if said first hash value and said second hash value do not match, then returning a failure message to said client;

(s) if said first hash value and said second hash value match, then returning a successful authentication message to said client; and

(t) caching and distributing said positive authentication result.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising said step of:

if Step (i) fails or if a failure message is returned from Step (m) or Step (r),

automatically mapping to a default server which carries out authentication on said user'"'"'s authentication request.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein said hash algorithm is a message digesting (MD) algorithm or its equivalent.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein said service specific seed is a domain name of said target authentication server.

9. In a computerized network comprising at least one client end a plurality of authentication servers, said client and said authentication servers being communicatively coupled to each other via a global telecommunications network, a method fur providing distributed authentication service comprising said steps of:

(1) parsing a user'"'"'s login information which includes a user ID and a password;

(2) if said entered user ID is a global user ID (GUID), proceeding to process A; and

(3) if said entered user ID is a regular user name, proceeding to process B; and

wherein said process A comprising said steps of;

(a) generating a time stamp;

(b) extracting said user'"'"'s user name and a domain from said GUID;

(c) combining said password and a service specific seed unique to a target authentication server identified by said domain of said GUID;

(d) applying a hash algorithm to said combination and said time stamp to generate a first hash value;

(e) finding an IP address for said target authentication server;

(f) sending a data packet to said target authentication server, said data packet comprising said first hash value, said user name, and said time stamp;

(g) extracting said first hash value, said user name, and said time stamp from said data packet received from said client;

(h) checking whether an entry under said user name is available in said target authentication servers database;

(i) if no entry under said user name is found, then returning a failure message to said client;

(j) if an entry under said user name is found, then retrieving said user'"'"'s password;

(k) combining said time stamp, said retrieved password, and said service specific seed unique to said target authentication server;

(l) applying said hash algorithm to said combination from Step (k) to generate a second hash value;

(m) comparing said first hash value and said second hash value;

(n) if said first hash value and said second hash value do not match, then returning a failure message to said client;

(o) if said first hash value and said second hash value match, then returning a successful authentication message to said client; and

(p) caching and distributing said positive authentication result; and

wherein said process B comprising said steps of;

(aa) generating a time stamp;

(bb) selecting an authentication server from a list of authentication servers;

(cc) combining said password and a service specific seed unique to an authentication server selected from said list of authentication servers;

(dd) applying a hash algorithm to said combination and said time stamp to generate a first hash value;

(ee) finding an IP address representing said currently selected authentication server;

(ff) sending a data packet to said currently selected authentication server, said data packet comprising said first hash value, said user name, and said time stamp;

(gg) extracting said first hush value, said user name, and said time stamp from said date packet received from said client;

(hh) checking whether an entry under said user name is available in said currently selected authentication server'"'"'s database;

(ii) if no entry under said user name is found, then returning a failure message to said client and repeating steps (aa) to (if) for a next selected authentication server;

(jj) if an entry under said user name is found, then retrieving said user'"'"'s password;

(kk) combining said time stamp, said retrieved password and said service specific seed unique to said currently selected authentication server;

(ll) applying said hash algorithm to said combination from Step (kk) to generate a second hash value;

(mm) comparing said first hash value and said second hash value;

(nn) if said first hash value and said second hash value do not match, then returning a failure message to said client and repeating steps (aa) to (ff) for a next selected authentication server;

(oo) if said first hash value and said second hash value match, then returning a successful authentication message to said client; and

(pp) caching and distributing said positive authentication result.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said hash algorithm is a message digesting (MD) algorithm or its equivalent.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein any of Step (e) and Step (ee) further comprising said steps of:

(q) looking up a local mapping list; and

(r) if Step (q) fails, consulting to a domain name system (DNS).