Incorporating password change policy into a single sign-on environment

• US 7,260,838 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2000
• Issued: 08/21/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trend Micro Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bones, Robert Delee, Cohen, Richard Jay, Kallfelz, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Revak, Christopher
• Assistant Examiner(s): HENNING, MATTHEW T
• Application Number:
  US09/740,400
• Publication Number:
  US 20020078386A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,437 Days
• Field of Search: 726/6, 726/8
• US Class Current: 726/8
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/41 where a single sign-on provides access to a plurality of computers

Abstract

Method, instructions and system for establishing and enforcing change password policy in a single sign-on environment. In response to receiving a change instruction identifying a first single sign-on password, the first single sign-on password is changed to create a second single sign-on password. Then a target password is retrieved. The target password is modified in a user selected manner to match the second single sign-on password to create a modified target password. The modified target password is stored. In response to a request from a user requesting access to an application, the modified target password is retrieved and the modified target password is provided to the requested application.

Claims

1. A method in a data processing system for changing a plurality of target passwords in a single sign-on environment, comprising the steps of:

in response to receiving a change instruction identifying a first single sign-on password, changing the first single sign-on password to create a second single sign-on password;

retrieving a target password; and

modifying the target password in a user selected manner to match the second single sign-on password to create a modified target password.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

storing the modified target password;

responsive to a request from a user requesting access to an application, retrieving the modified target password; and

providing the changed target password to the requested application.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting the modified target password to a client.

4. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the requested application is located at a client.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the user is prompted to modify the target password from a menu of possible target password modification methods.

6. The method in claim 5, wherein one of the possible target password modification methods is a common password source.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the common password source is the second single sign-on password.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein one of the possible target password modification methods is a user supplied source.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein one of the possible target password modification methods is a random supplied source.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the random supplied source is from a server.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining a password policy; and

applying the password policy to generate random passwords.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the password policy is a user level password policy.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the password policy is an organizational level password policy.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the password policy is a cell level password policy.

15. The method of claim 5, wherein the menu of possible target password modification methods is in a graphical user interface.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to a determination that a target password has been retrieved;

determining a change target password policy; and

applying the change target password policy to modify the target password to match the second single sign-on password to create the modified target password.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the change target password policy is applied at a user level.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the change target password policy is applied at an organizational level.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the change target password policy is applied at a cell level.

20. A computer program product in a computer storage medium having a first computer readable program for use in a data processing system for changing a plurality of target passwords in a single sign-on environment, the computer program product comprising:

first instructions for, in response to receiving a change instruction identifying a first single sign-on password, changing the first single sign-on password to create a second single sign-on password;

second instructions for retrieving a target password; and

third instructions for modifying the target password in a user selected manner to match the second single sign-on password to create a modified target password.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, further comprising:

fourth instructions storing the modified target password;

fifth instructions, responsive to a request from a user requesting access to an application, for retrieving the modified target password; and

sixth instructions, responsive to the fifth instructions, for providing the modified target password to the requested application.

22. The computer program product as recited in claim 21, wherein the requested application is located at a client.

23. The computer program product as recited in claim 20, further comprising:

fourth instructions for transmitting the modified target password to a client.

24. The computer program product as recited in claim 20, wherein the user is prompted to modify the target password from a menu of possible target password modification methods.

25. The computer program product as recited in claim 24, wherein one of the possible target password modification methods is a common password source.

26. The computer program product as recited in claim 25, wherein the common password source is the second single sign-on password.

27. The computer program product as recited in claim 24, wherein one of the possible target password modification methods is a user supplied source.

28. The computer program product as recited in claim 24, wherein one of the possible target password modification methods is a random supplied source.

29. The computer program product as recited in claim 28, wherein the random supplied source is from a server.

30. The computer program product as recited in claim 28, further comprising:

fourth instructions for determining a password policy; and

fifth instructions, responsive to the fourth instructions, for applying the password policy to generate random passwords.

31. The computer program product as recited in claim 30, wherein the password policy is a user level password policy.

32. The computer program product as recited in claim 30, wherein the password policy is an organizational password policy.

33. The computer program product as recited in claim 30, wherein the password policy cell level password policy.

34. The computer program product as recited in claim 24, wherein the menu of possible target password modification methods is in a graphical user interface.

35. The computer program product as recited in claim 20, further comprising:

fourth instructions for, responsive to a determination that a target password has been retrieved, determining a change target password policy; and

fifth instructions for, responsive to the fourth instructions, applying the change target password policy to modify the target password to match the second single sign-on password to create the modified target password.

36. The computer program product as recited in claim 35, wherein the change target password policy is applied at a user level.

37. The computer program product as recited in claim 35, wherein the change target password policy is applied at an organizational level.

38. The computer program product as recited in claim 35, wherein the change target password policy is applied at a cell level.

39. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the computer storage medium further comprises a second computer readable program, wherein the second computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to transmit the first computer readable program over a communication link.

40. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the first computer readable program is transmitted over a communication link.

41. A system for changing a target password in a single sign-on environment, comprising:

in response to receiving a change instruction identifying a first single sign-on password, means for changing the first single sign-on password to create a second single sign-on password;

means for retrieving a target password; and

means for modifying the target password in a user selected manner to match the second single sign-on password to create a modified target password.

42. The system as recited in claim 41, further comprising:

means for storing the modified target password;

responsive to a request from a user requesting access to an application, means for retrieving the modified target password; and

means for providing the modified target password to the requested application.

43. The system as recited in claim 42, wherein the requested application is located at a client.

44. The system as recited in claim 41, further comprising:

transmitting the modified target password to a client.

45. The system as recited in claim 41, wherein the user is prompted to modify the target password from a menu of possible target password modification methods.

46. The system as recited in claim 45, wherein one of the possible target password modification methods is a common password source.

47. The system as recited in claim 46, wherein the common password source is the second single sign-on password.

48. The system as recited in claim 45, wherein one of the possible target password modification methods is a user supplied source.

49. The system as recited in claim 45, wherein one of the possible target password modification methods is a random supplied source.

50. The system as recited in claim 49, wherein the random supplied source is from a server.

51. The system as recited in claim 49 further comprising:

means for determining a password policy; and

means for applying the password policy to generate random passwords.

52. The system as recited in claim 51, wherein the password policy is a user level password policy.

53. The system as recited in claim 51, wherein the password policy is an organizational level password policy.

54. The system as recited in claim 51, wherein the password policy is a cell level password policy.

55. The system as recited in claim 45, wherein the menu of possible target password modification methods is in a graphical user interface.

56. The system as recited in claim 41, further comprising:

responsive to a determination that a target password has been retrieved, means for determining a change target password policy; and

responsive to the means for determining a change target password policy, means for applying the change target password policy to modify the target password to match the second single sign-on password to create the modified target password.

57. The system as recited in claim 56, wherein the change target password policy is applied at a user level.

58. The system as recited in claim 56, wherein the change target password policy is applied at an organizational level.

59. The system as recited in claim 56, wherein the change target password policy is applied at a cell level.