Method and software for migrating protected authentication data

• US 8,027,921 B1
• Filed: 02/13/2002
• Issued: 09/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Kuruvalli, Bharath, Boydstun, Kenneth Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): Hewitt, II; Calvin Loyd
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHERR, CRISTINA O
• Application Number:
  US10/075,336
• Time in Patent Office: 3,513 Days
• Field of Search: 705 51- 67
• US Class Current: 705/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2103 Challenge-response
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3674 involving authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1025 Identification of user by a PIN code
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226

Abstract

The present disclosure attempts to migrate from a first authenticator to a second authenticator. In the most preferred embodiment, the first step is to migrate the data that is not stored encrypted by a traditional replication or transformation between the datastores of the authenticators. The new authenticator is placed in position, while the old authenticator is maintained. When a user attempts to login, servlets check to see if the user'"'"'s password exists within the datastore for the new authenticator. If not, then the user is sent to the old authenticator'"'"'s sign-on page. When the user enters their authentication credentials into the old authenticator, a code snippet or second servlet will capture this information and, on confirmation from the old authenticator that the user is properly authenticated, use the captured information to populate the new datastore.

Claims

1. A method for populating password data to a target datastore associated with a target user authenticator that is in communication with a source user authenticator after migration from the source user authenticator, the source user authenticator having associated with a source datastore comprising unencrypted user identification data and user authentication data encrypted with a proprietary encryption algorithm, while also responding to user requests for information, the method comprising:

migrating unencrypted data from the source datastore to the target datastore;

intercepting, by a servlet interceptor, a request from a user to access information protected by the target user authenticator;

prompting, by the servlet interceptor, the user for an identification;

receiving, by the servlet interceptor, the identification from the user;

locating, by the servlet interceptor, a corresponding identification in the target datastore;

searching, by the servlet interceptor, the target datastore for a user authentication data associated with the corresponding identification;

determining, by the servlet interceptor, that the target datastore does not include a user authentication data associated with the corresponding identification;

forwarding the intercepted request to the source user authenticator responsive to the determining;

prompting, by the source user authenticator, the user for identification and user authentication data;

receiving, by the source user authenticator, identification and user authentication data from the user;

monitoring, by a password capture process, the source user authenticator for an approval response;

detecting, by the password capture process, the approval response from the source user authenticator;

capturing, by the password capture process, the user authentication data provided to the source user authenticator by the user;

populating, by the password capture process, the target datastore with the captured user authentication data associated with the corresponding identification upon detecting the approval response.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein after populating the target datastore, further comprising prompting for and receiving from the user the user authentication data associated with the identification.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the action of prompting for and receiving from the user the user authentication data associated with the identification comprises prompting for and receiving from the user the identification and the user authentication data associated with the identification.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein migrating unencrypted data from the source datastore to the target datastore comprises:

reading unencrypted data from the source datastore, wherein the unencrypted data represents data for multiple users each having an associated user identification and an associated user authentication data;

converting the unencrypted data to be compatible with the target datastore; and

populating the target datastore with the converted data.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

authenticating the received identification using the target user authenticator upon determining that the target datastore includes user authentication data associated with the corresponding identification.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein authenticating the received identification further comprises prompting for and receiving from the user the user authentication data associated with the corresponding identification.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the target datastore is an LDAP compliant directory service.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the target datastore is a relational database.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the source datastore is a relational database.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the user is a person.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the user is a software object.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the user authentication data is a password.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving user authentication form a user further comprises:

prompting for and receiving the identification and the user authentication data from the user after the initial submission of the identification from the user.