System and method for making accessible a set of services to users

• US 8,261,336 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2005
• Issued: 09/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: EMC Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Gasparini, Louis A, Harris, William H
• Primary Examiner(s): Orgad, Edan
• Assistant Examiner(s): SCHMIDT, KARI L
• Application Number:
  US11/153,678
• Publication Number:
  US 20060026421A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,638 Days
• Field of Search: 713/156, 713/173, 713/175, 713/186, 713/182, 726/8, 726/10, 726/12
• US Class Current: 726/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/33 using certificates
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/335 for accessing specific resources, e.g. using Kerberos tickets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3263 involving certificates, e.g. public key certificate [PKC] or attribute certificate [AC]; Public key infrastructure [PKI] arrangements network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using certificates in a packet data network H04L63/0823
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3271 using challenge-response

Abstract

A system and method authenticates a user if the user is associated with a certificate on a device the user is using to communicate, even if other users are also associated with the same certificate and/or the user is associated with other certificates on other devices.

Claims

1. A method of providing access to at least a portion of a web site, comprising:

receiving an identifier of a user over a network from a device;

determining whether a digital certificate is associated with the device;

if the determination is that no digital certificate is associated with the device;

requesting a preregistered indicia of the user'"'"'s authenticity;

receiving the indicia of authenticity;

responsive to the indicia of authenticity;

associating a digital certificate with the device, wherein the digital certificate is uniquely associated with the device and the device is uniquely associated with the digital certificate;

associating the user with the digital certificate, the digital certificate associated with the device thereby being uniquely associated with the user; and

providing access to the web site;

if the determination is that a digital certificate is associated with the device, further determining whether the digital certificate associated with the device is associated with the user;

if the further determination is that the digital certificate associated with the device is associated with the user, providing access to the web site;

if the further determination is that the digital certificate associated with the device is not associated with the user;

requesting a preregistered indicia of the user'"'"'s authenticity;

receiving the indicia of authenticity;

responsive to the indicia of authenticity;

associating the user with the digital certificate associated with the device, the digital certificate associated with the device thereby being associated with a plurality of users; and

providing access to the web site;

wherein access to the web site is provided only when the same digital certificate is both associated with the device and associated with the user; and

wherein the user is associated with the digital certificate responsive to the preregistered indicia of authenticity.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the digital certificate is associated with the device by being stored on the device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the device is a computer chip.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the device is a removable storage device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the user is associated with a plurality of digital certificates.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein each of the plurality of digital certificates is associated with a corresponding one of a plurality of devices.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein requesting the indicia of authenticity comprises requesting the indicia of authenticity out of band.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the indicia of authenticity comprises receiving the indicia of authenticity out of band.

9. A system for providing access to at least a portion of a web site, comprising:

at least one storage; and

a processor operatively coupled to the at least one storage, the processor being operative to perform the steps of;

receiving an identifier of a user over a network from a device;

determining whether a digital certificate is associated with the device;

if the determination is that no digital certificate is associated with the device;

requesting a preregistered indicia of the user'"'"'s authenticity;

receiving the indicia of authenticity;

responsive to the indicia of authenticity;

associating a digital certificate with the device, wherein the digital certificate is uniquely associated with the device and the device is uniquely associated with the digital certificate;

associating the user with the digital certificate, the digital certificate associated with the device thereby being uniquely associated with the user; and

providing access to the set of at least one service;

if the determination is that a digital certificate is associated with the device, further determining whether the digital certificate associated with the device is associated with the user;

if the further determination is that the digital certificate associated with the device is associated with the user, providing access to the web site;

if the further determination is that the digital certificate associated with the device is not associated with the user;

requesting a preregistered indicia of the user'"'"'s authenticity;

receiving the indicia of authenticity;

responsive to the indicia of authenticity;

associating the user with the digital certificate associated with the device, the digital certificate associated with the device thereby being associated with a plurality of users; and

providing access to the web site;

wherein access to the web site is provided only when the same digital certificate is both associated with the device and associated with the user; and

wherein the user is associated with the digital certificate responsive to the preregistered indicia of authenticity.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the digital certificate is associated with the device by being stored on the device.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the user is associated with a plurality of digital certificates.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein each of the plurality of digital certificates is associated with a corresponding one of a plurality of devices.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor is further operative to maintain a database indicating at least one of digital certificates associated with respective devices and digital certificates associated with respective users.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the digital certificate is associated with the user by updating the database.

15. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer useable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therein for providing access to at least a portion of a web site, the computer program product comprising computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer system to perform the steps of:

receiving an identifier of a user over a network from a device;

determining whether a digital certificate is associated with the device;

if the determination is that no digital certificate is associated with the device;

requesting a preregistered indicia of the user'"'"'s authenticity;

receiving the indicia of authenticity;

responsive to the indicia of authenticity;

associating a digital certificate with the device, wherein the digital certificate is uniquely associated with the device and the device is uniquely associated with the digital certificate;

associating the user with the digital certificate, the digital certificate associated with the device thereby being uniquely associated with the user; and

providing access to the web site;

if the determination is that a digital certificate is associated with the device, further determining whether the digital certificate associated with the device is associated with the user;

if the further determination is that the digital certificate associated with the device is associated with the user, providing access to the set of at least one service;

if the further determination is that the digital certificate associated with the device is not associated with the user;

requesting a preregistered indicia of the user'"'"'s authenticity;

receiving the indicia of authenticity;

responsive to the indicia of authenticity;

associating the user with the digital certificate associated with the device, the digital certificate associated with the device thereby being associated with a plurality of users; and

providing access to the web site;

wherein access to the web site is provided only when the same digital certificate is both associated with the device and associated with the user; and

wherein the user is associated with the digital certificate responsive to the preregistered indicia of authenticity.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the digital certificate is associated with the device by being stored on the device.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the user is associated with a plurality of digital certificates.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein each of the plurality of digital certificates is associated with a corresponding one of a plurality of devices.

19. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the computer program product further comprises computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer system to maintain a database indicating at least one of digital certificates associated with respective devices and digital certificates associated with respective of users.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the digital certificate is associated with the user by updating the database.