Partial authentication for access to incremental data

• US 8,590,017 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2011
• Issued: 11/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation, ServiceNow Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Badenes, Hernan, Bengualid, Mateo Nicolas, Cerruti, Julian Ariel, Jin, Hongxia, Pierce, Jeffrey Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Nalven, Andrew L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mehrmanesh, Amir
• Application Number:
  US13/036,639
• Publication Number:
  US 20120222093A1
• Time in Patent Office: 995 Days
• Field of Search: 726 2- 8, 726 16- 21, 713/151, 713/168, 713183-184
• US Class Current: 726/4
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/30 Authentication, i.e. establishing the identity or authorisation of security principals
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/46 by designing passwords or checking the strength of passwords

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention relate to partial authentication to access incremental information. An aspect of the invention concerns a method of authorizing access to information that comprises providing an initial segment of a password wherein the password includes password segments each associated with an incremental portion of the information. In response to the initial password segment satisfying an expected value, the method may authorize access to the information portion associated with the initial password segment. The method may authorize access to other information portions associated with subsequent segments of the password in response to the subsequent password segments satisfying respectively expected values.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing a segment of a password to a server communication device, the provided segment consisting of a first segment of the password, wherein the password comprises a plurality of segments each associated with an increment of system information, wherein the first segment of a password is associated with new system information;

each subsequent segment of the password accessing an additional increment of the system information;

in response to the first password segment satisfying an expected first value, the server authorizing access to a first information portion associated with the first password segment; and

in response to receiving a subsequent password segment of the password and the subsequent password segment satisfying an expected subsequent value, authorizing access to system information portion associated with the subsequent password segment, the system information portion being cumulative to prior system information.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising obfuscating the information returned in response to a provided password segment, the returned information being a visual representation, wherein detail within the visual representation indicates a quantity of information available to access.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising hashing the password segments.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising, in response to multiple password segments being provided to the information system and satisfying expected respective values, authorizing access to multiple information portions respectively associated with the multiple password segments.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the information portions comprise incremental quantities of information detail.

6. A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage device having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising:

computer readable program code configured to provide a segment of a password to a server communication device, the segment consisting of a first segment of the password, wherein the password comprises a plurality of segments each associated with an increment of system information, the first segment of a password is associated with new system information, and each subsequent segment of the password accesses an additional increment of the system information;

computer readable program code configured to authorize access, in response to the first password segment satisfying an expected first value, to an information portion associated with the first password segment, and in response to receiving a subsequent password segment of the password and the subsequent password segment satisfying an expected subsequent value, the program code to authorize access to system information portion associated with the subsequent password segment, the system information portion being cumulative to prior system information.

7. The computer program product of claim 6, further comprising computer readable program code configured to obfuscate information returned in response to a provided password segment, the returned information being a visual representation, wherein a visual detail within the representation indicates a quantity of information available to access.

8. The computer program product of claim 6, further comprising computer readable program code configured to authorize access, in response to all of the password segments being provided initially, to all of the information portions.

9. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the information portions comprise incremental quantities of information detail.

10. The computer program product of claim 6, wherein the information is accessed from a mobile device.

11. A system comprising:

an information server;

a client coupled to the server by a network, said client providing the server with a segment of a password, the password segment consisting of a first segment of the password, wherein the password comprises a plurality of segments each associated with an increment of system information in the server, the first segment of a password associated with new information, and each subsequent segment of the password accesses an additional increment of the information;

wherein in response to the first password segment satisfying an expected first value, the server authorizes access to an information portion associated with the first password segment, and in response to receiving a subsequent password segment and the subsequent password segment satisfying an expected subsequent value, the server authorizes access to system information associated with the subsequent password segment, the system information portion being cumulative to prior system information.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the server obfuscates information returned to the client, the return information being a visual representation, wherein a visual detail within the representation indicates a quantity of information available to access.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the server hashes the password segments.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein in response to multiple password segments satisfying expected respective values, the server authorizes access to multiple information portions respectively associated with the multiple password segments.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the information access is conditioned upon a previously stored token being present in the client.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the client is a mobile device.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the mobile device is a telephone.