Method and apparatus for extracting authentication information from a user

• US 8,639,937 B2
• Filed: 11/26/2003
• Issued: 01/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Bagga, Amit, Bentley, Jon, O'Gorman, Lawrence
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Nirav B
• Application Number:
  US10/723,416
• Publication Number:
  US 20050114679A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,716 Days
• Field of Search: 726/2, 726 4- 7, 726 17- 19, 726 26- 30, 726/1, 713182-186, 707/100, 707 1- 5, 707/609, 707/705, 707/723, 707/758, 707/767
• US Class Current: 713/184
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/46 by designing passwords or checking the strength of passwords
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/33 by means of a password

Abstract

A method and apparatus are provided for extracting information from a user'"'"'s memory that will be easily recalled during future authentication yet is hard for an attacker to guess. The information might be a little-known fact of personal relevance to the user or the personal details surrounding a public event. The user is guided to appropriate topics and forms an indirect hint that is useful to the user yet not to an attacker. Information extraction techniques verify that the information is not easily attacked and to estimate how many bits of assurance the question and answer provide. The information extracted may be, e.g., Boolean (Yes/No), multiple choice, numeric, textual, or a combination of the foregoing. The enrollment process may schedule the sending of one or more reminder messages to the user containing the question (but not the answer) to reinforce the memory of the user.

Claims

1. A method for generating a password for a user during an enrollment phase, comprising:

presenting said user with a plurality of topics;

receiving a user selection of at least one topic;

receiving one or more personal details from said user associated with said at least one selected topic as a proposed password;

performing an Internet search using a query containing one or more keywords derived from said personal details of said proposed password, wherein said Internet search searches contents of the Internet across a plurality of web sites using a search engine tool;

evaluating results of said search relative to one or more predefined thresholds applicable to said at least one selected topic;

rejecting said proposed password when said user is correlated with said proposed password if one or more of said predefined thresholds are exceeded by said results; and

recording said one or more personal details as a password for said user if said proposed password is not rejected.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of receiving a reminder associated with each of said one or more personal details.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said rejecting step employs correlation rules that are based on said at least one topic.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said rejecting step employs one or more predefined correlation rules that ensure that answers to user selected questions cannot be qualitatively correlated with said user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said rejecting step employs one or more predefined correlation rules that ensure that answers to user selected questions cannot be quantitatively correlated with said user.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of sending said one or more personal details to said user as a reinforcement of said password.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said one or more personal details are related to a personal fact from a past of said user.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said one or more personal details are related to an experience of said user in connection with a public event.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said one or more personal details are related to an experience of said user in connection with a private event.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said one or more personal details can be tested during a verification phase using one or more of Boolean, multiple choice, numeric or textual queries.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one topic is selected based on psychological insights.

12. An apparatus for generating a password for a user during an enrollment phase, comprising:

a memory; and

at least one processor, coupled to the memory, operative to;

present said user with a plurality of topics;

receive a user selection of at least one topic;

receive one or more personal details from said user associated with said at least one selected topic as a proposed password;

perform an Internet search using a query containing one or more keywords derived from said personal details of said proposed password, wherein said Internet search searches contents of the Internet across a plurality of web sites using a search engine tool;

evaluate results of said search relative to one or more predefined thresholds applicable to said at least one selected topic;

reject said proposed password when said user is correlated with said proposed password if one or more of said predefined thresholds are exceeded by said results; and

recording said one or more personal details as a password for said user if said proposed password is not rejected.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said processor is further configured to receive a reminder associated with each of said one or more personal details.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said rejecting step employs correlation rules that are based on said at least one topic.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said rejecting step employs one or more predefined correlation rules that ensure that answers to user selected questions cannot be qualitatively correlated with said user.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said rejecting step employs one or more predefined correlation rules that ensure that answers to user selected questions cannot be quantitatively correlated with said user.

17. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said processor is further configured to send said one or more personal details to said user as a reinforcement of said password.

18. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said one or more personal details are related to a personal fact from a past of said user.

19. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said one or more personal details are related to an experience of said user in connection with a public event.

20. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said one or more personal details are related to an experience of said user in connection with a private event.

21. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said one or more personal details can be tested during a verification phase using one or more of Boolean, multiple choice, numeric or textual queries.

22. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said at least one topic is selected based on psychological insights.

23. An article of manufacture for generating a password for a user during an enrollment phase, comprising a machine readable storage medium containing one or more programs which when executed implement the steps of:

presenting said user with a plurality of topics;

receiving a user selection of at least one topic;

receiving one or more personal details from said user associated with said at least one selected topic as a proposed password;

performing an Internet search using a query containing one or more keywords derived from said personal details of said proposed password, wherein said Internet search searches contents of the Internet across a plurality of web sites using a search engine tool;

evaluating results of said search relative to one or more predefined thresholds applicable to said at least one selected topic;

rejecting said proposed password when said user is correlated with said proposed password if one or more of said predefined thresholds are exceeded by said results; and

recording said one or more personal details as a password for said user if said proposed password is not rejected.