Method and a device for generating a secret value

• US 8,732,819 B2
• Filed: 05/09/2011
• Issued: 05/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: InterDigital Patent Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Maetz, Yves, Eluard, Marc, Alessio, Davide, Desoblin, Gilles
• Primary Examiner(s): Dada, Beemnet
• Assistant Examiner(s): BEHESHTI SHIRAZI, SAYED ARESH
• Application Number:
  US13/068,357
• Publication Number:
  US 20110283353A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,107 Days
• Field of Search: 726/18, 726/2, 726/6, 726/7, 726/19, 726/27, 713/182, 713/183, 713/185, 713/193, 713/202, 723/30
• US Class Current: 726/18
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/36 by graphic or iconic representation

Abstract

A device and a method for graphical passwords. A device displays an initial image comprising a plurality of graphical elements, each graphical element having at least two variants; receives user input to select a variant of a number of the graphical elements, thereby generating a modified image; and generates the secret value from at least the selected variants of the graphical elements. The graphical elements are advantageously seamlessly integrated in the images, thereby making the system resistant to shoulder surfing attacks.

Claims

1. A method of generating a secret value, the method comprising the steps at a device of:

displaying an initial image, the initial image comprising a plurality of individual graphical elements on a display screen, each individual graphical element having at least two variants;

iteratively receiving user input to select a variant for a number of the plurality of individual graphical elements, thereby generating a modified image including the selected variants for the number of the plurality of individual graphical elements for display on the display screen, wherein each iteration outputs an image reflecting the selected variant, a first iteration takes the initial image as input and each subsequent iteration takes as input the image output by an immediately preceding iteration; and

generating the secret value from at least the selected variants of the individual graphical elements.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the secret value is a password.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of receiving a user input for the selection of the initial image, wherein also the selected initial image is used for the generation of the secret value.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the individual graphical elements are seamlessly integrated in the initial image and the modified image.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a user input comprises selection of an individual graphical element and the method further comprises the step of providing at least one variant in response thereto.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the providing step comprises simultaneously providing all variants of the selected individual graphical element to the user.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the user input comprises a click on an individual graphical element of the plurality of graphical elements.

7. A device for generating a secret value, the device comprising a processor configured to:

provide a display with an initial image, the initial image comprising a plurality of individual graphical elements, each individual graphical element having at least two variants;

receive iterative user input to select a variant for a number of the plurality of individual graphical elements, thereby generating a modified image including the selected variants for the number of the plurality of individual graphical elements, wherein the processor is further configured to output from each iteration an image reflecting the selected variant, to take the initial image as input to a first iteration, and to take as input to each subsequent iteration the image output by an immediately preceding iteration; and

generate the secret value from at least the selected variants of the individual graphical elements.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the secret value is a password.

9. The device of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to receive a user input for the selection of the initial image, and wherein the processor is configured to use also the selected initial image for the generation of the secret value.

10. The device of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to seamlessly integrate the variants into the initial image to generate the modified image.

11. The device of claim 7, wherein a user input comprises selection of an individual graphical element and the processor is further configured to provide at least one variant in response thereto.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to, in response to user input to select a variant, provide all variants of the selected individual graphical element.

13. The device of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to provide also the individual graphical element originally displayed.

15. The device of claim 7, wherein the user input comprises a click on an individual graphical element of the plurality of graphical elements.