System for providing trusted user access of computer systems

• US 8,793,778 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2012
• Issued: 07/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Spamcapthcer Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Spamcaptcher Incorporated
• Inventors: Marinov, Stefan, Miller, Kieran
• Primary Examiner(s): Nalven, Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): FIELDS, COURTNEY D
• Application Number:
  US13/602,046
• Publication Number:
  US 20140068735A1
• Time in Patent Office: 697 Days
• Field of Search: 726/7, 726/3, 726/21, 726/23, 726/22, 382/296, 705/14.66
• US Class Current: 726/7
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2133 Verifying human interaction, e.g., Captcha
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32

Abstract

Enables trusted user access of computer systems for example that verifies trusted users and may allow trusted users to bypass challenge-response tests, while limiting access by automated processes and unwanted human challenge-response test solvers. Embodiments may implement an account that may be utilized across websites to enable a valid or trusted user to bypass challenge-response tests. Embodiments of the invention cost time, or cost a nominal fee, or require use of something that may be validated as owned by a user such as a physical address or cell phone, or trusted referral or social graph or any combination thereof, but cost large amounts time or money for spammers using cheap third world labor, thus making it expensive to invoke attacks on sites protected by embodiments of the invention.

Claims

1. A system configured to provide trusted user access of computer systems comprising:

a challenge-response database;

a trusted user database; and

,

a server computer configured to

accept an IP address of a computer associated with a user or identification of said user;

generate a session identifier and provide said session identifier to said computer associated with said user based on said IP address of said computer associated with said user or identification of said user;

check if said user is logged in based on said trusted user database;

bypass a challenge-response test if said user is logged in and if a number of bypassed challenge-response tests is less than a predefined number of bypasses allowed for said user and optionally if a number of current sessions is less than a predefined session number per time period, to enable said user to bypass said challenge-response test, and otherwise provide a challenge from said challenge-response database to said user and accept a response from said user;

validate a session with said user;

generate a session validation response; and

,

send said session validation response to a website computer or other computer system that said user is attempting to access, wherein said session validation response comprises a validity score and enable or disable access to said website computer or other computer based on said validity score;

wherein said server computer is further configured to

charge a fee for said user to create said account in said trusted user database or ensure that said user requires a predefined amount of time to create said account in said trusted user database or

accept an input from an item that said user comprises a finite number of to create said account or wherein said item utilized to create an account costs over a predefined amount or wherein said item is verifiable to create said account or

accept a cell phone number from said user to create said account in said trusted database

or

accept a code input from said user that was obtained from information sent to a physical address to create said account or

allow an invited user referred from a trusted user to create said account if the trusted user has a network-of-trust score that is higher than a predefined value or

allow a social network user from a social network site to create said account based on the friend identifiers of the social network user in the trusted database;

wherein said server computer is further configured to

accept a request from said website computer or said other computer system that said user is attempting to access that indicates that said session is associated with undesirable data; and

,

decrease said predefined number of bypasses associated with said user and optionally any associated accounts if said user has an account in said trusted user database;

or

lock an account in said trusted user database associated with said user if said validity score is above a score threshold

or

both decrease said predefined number of bypasses and lock said account.

2. The system configured to provide trusted user access of computer systems of claim 1 wherein said predefined number of bypasses is a number of bypasses per time period.

3. The system configured to provide trusted user access of computer systems of claim 1 wherein said server computer is further configured to ensure that said user has logged in before said bypass said challenge-response or said provide said challenge occurs.

4. The system configured to provide trusted user access of computer systems of claim 1 wherein said enable said user to bypass said challenge-response test occurs if a last session authentication has occurred within a session authentication timeout period.

5. The system configured to provide trusted user access of computer systems of claim 1 wherein said server computer is further configured to

deliver a proof of work challenge to said computer associated with said user;

validate said proof of work challenge; and

,

perform said provide said challenge if said proof of work challenge does not validate.

6. The system configured to provide trusted user access of computer systems of claim 5 wherein said proof of work challenge is a computational problem configured to solve a math, science, medical or other computational problem.

7. The system configured to provide trusted user access of computer systems of claim 1 wherein said user initiates a session authentication for said server computer to validate or wherein said computer associated with said user automatically initiates a session authentication for said server computer to validate.

8. The system configured to provide trusted user access of computer systems of claim 1 wherein said server computer is further configured to

accept a validation request for said validate said session from said website computer wherein said validation request comprises

identification of said user or

said IP address of said computer associated with said user and optionally an http referrer value and an account identifier for a website after said user submits a form to said website;

and,

optionally configuration settings associated with said session.

9. The system configured to provide trusted user access of computer systems of claim 1

wherein said validity score is compared against a first threshold that determines whether data provided by said user should be deleted or ignored by said website computer or said other computer system that said user is attempting to access;

wherein said validity score is compared against a second threshold that determines whether data provided by said user should be accepted by said website computer or said other computer system that said user is attempting to access;

wherein said validity score is compared against a range of values comprising a first threshold and a second threshold that determines whether data provided by said user should be moderated by said website computer or said other computer system that said user is attempting to access.

10. The system configured to provide trusted user access of computer systems of claim 1 wherein said challenge is a CAPTCHA.

11. The system configured to provide trusted user access of computer systems of claim 1 wherein said server computer is further configured to

prevent or mitigate spam or

prevent or mitigate distribution of viruses or undesirable data or

prevent or mitigate ticket scalping or

prevent or mitigate denial of service and distributed denial of service attacks or

prevent or mitigate fraudulent voting or

prevent or mitigate falsifying surveys or

provide a secure single sign-on.

12. A system configured to provide trusted user access of computer systems comprising:

a challenge-response database;

a trusted user database;

a server computer configured to

accept an IP address of a computer associated with a user or identification of said user;

generate a session identifier and provide said session identifier to said computer associated with said user based on said IP address of said computer associated with said user or identification of said user;

check if said user is logged in based on said trusted user database;

bypass a challenge-response test if said user is logged in and if a number of bypassed challenge-response tests is less than a predefined number of bypasses allowed for said user and if a last session authentication has occurred within a session authentication timeout period and optionally if a number of current sessions is less than a predefined session number per time period, to enable said user to bypass said challenge-response test, and otherwise provide a challenge from said challenge-response database to said user and accept a response from said user;

validate a session with said user;

generate a session validation response;

send said session validation response to a website computer or other computer system that said user is attempting to access, wherein said session validation response comprises a validity score and

wherein said validity score is compared against a first threshold that determines whether data provided by said user should be deleted or ignored by said website computer or said other computer system that said user is attempting to access;

wherein said validity score is compared against a second threshold that determines whether data provided by said user should be accepted by said website computer or said other computer system that said user is attempting to access;

wherein said validity score is compared against a range of values comprising said first threshold and said second threshold that determines whether data provided by said user should be moderated by said website computer or said other computer system that said user is attempting to access;

wherein said server computer is further configured to

charge a fee for said user to create said account in said trusted user database or ensure that said user requires a predefined amount of time to create said account in said trusted user database or

accept an input from an item that said user comprises a finite number of to create said account or wherein said item utilized to create an account costs over a predefined amount or wherein said item is verifiable to create said account or

accept a cell phone number from said user to create said account in said trusted database

or

accept a code input from said user that was obtained from information sent to a physical address to create said account or

allow an invited user referred from a trusted user to create said account if the trusted user has a network-of-trust score that is higher than a predefined value or

allow a social network user from a social network site to create said account based on the friend identifiers of the social network user in the trusted database;

wherein said server computer is further configured to

accept a request from said website computer or said other computer system that said user is attempting to access that indicates that said session is associated with undesirable data; and

,

decrease said predefined number of bypasses associated with said user and optionally any associated accounts if said user has an account in said trusted user database;

or

lock an account in said trusted user database associated with said user if said validity score is above a score threshold

or

both decrease said predefined number of bypasses and lock said account.

13. The system configured to provide trusted user access of computer systems of claim 12 wherein said server computer is further configured to ensure that said user has logged in before said bypass said challenge-response or said provide said challenge occurs.

14. The system configured to provide trusted user access of computer systems of claim 12 wherein said server computer is further configured to

deliver a proof of work challenge to said computer associated with said user wherein said proof of work challenge is a computational problem configured to solve a math, science, medical or other computational problem;

validate said proof of work challenge; and

,

perform said provide said challenge if said proof of work challenge does not validate.

15. The system configured to provide trusted user access of computer systems of claim 12 wherein said challenge is a CAPTCHA.

16. A system configured to provide trusted user access of computer systems comprising:

a challenge-response database;

a trusted user database;

a server computer configured to

accept an IP address of a computer associated with a user or identification of said user;

generate a session identifier and provide said session identifier to said computer associated with said user based on said IP address of said computer associated with said user or identification of said user;

check if said user is logged in based on said trusted user database;

wherein said server computer is further configured to

charge a fee for said user to create an account in said trusted user database or

ensure that said user requires a predefined amount of time to create an account in said trusted user database or

accept an input from an item that said user comprises a finite number of to create said account or wherein said item utilized to create an account costs over a predefined amount or wherein said item is verifiable to create said account or

accept a cell phone number from said user to create said account in said trusted database

or

accept a code input from said user that was obtained from information sent to a physical address to create said account or

allow an invited user referred from a trusted user to create said account if the trusted user has a network-of-trust score that is higher than a predefined value or

allow a social network user from a social network site to create said account based on the friend identifiers of the social network user in the trusted database;

bypass a challenge-response test if said user is logged in and if a number of bypassed challenge-response tests is less than a predefined number of bypasses allowed for said user and wherein said predefined number of bypasses is a number of bypasses per time period and optionally if a number of current sessions is less than a predefined session number per time period, to enable said user to bypass said challenge-response test, and otherwise provide a challenge from said challenge-response database to said user and accept a response from said user;

wherein when said server computer bypasses said challenge-response test, said server computer is further configured to

deliver a proof of work challenge to said computer associated with said user wherein said proof of work challenge is a computational problem configured to solve a math, science, medical or other computational problem;

validate said proof of work challenge;

provide a challenge from said challenge-response database to said user and accept a response from said user if said proof of work challenge does not validate;

or

accept a validation request for said validate said session from said website computer, wherein said validation request comprises

said IP address of said computer associated with said user; and

, configuration settings associated with a session;

validate said session with said user;

generate a session validation response;

send said session validation response to a website computer or other computer system that said user is attempting to access, wherein said session validation response comprises a validity score

and wherein said validity score is compared against a first threshold that determines whether data provided by said user should be deleted or ignored by said website computer or said other computer system that said user is attempting to access;

wherein said validity score is compared against a second threshold that determines whether data provided by said user should be accepted by said website computer or said other computer system that said user is attempting to access;

wherein said validity score is compared against a range of values comprising said first threshold and said second threshold that determines whether data provided by said user should be moderated by said website computer or said other computer system that said user is attempting to access;

accept a request from said website computer that indicates that said session is associated with undesirable data; and

,

decrease said predefined number of bypasses associated with said user if said user has an account in said trusted user database;

or

lock an account in said trusted user database associated with said user if said validity score is above a score threshold

or

both decrease said predefined number of bypasses and lock said account; and

, optionally ensure that said user has logged in before said bypass said challenge-response or said provide said challenge occurs.