Secure user authentication using biometric information

• US 8,799,666 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2010
• Issued: 08/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Synaptics Incorporated
• Inventors: Kesanupalli, Ramesh, Baghdasaryan, Davit, Schwab, Frank, Chan, Philip Yiu Kwong, Hattery, Larry
• Primary Examiner(s): Najjar, Saleh
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gao, Shu Chun
• Application Number:
  US12/731,050
• Publication Number:
  US 20110083016A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,595 Days
• Field of Search: 713/180, 382/124, 726/7
• US Class Current: 713/180
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/10 specially adapted for electronic funds transfer [EFT] systems; specially adapted for home banking systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40 Authorisation, e.g. identification of payer or payee, verification of customer or shop credentials; Review and approval of payers, e.g. check credit lines or negative lists
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40145 Biometric identity checks

Abstract

An apparatus includes a biometric sensor capable of identifying biometric information associated with a user. A storage device coupled to the biometric sensor stores user information. A biometric service is coupled to the biometric sensor and capable of communicating with the biometric sensor. A web browser application having a biometric extension communicates with the biometric sensor via the biometric service. The web browser'"'"'s biometric extension is capable of communicating with multiple web servers.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a web server computing device configured to provide to a user computing device, at least one of a biometric browser extension and a biometric browser plug-in as part of a biometric service browser application for execution on a user computing device;

the at least one of the biometric browser extension and the biometric browser plug-in configured to detect a visit by the user computing device to a web site produced by the web server computing device, with which the user computing device has previously been enrolled;

the at least one of the biometric browser extension and the biometric browser plug-in configured to prompt the user to provide biometric identification of the user through a biometric service executing on the user computing device and interfacing the one of the biometric browser extension and the biometric browser plug-in with a biometric sensor associated with the user computing device;

the at least one of the biometric browser extension and the biometric browser plug-in configured to receive from the biometric service an authentication token and user identification produced by the biometric sensor responsive to a validation of biometric identification of the user by the biometric sensor and responsive to a validation by the biometric service of a digital signature of the one of the biometric browser extension and the biometric browser plug-in received by the biometric service from the one of the biometric browser extension and the biometric browser plug-in;

the web server computing device configured to receive from the at least one of the biometric browser extension and the biometric browser plug in, the authentication token.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the biometric browser extension is further configured to receive user credentials associated with the user.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

validating, via the web server computing device, the authentication token and the user name.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the biometric browser extension is further configured to receive user credentials associated with the user from one of the plurality of web servers.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

sending to the at least one of the biometric browser extension and the biometric browser plug-in a session identification and providing to the user computing device a browser based indication that the user is logged in for the particular transaction identified by the session identification.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a storage device configured to store a secret key associated with the user.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the biometric browser extension has an associated digital signature.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the biometric sensor is further configured to release an authentication token to the biometric service upon validation of biometrics of the user.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the authentication token comprises a secret key.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the authentication token comprises a one time password.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the authentication token comprises an RSA signature.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the biometric sensor comprises a fingerprint sensor.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the fingerprint sensor comprises a placement fingerprint sensor.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the fingerprint sensor comprises a swipe fingerprint sensor.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, via the at least one of the biometric browser extension, at the web server computing device, at least one of the user name and a biometric sensor identification.

16. A method comprising:

providing, via a web server computing device, to a user computing device, at least one of a biometric browser extension and a biometric browser plug-in, as part of a biometric service, for execution on a user computing device;

detecting, via the at least one of the biometric browser extension and biometric browser plug-in, a visit by the user computing device to a web site produced by the web server computing device, with which the user computing device has previously been enrolled;

prompting, via the at least one of the biometric browser extension and the biometric browser plug-in, the user computing device to provide biometric identification of the user through the at least one of the biometric browser extension and the biometric browser plug-in of the biometric service utilizing a biometric sensor associated with the user computing device;

receiving, via the at least one of the biometric browser extension and the biometric browser plug-in, from the biometric service, an authentication token and user identification produced by the biometric sensor responsive to a validation of biometric identification of the user by the biometric sensor and responsive to a validation by the biometric service of a digital signature of the at least one of the biometric browser extension and the biometric browser plug-in received by the biometric service from the at least one of the biometric browser extension and the biometric browser plug-in;

receiving, via the at least one of the biometric browser extension and the biometric browser plug-in, at the web server computing device, the authentication token.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising generating, using the at least one of the user computing device biometric browser extension and biometric browser plug-in, a request to authenticate the user of the user computing device, using the biometric sensor.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the method is initiated in response to the at least one of the biometric browser extension and the biometric browser plug-in accessing a web site that supports biometric authentication.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising determining, using the at least one of the biometric browser extension and the biometric browser plug-in, whether the user is enrolled with the web site being accessed.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising creating, using the at least one of the biometric browser extension and the biometric browser plug-in, a secure communication link between the at least one of the biometric browser extension or the biometric browser plug-in and the web server computing device.

21. The method of claim 16, further comprising receiving, using the at least one of the biometric browser extension and the biometric browser plug-in, a session identifier from the web server computing device.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein the token comprises one of a secret key, a one time password, and an RSA signature.

23. Non-transitory computer readable storage media storing thereon computer readable instructions that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform a method, the method comprising:

providing to a user computing device, at least one of a biometric browser extension and a biometric browser plug-in, as part of a biometric service, for execution on the user computing device which has previously been enrolled with a web server computing device, as part of the biometric service interfacing the user computing device and the web server computing device;

detecting a visit by a user to a web site served by the web server computing device, with which the user computing device has previously been enrolled;

prompting the user computing device to provide biometric identification of the user through at least one of the biometric browser extension and the biometric browser plug-in within the biometric service interfacing the with a biometric sensor associated with the user computing device;

receiving from the biometric service an authentication token and user identification produced by the biometric sensor responsive to a validation of biometric identification of the user by the biometric sensor and responsive to a validation by the biometric service of a digital signature of at least one of the biometric browser extension and the biometric browser plug-in received by the biometric service from the at least one of the biometric browser extension and the biometric browser extension;

receiving at the web server computing device, the authentication token from the at least one of the biometric browser extension and the biometric browser plug-in.

24. An apparatus comprising:

a user computing device configured to receive from a web server computing device at least one of a biometric browser extension and a biometric browser plug-in as part of a biometric service executing on the user computing device and interfacing the user computing device and the web server computing device;

the user computing device configured to receive from the at least one of the biometric browser extension and the biometric browser plug-in an indication that the web server computing device has detected a visit by the user computing device to a web site produced by the web server computing device, with which the user has previously been enrolled;

the user computing device configured to receive from the at least one of the biometric browser extension and the biometric browser plug-in a prompt to the user computing device to provide biometric identification of the user through the utilizing the at least one of the biometric browser extension and the biometric browser plug-in, interfacing with a biometric sensor associated with the user computing device;

the user computing device configured to provide the at least one of the biometric browser extension and the biometric browser plug-in an authentication token received from the biometric service and user identification produced by the biometric sensor responsive to a validation of biometric identification of the user by the biometric sensor and responsive to a validation by the biometric service of a digital signature of the at least one of the biometric browser extension and the biometric browser plug-in received by the biometric service from the at least one of the biometric browser extension and the biometric browser plug-in;

the user computing device configured to provide, through the at least one of the biometric browser extension and the biometric browser plug-in, the web server computing device with the authentication token.

25. A method comprising:

receiving, via a user computing device, from a web server computing device at least one of a biometric browser extension and a biometric browser plug-in as part of a biometric service executing on the user computing device and interfacing the user computing device and the web server computing device;

receiving, via the user computing device, from the at least one of the biometric browser extension and the biometric browser plug-in an indication that the web server computing device has detected a visit by the user computing device to a web site produced by the web server computing device, with which the user computing device has previously been enrolled;

receiving, via the user computing device, from the at least one of the biometric browser extension and the biometric browser plug-in a prompt to the user computing device to provide biometric identification of the user through the biometric service interfacing the at least one of the biometric browser extension and the biometric browser plug-in with a biometric sensor associated with the user computing device;

providing, via the user computing device, the at least one of the biometric browser extension and the biometric browser plug-in an authentication token received from the biometric service and user identification produced by the biometric sensor responsive to a validation of biometric identification of the user by the biometric sensor and responsive to a validation by the biometric service of a digital signature of the at least one of the biometric browser extension and the biometric browser plug-in received by the biometric service from the at least one of the biometric browser extension and the biometric browser plug-in;

providing, via the user computing device, through the at least one of the biometric browser extension and the biometric browser plug-in, the web server computing device with the authentication token.

26. Non-transitory computer readable storage media storing computer readable instructions that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform a method, the method comprising:

receiving from a web server computing device at least one of a biometric browser extension and a biometric browser plug-in as part of a biometric service executing on the user computing device and interfacing the user computing device and the web server computing device;

receiving from the at least one of the biometric browser extension and the biometric browser plug-in an indication that the web server computing device has detected a visit by the user computing device to a web site produced by the web server computing device, with which the user computing device has previously been enrolled;

receiving from the at least one of the biometric browser extension and the biometric browser plug-in a prompt to the user computing device to provide biometric identification of the user through the biometric service utilizing the at least one of the biometric browser extension and the biometric browser plug-in interfacing with a biometric sensor associated with the user computing device;

providing the at least one of the biometric browser extension and the biometric browser plug-in an authentication token received from the biometric service and user identification produced by the biometric sensor responsive to a validation of biometric identification of the user by the biometric sensor and responsive to a validation by the biometric service of a digital signature of the at least one of the biometric browser extension and the biometric browser plug-in received by the biometric service from the at least one of the biometric browser extension and the biometric browser plug-in;

providing through the at least one of the biometric browser extension and the biometric browser plug-in, the web server computing device with the authentication token.