Method and apparatus for securely synchronizing password systems

• US 8,838,959 B2
• Filed: 11/23/2011
• Issued: 09/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: RPX Clearinghouse LLC (RPX Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Rockstar Consortium US LP (Rockstar Consortium Inc.)
• Inventors: Lewis, Christopher Raymond
• Primary Examiner(s): CHAO, MICHAEL W
• Application Number:
  US13/304,060
• Publication Number:
  US 20120072977A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,028 Days
• Field of Search: 713/183, 713/155, 380/225, 380/274, 726/6
• US Class Current: 713/155
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/41 where a single sign-on provides access to a plurality of computers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/45 Structures or tools for the administration of authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2113 Multi-level security, e.g. mandatory access control
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4012 Verifying personal identification numbers [PIN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0815 providing single-sign-on or federations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0846 using time-dependent-passwords, e.g. periodically changing passwords
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security

Abstract

A centralized password repository (CPR) provides network users with a password portal through which the user can manage password access to domains and applications on the network. A subset of the domains and applications on the network may be required, by design, to maintain a separate password infrastructure. For these systems, the CPR establishes a secure and authenticated communication channel and software on the system interfaces with the password infrastructure to synchronize the password in the system password infrastructure with the password in the CPR. For other systems not required to maintain a separate password infrastructure, the CPR performs password services by responding to requests from those systems seeking to validate user IDs and passwords. The CPR enables an administrator to modify network privileges and enables a user to alter passwords on the network through a single interface.

Claims

1. A method of securely updating at least one password on a network connected to a plurality of password domains, the method comprising:

maintaining, by a password portal, a table associating user identifiers with the password domains in which the user identifiers are used;

receiving from a user a user identifier and password;

authenticating the received user identifier and password at the password portal;

receiving from the user a communication requesting a password change;

implementing the requested password change in the table;

exchanging at least one synchronization message between the password portal and an additional password portal to ensure each password portal maintains an updated table;

identifying at least one password domain associated with the authenticated user identifier in which the received user identifier is used;

determining, by the password portal from the at least one password domain, a password change authentication level associated with the at least one password domain, the password change authentication level being an authentication level that is specified by the at least one password domain that must be met before a password change will be implemented at the at least one password domain; and

only if the user identifier has been authenticated at the password portal to an authentication level that meets or exceeds the password change authentication level specified by the at least one identified password domain;

establishing an encrypted and authenticated network connection to the at least one identified password domain; and

implementing the requested password change on a password database of the at least one identified password domain.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, when the user identifier has not been authenticated at the authentication level that meets or exceeds the password change authentication level specified by the at least one identified password domain, requiring the user to re-authenticate at a level at least as high as the password change authentication level specified by the at least one identified password domain before establishing an encrypted and authenticated network connection to the at least one identified password domain and implementing the requested password change on the password database of the at least one identified password domain.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

identifying at least one password domain associated with the authenticated user identifier comprises identifying plural password domains associated with the authenticated user identifier;

establishing an encrypted and authenticated network connection to the at least one identified password domain comprises establishing a respective encrypted and authenticated network connection to each of the plural identified password domains; and

implementing the requested password change comprises implementing the requested password change on a respective password database of each of the plural identified password domains.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein implementing the requested password change comprises implementing the password change on the password database of the at least one identified password domain using the authenticated user identifier and password.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein implementing the password change comprises implementing the password change on the password database of the at least one identified password domain using a reset function.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving from the at least one identified password domain a message confirming completion of the requested password change.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising sending the user a communication indicating success or failure of password change.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a web interface to the user.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the web interface is configured to enable the user to cause the communication requesting the password change to be sent.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing password services for password domains which do not maintain their own password databases.

21. The method of claim 1, further comprising accessing the password portal, by an administrator, to affect privileges of the user on the network.

11. A non-transitory, tangible, processor-readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions for securely updating at least one password on a network connected to a plurality of password domains, the instructions comprising instructions executable by a processor:

to maintain a table associating user identifiers with the password domains in which the user identifiers are used;

to receive from a user a user identifier and password;

to authenticate the received user identifier and password;

to receive from the user a communication requesting a password change;

to implement the requested password change in the table;

to exchange at least one synchronization message between the password portal and an additional password portal to ensure each password portal maintains an updated table;

to identify at least one password domain associated with the authenticated user identifier in which the received user identifier is used;

to determine, by the password portal from the at least one password domain, a password change authentication level associated with the at least one password domain, the password change authentication level being an authentication level that is specified by the at least one password domain that must be met before a password change will be implemented at the at least one password domain; and

only if the user identifier has been authenticated at the password portal to an authentication level that meets or exceeds the password change authentication level specified by the at least one identified password domain;

to establish an encrypted and authenticated network connection to the at least one identified password domain; and

to implement the requested password change on a password database of the at least one identified password domain.

12. The non-transitory, tangible, processor-readable storage medium of claim 11, further comprising instructions executable when the user identifier has not been authenticated at the authentication level that meets or exceeds the password change authentication level specified by the at least one identified password domain, to require the user to re-authenticate at a level at least as high as the password change authentication level specified by the at least one identified password domain before establishing an encrypted and authenticated network connection to the at least one identified password domain and implementing the requested password change on the password database of the at least one identified password domain.

13. The non-transitory, tangible, processor-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein:

the instructions executable to identify at least one password domain associated with the authenticated user identifier comprises instructions executable to identify plural password domains associated with the authenticated user identifier;

the instructions executable to establish an encrypted and authenticated network connection to the at least one identified password domain comprise instructions executable to establish a respective encrypted and authenticated network connection to each of the plural identified password domains; and

the instructions executable to implement the requested password change comprise instructions executable to implement the requested password change on a respective password database of each of the plural identified password domains.

14. The non-transitory, tangible, processor-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the instructions executable to implement the password change comprise instructions executable to implement the password change on the password database of the at least one identified password domain using the authenticated user identifier and password.

15. The non-transitory, tangible, processor-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the instructions executable to implement the password change comprise instructions executable to implement the password change on the password database of the at least one identified password domain using a reset function.

16. The non-transitory, tangible, processor-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions executable to receive from the at least one identified password domain a message confirming completion of the requested password change.

17. The non-transitory, tangible, processor-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions executable to send the user a communication indicating success or failure of password change.

18. The non-transitory, tangible, processor-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions executable to provide a web interface to the user.

19. The non-transitory, tangible, processor-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the web interface is configured to enable the user to cause the communication requesting the password change to be sent.

20. The non-transitory, tangible, processor-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions executable to perform password services for password domains which do not maintain their own password databases.

22. The non-transitory, tangible, processor-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the instructions further comprise instructions executable to enable access to the password portal, by an administrator, to enable the administrator to affect privileges of the user on the network.