Mask based challenge response test

• US 8,869,246 B2
• Filed: 03/21/2012
• Issued: 10/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kruger, Stephen Paul, Pieczul, Olgierd Stanislaw
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Jung
• Assistant Examiner(s): DE JESUS LASSAIA, CARLOS MANUEL
• Application Number:
  US13/426,101
• Publication Number:
  US 20120192266A1
• Time in Patent Office: 944 Days
• Field of Search: 726/4, 726/5
• US Class Current: 726/4
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2103 Challenge-response
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2133 Verifying human interaction, e.g., Captcha
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3271 using challenge-response

Abstract

A method for providing a challenge response test associated with a computer resource performed by a physical computing system includes, with the physical computing system, generating a challenge response test image comprising a plurality of well-formed construct elements forming a well-formed construct and a plurality of random construct elements, and providing a number of masks to be placed over the image, one of the number of masks configured to reveal the well-formed construct elements when placed over the image.

Claims

1. A method for providing a challenge response test associated with a computer resource and performed by a physical computing system, the method comprising:

with said physical computing system, generating a challenge response test image comprising a plurality of well-formed construct elements forming a well-formed construct and a plurality of random construct elements; and

with said physical computing system, providing a number of masks to be placed over said image, one of said number of masks configured to reveal said well-formed construct elements when placed over said image;

in which said well-formed construct elements comprise words or images of a properly formed sentence and said well-formed construct comprises said sentence.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, interchanging said masks placed above said image under direction from a human user.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an input construct as an input from a human user; and

determining that said human user has passed said challenge response test if said input construct matches said well-formed construct.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said image comprises a framework, said well-formed construct elements and said random construct elements being placed into segments of said framework.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said framework comprises at least one of:

a two dimensional grid of cells, a one dimensional grid of cells, and a wheel of cells.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein said one of said masks revealing said plurality of well-formed construct elements is configured to reveal segments of said framework holding said plurality of well-formed construct elements.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said random construct elements comprising a non-properly formed sentence.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said well-formed construct elements are obfuscated through use of:

image replacement, metathesis, and rotation.

9. A method for providing a challenge response test associated with a computer resource and performed by a physical computing system, the method comprising:

with said physical computing system, generating a challenge response test image comprising a framework of multiple cells, said cells to hold a plurality of well-formed construct elements forming a well-formed construct and a plurality of random construct elements;

with said physical computing system, providing a number of masks to be placed over said image, one of said number of masks configured to reveal said well-formed construct elements when placed over said image;

with said physical computing system, prompting a user; and

with said physical computing system, granting said user access to a resource in response to receiving a response from said user that matches said well-formed construct;

in which said well-formed construct elements comprise words or images of a properly formed sentence and said well-formed construct comprises said sentence.