On-demand service security system and method for managing a risk of access as a condition of permitting access to the on-demand service

• US 8,875,259 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2013
• Issued: 10/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Junod, Forrest A., Fly, Robert C., Dapkus, Peter, Yancey, Scott W., Lawrance, Steven S., Fell, Simon Z.
• Primary Examiner(s): SHOLEMAN, ABU S
• Application Number:
  US13/874,349
• Publication Number:
  US 20130247217A1
• Time in Patent Office: 546 Days
• Field of Search: 726 5- 7, 713/161, 713/171, 380/244, 380/277
• US Class Current: 726/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/42 using separate channels for security data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/60 Protecting data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• 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 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/14 for detecting or protecting against malicious traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols

Abstract

Provided are mechanisms and methods for managing a risk of access to an on-demand service as a condition of permitting access to the on-demand service. These mechanisms and methods for providing such management can help prohibit an unauthorized user from accessing an account of an authorized user when the authorized user inadvertently loses login information. The ability to provide such management may lead to an improved security feature for accessing on-demand services.

Claims

1. A computer program product, comprising a non-transitory computer usable medium having a computer readable program code embodied therein, the computer readable program code adapted to be executed to cause a computer to implement a method comprising:

receiving a request to access an on-demand service from a requestor associated with one of a plurality of entities of the on-demand service, wherein the requestor has transmitted a valid username and password from a device for accessing the on-demand service;

determining that the request to access the on-demand service is from a potentially risky source including that the device of the requestor is unrecognized using stored information associated with at least one of a plurality of users or the one of the plurality of entities; and

managing access to the on-demand service by the requestor as a condition of permitting the requestor to access the on-demand service from the device, wherein managing the access to the on-demand service includes;

providing a message containing a valid token to a predetermined location that corresponds to the valid username provided by the requestor, wherein the predetermined location is separate from the unrecognized device of the requestor,

after providing the message containing the valid token to the predetermined location, receiving a second request to access the on-demand service from the unrecognized device, the second request including the valid token, and

in response to receiving the second request including the valid token, verifying a machine identifier of the unrecognized device and permitting access to the on-demand service by the unrecognized device.

2. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the on-demand service includes an on-demand database service.

3. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 2, wherein the on-demand service includes a multi-tenant on-demand database service.

4. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein managing the access to the on-demand service by the requestor further includes generating the message.

5. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein it is determined that the request is from the potentially risky source because the device that transmitted the valid username and password has not previously been associated with the at least one of a plurality of users identified by the stored information of the one of the plurality of entities of the on-demand service to which the access is requested.

6. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein it is determined that the request is from the potentially risky source because the device that transmitted the valid username and password has previously been associated with the at least one of a plurality of users identified by the stored information of the one of the plurality of entities of the on-demand service to which the access is requested.

7. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein managing the access to the on-demand service by the requester includes comparing information in the request to access the on-demand service with a list of at least one of users and entities pre--determined to be granted access to the on-demand service.

10. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein providing the message containing the valid token to the predetermined location that corresponds to the valid username provided by the requestor includes sending a text message to the predetermined location.

11. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the predetermined location separate from the unrecognized device of the requestor has been previously supplied to the on-demand service with respect to a set up of a subscription of the requestor with the on-demand service.

8. A method, comprising:

receiving a request to access an on-demand service from a requestor associated with one of a plurality of entities of the on-demand service, wherein the requestor has transmitted a valid username and password from a device for accessing the on-demand service;

determining, utilizing a hardware processor, that the request to access the on-demand service is from a potentially risky source including that the device of the requestor is unrecognized using stored information associated with at least one of a plurality of users or the one of the plurality of entities; and

managing access to the on-demand service by the requestor as a condition of permitting the requestor to access the on-demand service from the device, wherein managing the access to the on-demand service includes;

providing a message containing a valid token to a predetermined location that corresponds to the valid username provided by the requestor, wherein the predetermined location is separate from the unrecognized device of the requestor,

after providing the message containing the valid token to the predetermined location, receiving a second request to access the on-demand service from the unrecognized device, the second request including the valid token, and

in response to receiving the second request including the valid token, verifying a machine identifier of the unrecognized device and permitting access to the on-demand service by the unrecognized device.

9. An apparatus, comprising:

a hardware processor; and

one or more stored sequences of instructions which, when executed by the hardware processor, cause the hardware processor to carry out the steps of;

receiving a request to access an on-demand service from a requestor associated with one of a plurality of entities of the on-demand service, wherein the requestor has transmitted a valid username and password from a device for accessing the on-demand service;

determining that the request to access the on-demand service is from a potentially risky source including that the device of the requestor is unrecognized using stored information associated with at least one of a plurality of users or the one of the plurality of entities; and

managing access to the on-demand service by the requestor as a condition of permitting the requestor to access the on-demand service from the device, wherein managing the access to the on-demand service includes;

providing a message containing a valid token to a predetermined location that corresponds to the valid username provided by the requestor, wherein the predetermined location is separate from the unrecognized device of the requestor,

after providing the message containing the valid token to the predetermined location, receiving a second request to access the on-demand service from the unrecognized device, the second request including the valid token, and

in response to receiving the second request including the valid token, verifying a machine identifier of the unrecognized device and permitting access to the on-demand service by the unrecognized device.