Continual peer authentication

• US 8,950,001 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2008
• Issued: 02/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Bentley, Jon Louis, Sammon, Michael J., Krishnakumar, Anjur Sundaresan, Weiss, David Mandel
• Primary Examiner(s): Najjar, Saleh
• Assistant Examiner(s): MEJIA, FELICIANO S
• Application Number:
  US12/207,222
• Publication Number:
  US 20100064345A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,338 Days
• Field of Search: 713/182, 713/160, 713/153, 380/270, 379/265.01, 709/225, 726/4, 726/2, 726/28, 455/410, 455/411
• US Class Current: 726/28
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2115 Third party
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2137 Time limited access, e.g. to a computer or data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/06 Answer-back mechanisms or circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32

Abstract

A method for orchestrating peer authentication during a call (e.g., a telephone call, a conference call between three or more parties, an instant messaging [IM] chat session, etc.) is disclosed. In particular, a user is first authenticated in order to participate in a call (e.g., via entering a password, etc.), and subsequently during the call the user may be peer authenticated. In accordance with the illustrative embodiment, a user who participates in a call might be prompted to authenticate another user on the call based on particular events or user behavior during the call.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

presenting by a data-processing system an authentication challenge to a first user who wishes to participate in a call;

admitting by said data-processing system said first user to said call when said authentication challenge is met; and

generating by said data-processing system during said call, after the admission of said first user, a signal that prompts a second user participating in said call to authenticate said first user, wherein the second user consists of a human.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the generation of said signal is in response to said first user speaking for the first time during said call.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the generation of said signal is in response to said first user speaking after being silent for at least N seconds, wherein N is a positive number.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the generation of said signal is in response to said first user being silent for at least N seconds, wherein N is a positive number.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the generation of said signal is in response to said first user speaking for less than a fraction f of time over a time interval.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the generation of said signal is in response to said first user speaking for no more than N seconds contiguously over a time interval, wherein N is a positive number.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said first user participates in said call via a wireless telecommunications terminal, and wherein the generation of said signal is in response to a change in location of said wireless telecommunications terminal.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising selecting by said data-processing system said second user from a plurality of users who are participating in said call.

9. A method comprising:

presenting by a data-processing system an authentication challenge to a first user who wishes to participate in a call;

admitting by said data-processing system said first user to said call at time t₁ when said authentication challenge is met; and

generating by said data-processing system during said call, at time t₂, a signal that prompts a second user participating in said call to authenticate said first user, wherein t₂>

t₁, and wherein the second user consists of a human.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said time t₂ is based on when said first user speaks during said call.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein said first user participates in said call via a wireless telecommunications terminal, and wherein said time t₂ is based on at least one location of said wireless telecommunications terminal during time interval [t₁, t₂].

12. The method of claim 9 wherein said first user participates in said call via a wireless telecommunications terminal, and wherein the magnitude of t₂-t₁ is based on at least one location of said wireless telecommunications terminal during time interval [t₁, t₂].

13. The method of claim 9 wherein the magnitude of t₂-t₁ is based on a metric of said first user'"'"'s speaking during said call.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the magnitude of t₂-t₁ is based on the length of a time interval over which said first user is silent.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the magnitude of t₂-t₁ is based on the fraction of time interval [t₁, t₂] over which said first user is silent.

16. The method of claim 9 further comprising selecting by said data-processing system said second user from a plurality of users who are participating in said call.

17. A method comprising:

presenting by a data-processing system an authentication challenge to a first user who wishes to participate in a call;

admitting by said data-processing system said first user to said call at time t₁ when said authentication challenge is met;

generating by said data-processing system during said call, at time t₂, a first signal that prompts a second user participating in said call to authenticate said first user, wherein the second user consists of a human; and

generating by said data-processing system during said call, at time t₃, a second signal that prompts a third user participating in said call to authenticate said first user, wherein t₃>

t₂>

t₁.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein said first user participates in said call via a wireless telecommunications terminal, and wherein the magnitude of t₃-t₂ is based on at least one location of said wireless telecommunications terminal during time interval [t₂, t₃].

19. The method of claim 17 wherein the magnitude of t₃-t₂ is based on a metric of said first user'"'"'s speaking during time interval [t₂, t₃].

20. The method of claim 17 further comprising:

selecting by said data-processing system said second user from a plurality of users who are participating in said call at said time t₂; and

selecting by said data-processing system said third user from a plurality of users who are participating in said call at said time t₃.