Authentication based on geo-location history

• US 9,014,666 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2006
• Issued: 04/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Arlington Technologies, LLC (Dominion Harbor Enterprises, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Bentley, Jon Louis, Erhart, George William, O'Gorman, Lawrence, Sammon, Michael J., Skiba, David Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Magloire, Vladimir
• Assistant Examiner(s): DONADO, FRANK E
• Application Number:
  US11/611,720
• Publication Number:
  US 20080146193A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,049 Days
• US Class Current: 455/411
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/34 involving the use of external additional devices, e.g. dongles or smart cards
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/69 using geographic information, e.g. room number
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0853 using an additional device, e.g. smartcard, SIM or a different communication terminal cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving additional secure or trusted devices H04L9/3234
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/107 wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/61 Time-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/63 Location-dependent; Proximity-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/04 based on user or terminal location or mobility data, e.g. moving direction, speed
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are disclosed for authenticating a user based on the geo-location history of a geo-location-enabled wireless device (e.g., a GPS-enabled wireless telecommunications terminal, a smart card, an RFID tag, etc.). In a first illustrative embodiment, a user of a geo-location-enabled wireless telecommunications terminal (e.g., a GPS-enabled cell phone, a GPS-enabled notebook computer, etc.) who attempts to access a restricted resource is challenged with one or more questions that are generated from the terminal'"'"'s geo-location history. In a second illustrative embodiment, a user of a data-processing system who attempts to access a restricted resource is asked to provide a username Z. The user is then challenged with one or more questions that are generated from the geo-location history of a wireless device that is associated with username Z (e.g., a cell phone that belongs to the user whose username is Z, etc.).

Claims

1. A method comprising:

determining a first geo-location history of a wireless device based on a signal received from the wireless device, the signal indicating a device identifier associated with the wireless device and a first geo-location associated with the device identifier, the first geo-location corresponding to a previous point in time;

sending an authentication challenge to the wireless device, the authentication challenge comprising a question about a second geo-location history of a user of the wireless device;

receiving a response to the authentication challenge, wherein the response is provided by the user and specifies a second geo-location; and

determining whether the user is successfully authenticated based on a comparison of the first geo-location history of the wireless device with the second geo-location history of the user, wherein determining whether the user is successfully authenticated is further based on a distance between the first geo-location and the second geo-location.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the first geo-location history comprises inferring a characteristic of a previous location and time associated with the wireless device, the characteristic being inferred based on one of a first previous location, a second previous location, a first previous time associated with the first previous location, and a second previous location associated with the second previous location.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the response specifies a first time, and wherein determining whether the user is successfully authenticated is further based on a difference between the first time and the previous point in time corresponding to the first geo-location.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the response specifies a first direction, and wherein the determination whether the user is successfully authenticated is further based on a difference between the first direction and a second direction that is obtained from the first geo-location history.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the authentication challenge inquires about a route taken during a prior time interval.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the authentication challenge inquires about one or both of a maximum speed and an average speed during a prior time interval.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable storage device having stored therein instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

determining a first geo-location history of a wireless device based on a signal received from the wireless device, the signal indicating a device identifier associated with the wireless device and a first geo-location associated with the wireless device, the first geo-location corresponding to a previous point in time;

sending an authentication challenge to the wireless device, the authentication challenge comprising a question about a second geo-location history of a user of the wireless device;

receiving a response to the authentication challenge, wherein the response is provided by the user and specifies a second geo-location; and

determining whether the user is successfully authenticated based on a comparison of the first geo-location history of the wireless device with the second geo-location history of the user, wherein determining whether the user is successfully authenticated is further based on a distance between the first geo-location and the second geo-location.

8. The computer-readable storage device of claim 7, wherein determining the first geo-location history comprises inferring a characteristic of a previous location and time associated with the wireless device, the characteristic being inferred based on one of a first previous location, a second previous location, a first previous time associated with the first previous location, and a second previous location associated with the second previous location.

9. The computer-readable storage device of claim 7, wherein the response specifies a first direction, and wherein determining whether the user is successfully authenticated is further based on a difference between the first direction and a second direction that is obtained from the first geo-location history.

10. The computer-readable storage device of claim 7, wherein the response specifies a first speed, and wherein determining whether the user is successfully authenticated is further based on a difference between the first speed and a second speed that is obtained from the first geo-location history.

11. A system comprising:

a computer that performs operations comprising;

determining a first geo-location history of a wireless device based on a signal received from the wireless device, the signal indicating a device identifier associated with the wireless device and a first geo-location associated with the device identifier, the first geo-location corresponding to a previous point in time;

transmitting to the wireless device an authentication challenge requesting information about a second geo-location history associated with a user of the wireless device;

receiving an answer to the authentication challenge, wherein the answer specifies a second geo-location;

sending the answer to a separate device as part of a request for authentication; and

receiving a response to the request for authentication from the separate device, the response being based on a comparison of the first geo-location history of the wireless device with the second geo-location history of the user, and being based on a distance between the first geo-location and the second geo-location.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the authentication challenge asks for a time at which the user of the wireless device was present at a particular geo-location.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the authentication challenge asks for a geo-location at which the user of the wireless device was present at a particular time.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the authentication challenge asks whether a particular geo-location was visited during a particular time interval.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the authentication challenge inquires about a most recent time that a particular geo-location was visited.