Controlling user access to electronic resources without password

• US 9,058,482 B2
• Filed: 03/01/2012
• Issued: 06/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ANGEL Secure Networks, Inc.
• Original Assignee: ANGEL Secure Networks, Inc.
• Inventors: Smith, Fred Hewitt
• Primary Examiner(s): Pwu, Jeffrey
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRUONG, THONG P
• Application Number:
  US13/410,287
• Publication Number:
  US 20120227092A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,202 Days
• Field of Search: 726/4
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/35 communicating wirelessly
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/42 using separate channels for security data
• 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: H04L 9/3231 Biological data, e.g. fingerprint, voice or retina network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using biometrical features in a packet data network H04L63/0861

Abstract

Described herein are devices and techniques for remotely controlling user access to a restricted computer resource. The process includes pre-determining an association of the restricted computer resource and computer-resource-proximal environmental information. Indicia of user-proximal environmental information are received from a user requesting access to the restricted computer resource. Received indicia of user-proximal environmental information are compared to associated computer-resource-proximal environmental information. User access to the restricted computer resource is selectively granted responsive to a favorable comparison in which the user-proximal environmental information is sufficiently similar to the computer-resource proximal environmental information. In at least some embodiments, the process further includes comparing user-supplied biometric measure and comparing it with a predetermined association of at least one biometric measure of an authorized user. Access to the restricted computer resource is granted in response to a favorable comparison.

Claims

1. A method of remotely controlling user access to a restricted computer resource, comprising:

pre-determining, by a device comprising a processor, an association of the restricted computer resource and computer-resource-proximal environmental information;

receiving, by the device, from a user requesting access to the restricted computer resource, indicia of user-proximal environmental information;

comparing, by the device, the indicia of user-proximal environmental information to associated computer-resource-proximal environmental information;

granting, by the device, selectively user access to the restricted computer resource responsive to the comparing of the indicia of the user-proximal environmental information in which the user-proximal environmental information corresponds to the computer-resource-proximal environmental information;

pre-determining, by the device, an association of a biometric measure with an authorized user;

receiving, by the device, from the user requesting access to the restricted computer resource a user-supplied biometric measure;

comparing, by the device, the user-supplied biometric measure with the associated biometric measure, wherein granting comprises granting selectively user access to the restricted computer resource responsive to the comparing of the indicia of the user-proximal environmental information in which;

(i) the user-proximal environmental information corresponds to the computer-resource-proximal environmental information; and

(ii) the user-supplied biometric measure corresponds to the biometric measure;

contacting, by the device, the user responsive to the comparing of the user-supplied biometric measure in which one of the user-proximal environmental information does not correspond to the computer-resource-proximal environmental information, the user-supplied biometric measure or a combination thereof corresponds to the associated biometric measure;

obtaining, by the device, supplemental user-supplied information;

interpreting, by the device, the supplemental user-supplied information;

granting selectively, by the device, user access to the restricted computer resource responsive to the interpreting of the supplemental user-supplied information; and

securing, by the device, a transfer of the supplemental user-supplied information, wherein securing comprises application of a software agent to establish such secure communications, wherein the software agent is associated with a plurality of networked software agents to collectively detect and deter attempted reverse engineering and to securely examine a state of the device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user-supplied biometric measure comprises an identifiable feature of the user.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the user-proximal information comprise a user-obtained image comprising the user-supplied biometric measure in juxtaposition with an identifiable feature of a user-proximal environment.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer-resource-proximal environmental information comprises a geo-location.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer-resource-proximal environmental information comprises an identifiable landmark.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer-resource-proximal environmental information comprises a pre-configured identification tag.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the pre-configured identification tag is selected from the group consisting of a serial number, a bar code, a QR code, a radio frequency identification tag, a near field communication-readable tag and combinations thereof.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the supplemental user-supplied information comprises one of a voice print, a user-response to a query or a combination thereof.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the restricted computer resource comprises one of a workstation, an application, or a combination thereof.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein securing of the transfer of the supplemental user-supplied information, comprises encrypting all communications according to encryption keys that are established just-in-time before they are needed.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting, by the software agent, an attempted reverse engineering.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the device comprises a smart-phone.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising reimaging software of the device by the software agent associated with the plurality of networked software to detect an attempt at reverse engineering.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising securing the device by examining one of device software, operating system or both during one of a power charging of the device, or before use of the device, by the software agent associated with a plurality of networked software agents, to detect reverse engineering and conduct examinations of the device from the plurality of networked software agents.