Rules driven multiple passwords

• US 9,231,981 B2
• Filed: 07/10/2014
• Issued: 01/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AirBNB Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Delia, Wayne M., Kelley, Edward E., Motika, Franco
• Primary Examiner(s): SHOLEMAN, ABU S
• Application Number:
  US14/328,218
• Publication Number:
  US 20140325591A1
• Time in Patent Office: 544 Days
• Field of Search: 726/1, 726/6, 726/16, 726/26, 726/8, 715/758, 709/203, 709/206, 709/219
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• 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 63/0846 using time-dependent-passwords, e.g. periodically changing passwords
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227

Abstract

A rules driven multiple passwords system is provided wherein a list of stored passwords are used in rotation over time in accordance with a set of rules or conditions managed by the system. With such an arrangement, the currently active password of a system User may automatically be changed, in accordance with the rules or conditions, to the next password in the list. The User is notified as to the newly assigned password.

Claims

1. A computer system for controlling access to user accounts, comprising:

storage apparatus associated with said computer system for storing a preselected list of user account created passwords with each password available for use by a user account and created by said user account according to any password creation rules of said computer system;

storage apparatus associated with said computer system for storing a set of conditions for automatically changing the password currently being used for the user account to a new password taken from said list of user account created passwords;

a processor monitoring said conditions of said user account by said to determine when one or more of said conditions occur; and

a processor for automatically selecting for use by said user account a new password from said preselected list of user account created passwords stored in said storage apparatus associated with said computer system when one or more of said conditions occur.

2. The computer system of claim 1 wherein said user is notified when a new password has been automatically selected from said list of passwords.

3. The computer system of claim 1 wherein each of the passwords of said list of user account created passwords expire after some predetermined period of time.

4. The computer system of claim 3 wherein user account newly created passwords are added to the passwords of said list of user account created passwords according to said password creation rules of said computer system.

5. The computer system of claim 4 wherein said list of passwords provides a sequence of passwords long enough to cause a total expiration time sufficient to allow reuse of passwords selected earlier in the sequence.

6. A method of password management in a user-accessible computer system, comprising:

storing a preselected list of user account created passwords to form a password stack with each password available for use by a user account and created by said user account according to password selection rules of said computer system;

storing a set of conditions for an automatic password change by said computer system to a new password from the current password being used by a user account with said new password taken from said password stack;

monitoring said conditions by said computer system to determine when one or more of said conditions occur; and

automatically selecting for use by said user account a new password from said preselected list of user account created passwords of said password stack by said computer system when one or more of said conditions occur.

7. The method of password management of claim 6 wherein a new password is automatically assigned from said password stack for use by said user account after a predetermined period of time.

8. The method of password management of claim 7 wherein the summation of the individual password expiration times of said list of passwords of said password stack is sufficiently long so as to conform to system rules prohibiting reusing previous passwords within some specified period of time and allows said passwords of said password stack to be reissued.

9. The method of password management of claim 7 wherein a notice is sent to said user account when a new password is automatically assigned.

10. The method of password management of claim 6 wherein a temporary single password is initially assigned to said user account.

11. The method of password management of claim 10 wherein said temporary single password allows said user account to create said list of user account created passwords according to said password creation rules to form a password stack to be stored.

12. The method of password management of claim 11 wherein said set of conditions specifies the time limits to expiration for passwords in said password stack.

13. The method of password management of claim 12, wherein a new password is automatically assigned for use by said user account from said password stack when a virus is detected.

14. A computer implemented method for user account authentication:

providing a preselected list of user account created passwords in said computer with each password available for use by said user account and created by said user account according to any password creation rules of said computer;

providing a set of conditions in said computer under which the password currently being used for access to said user account is automatically changed to a new password taken from said preselected list of user account created passwords;

computer monitoring said conditions of said user account to determine when one or more of said conditions occur; and

automatically providing for use by said user account a new password taken from said preselected list of user account created passwords by said computer when one or more of said conditions occur.

15. The computer method of claim 14 wherein said each of said passwords of said list of user account created passwords is set to expire after some predetermined period of time use.

16. The computer method of claim 15 wherein the summation of expiration times of a subset of passwords on said preselected list of user account created passwords is sufficiently long to allow reuse of passwords from of said subset.

17. The computer method of claim 16 wherein the sequence of passwords of said preselected list of user account created passwords is reordered.

18. The computer method of claim 14 wherein a new password from said preselected list of user account created passwords is provided when a virus has been detected.

19. A computer system for controlling access to user accounts comprising:

storage apparatus for storing a preselected list of user account created and stored passwords with each password available for use by said user account and created according to any password creation rules of said computer system;

storage apparatus for storing a set of conditions for automatically assigning a new password to said user account from said preselected list of user account created passwords when conditions for assigning a new password occur; and

a processor for monitoring said user account to determine when one or more of said conditions occur and automatically act to assign a new password from said preselected list of user account created passwords for use by said user account when one or more of said conditions occur.

20. The computer system of claim 19 wherein the passwords of said preselected list of user account created and stored passwords are each set to expire after a preset time of use.

21. The computer system of claim 20 wherein a new password from said preselected list of user account created and stored passwords is automatically assigned to said user account when the current password of said user account expires.

22. The computer system of claim 20 wherein a new password from said preselected list of user account created and stored passwords is automatically assigned to said user account when a virus is detected.

23. The computer system of claim 22 wherein a processor acts to allow the user of said user account to add passwords to said preselected list of user account created and stored passwords.

24. A computer program product of password management for user accounts in a computer system, said computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium;

first program instructions to provide a preselected list of user account created passwords in said computer system with each password available for use by said user account and created by said user account according to password creation rules of said computer system;

second program instructions to provide a set of conditions in said computer system under which the password currently being used for access to said user account is automatically changed to a new password taken from said preselected list of user account created passwords;

third program instructions to provide for computer system monitoring said conditions of said user account to determine when one or more of said conditions occur;

fourth program instructions to automatically provide by said computer system a new password to said user account taken from said preselected list of user account created passwords in said computer system when one or more of said conditions occur; and

wherein said first, second, third and fourth program instructions are stored on said computer readable storage medium.

25. The computer program product of password management for user accounts in a computer system as set forth in claim 24 wherein a new password is automatically provided to said user account from said preselected list of user account created passwords in said computer system after a predetermined period of time.