Methods, systems, and computer program products for authenticating an entity through use of a global identity of the entity that serves as a proxy for one or more local identities of the entity

• US 9,241,003 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2010
• Issued: 01/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Novack, Brian, Birkes, Jerry, Drake, Alton, Toretti, Gary
• Primary Examiner(s): Abrishamkar, Kaveh
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wilcox, James J
• Application Number:
  US12/968,895
• Publication Number:
  US 20120159571A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,861 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• 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

Abstract

A method of authenticating an entity includes associating a local identity of the entity with a global identity of the entity, the local identity being associated with a first one of a plurality of restricted access zones, associating the global identity of the entity with particular ones of the plurality of restricted access zones for granting access to the particular ones of the plurality of restricted access zones, receiving an authentication request from the entity to access a second one of the plurality of access zones where the authentication request includes the local identity of the entity, and authenticating the entity for access to the second one of the plurality of access zones responsive to receiving the authentication request when the second one of the plurality of restricted access zones is one of the particular ones of the plurality of restricted access zones that are associated with the global identity of the entity.

Claims

1. A method of authenticating an entity, comprising:

receiving, by a server, an electronic authentication request sent from a device requesting an authentication associated with an online retailer, the electronic authentication request specifying a local identity associated with a different online retailer;

querying, by the server, an electronic database for the local identity, the electronic database having electronic database associations between a global identity and different local identities associated with different online retailers, each one of the different local identities being associated with one of different restricted access zones, the global identity required when accessing any restricted access zone;

retrieving, by the server from the electronic database, the global identity having one of the electronic database associations with the local identity associated with the different online retailer;

retrieving, by the server from the electronic database, a different local identity having another one of the electronic database associations between the global identity and the online retailer; and

authenticating access to the restricted access zone associated with the online retailer based on the global identity and the different local identity.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising using the global identity as a proxy.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the different restricted access zones are part of a common organization.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the different restricted access zones are unrelated to each other.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the different restricted access zones comprise a plurality of different geographic regions.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating the global identity with all of the different restricted access zones.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving requests from respective ones of the different restricted access zones to associate the global identity with the respective ones of the different restricted access zones, respectively.

8. A system for authenticating an entity, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory storing code that when executed causes the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising;

receiving an electronic authentication request sent from a device requesting an authentication associated with an online retailer, the electronic authentication request specifying a local identity associated with a different online retailer;

querying an electronic database for the local identity associated with the different online retailer, the electronic database having electronic database associations between a global identity and different local identities associated with different online retailers, each one of the different local identities being associated with a first one of a plurality of restricted access zones associated with a corresponding one of the different online retailers, the entity being prevented from accessing a second one of the plurality of restricted access zones without the global identity of the entity being associated with the local identity of the entity, and the global identity;

retrieving, from the electronic database, the global identity having one of the electronic database associations with the local identity associated with the different online retailer;

retrieving, from the electronic database, a different local identity having another one of the electronic database associations between the global identity and the online retailer; and

authenticating the entity for access to the second one of the plurality of restricted access zones based on the global identity of the entity and the different local identity associated with the online retailer.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise using the global identity as a proxy.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the plurality of restricted access zones are part of a common organization.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the plurality of restricted access zones are unrelated to each other.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the plurality of restricted access zones comprise a plurality of different geographic regions.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise receiving input from the entity that identifies the plurality of restricted access zones to associate the global identity of the entity with all of the plurality of restricted access zones.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the operations further comprise receiving requests from respective ones of the plurality of restricted access zones to associate the global identity of the entity with the respective ones of the plurality of restricted access zones, respectively.