Dynamic adjustment of authentication mechanism

• US 9,313,212 B2
• Filed: 03/19/2013
• Issued: 04/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Tang, Weng Sing
• Primary Examiner(s): Zaidi, Syed
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jamshidi, Ghodrat
• Application Number:
  US13/847,420
• Publication Number:
  US 20140289827A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,120 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 63/107 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 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227

Abstract

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a method and technique for dynamic adjustment of authentication mechanism is disclosed. The method includes: collecting location data of one or more agents relative to an agent attempting to authenticate to a data processing system; determining if the location data meets a threshold value; and responsive to the location data meeting the threshold value, relaxing an authentication scheme for the attempting agent to authenticate to the data processing system.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

collecting location data of one or more agents relative to an agent attempting to authenticate to a data processing system, wherein collecting the location data comprises;

determining a distance of each of the one or more agents from the attempting agent for the one or more agents located within a first proximity zone relative to the attempting agent;

determining a distance of each of the one or more agents from the attempting agent for the one or more agents located within a second proximity zone relative to the attempting agent, the second proximity zone extending farther from the attempting agent than the first proximity zone;

determining a first average distance based on the determined distances within the first proximity zone;

determining a second average distance based on the determined distances within the second proximity zone;

assigning a first weighted value to the first average distance;

assigning a second weighted value to the second average distance; and

calculating a value to be compared to the threshold value based on the first and second weighted values;

determining if the value meets a threshold value; and

responsive to the value meeting the threshold value, enabling authentication for the attempting agent to the data processing system using a relaxed authentication scheme.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein collecting the location data comprises determining a quantity of the one or more agents within at least one of the first and second proximity zones relative to the attempting agent.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein collecting the location data comprises:

determining a first quantity of the one or more agents within the first proximity zone relative to the attempting agent;

determining a second quantity of the one or more agents within the second proximity zone relative to the attempting agent;

assigning a third weighted value to the first quantity;

assigning a fourth weighted value to the second quantity; and

calculating another value to be compared to the threshold value based on the third and fourth weighted values.

4. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

logic executable by the processor to;

collect location data of one or more agents relative to an agent attempting to authenticate to a data processing system, wherein the logic is executable to;

determine a distance of each of the one or more agents from the attempting agent for the one or more agents located within a first proximity zone relative to the attempting agent;

determine a distance of each of the one or more agents from the attempting agent for the one or more agents located within a second proximity zone relative to the attempting agent, the second proximity zone extending farther from the attempting agent than the first proximity zone;

determine a first average distance based on the determined distances within the first proximity zone;

determine a second average distance based on the determined distances within the second proximity zone;

assign a first weighted value to the first average distance;

assign a second weighted value to the second average distance; and

calculate a value to be compared to the threshold value based on the first and second weighted values;

determine if the value meets a threshold value; and

responsive to the value meeting the threshold value, enable authentication for the attempting agent to the data processing system using a relaxed authentication scheme.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the logic is executable to determine a quantity of the one or more agents within at least one of the first and second proximity zones relative to the attempting agent.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the logic is executable to:

determine a first quantity of the one or more agents within the first proximity zone relative to the attempting agent;

determine a second quantity of the one or more agents within the second proximity zone relative to the attempting agent;

assign a third weighted value to the first quantity;

assign a fourth weighted value to the second quantity; and

calculate another value to be compared to the threshold value based on the third and fourth weighted values.

7. A computer program product for dynamic adjustment of authentication mechanism, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising computer readable program code configured to;

collect location data of one or more agents relative to an agent attempting to authenticate to a data processing system, wherein the program code is configured to;

determine a distance of each of the one or more agents from the attempting agent for the one or more agents located within a first proximity zone relative to the attempting agent;

determine a distance of each of the one or more agents from the attempting agent for the one or more agents located within a second proximity zone relative to the attempting agent, the second proximity zone extending farther from the attempting agent than the first proximity zone;

determine a first average distance based on the determined distances within the first proximity zone;

determine a second average distance based on the determined distances within the second proximity zone;

assign a first weighted value to the first average distance;

assign a second weighted value to the second average distance; and

calculate a value to be compared to the threshold value based on the first and second weighted values;

determine if the value meets a threshold value; and

responsive to the value meeting the threshold value, enable authentication for the attempting agent to the data processing system using a relaxed authentication scheme.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the computer readable program code is configured to determine a quantity of the one or more agents within at least one of the first and second proximity zones relative to the attempting agent.

9. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the computer readable program code is configured to:

determine a first quantity of the one or more agents within the first proximity zone relative to the attempting agent;

determine a second quantity of the one or more agents within the second proximity zone relative to the attempting agent;

assign a third weighted value to the first quantity;

assign a fourth weighted value to the second quantity; and

calculate another value to be compared to the threshold value based on the third and fourth weighted values.