Using the ability to speak as a human interactive proof

• US 9,390,245 B2
• Filed: 08/02/2012
• Issued: 07/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Mills, Chad, Sim, Robert, Laufer, Scott, Chung, Sung
• Primary Examiner(s): ALBERTALLI, BRIAN LOUIS
• Application Number:
  US13/564,722
• Publication Number:
  US 20140039892A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,440 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2133 Verifying human interaction, e.g., Captcha
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/40145 Biometric identity checks
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/08 Use of distortion metrics or a particular distance between probe pattern and reference templates
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 17/24 the user being prompted to utter a password or a predefined phrase
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0861 using biometrical features, e.g. fingerprint, retina-scan cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using biological data H04L9/3231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources

Abstract

In one embodiment, a human interactive proof portal 140 may use a biometric input to determine whether a user is a standard user or a malicious actor. The human interactive proof portal 140 may receive an access request 302 for an online data service 122 from a user device 110. The human interactive proof portal 140 may send a proof challenge 304 to the user device 110 for presentation to a user. The human interactive proof portal 140 may receive from the user device 110 a proof response 306 having a biometric metadata description 430 based on a biometric input from the user.

Claims

1. A machine-implemented method, comprising:

receiving an access request for an online data service from a user device;

sending a proof challenge to the user device for presentation to a user;

receiving from the user device a proof response having a biometric metadata description extracted from a biometric input from the user at the user device by a conversion applet, the biometric metadata description describing at least one of a level, a tone, and a speed of the biometric input; and

comparing the biometric metadata description of the biometric input to a user model of a user account profile aggregating input from multiple sessions with a user account.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending the conversion applet for installation by the user device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

comparing the biometric input to a proof challenge answer.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a response representation based on an audio input.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining if the audio input is from a speech synthesizer.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

measuring a flatness aspect of the audio input.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

throttling access to a service resource through multiple verifications.

8. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

identifying different users for a single user account.

9. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

identifying a voice print as belonging to a frequent user.

10. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining if the user is at a reputable network address.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

tracking a response time for the proof response.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

granting access to a user account based on the biometric input.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending a text segment as the proof challenge.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending an audio word as the proof challenge.

15. A tangible computer-readable storage medium having a set of instructions detailing a method stored thereon that when executed by one or more processors cause the one or more processors to perform the method, the method comprising:

sending an access request for an online data service to a human interactive proof portal;

receiving a proof challenge from the human interactive proof portal for presentation to a user;

receiving an audio input from the user in response to the proof challenge;

creating a biometric metadata description generated at the user device by a conversion applet based on the audio input to be sent to the human interactive proof portal; and

signing the biometric metadata description with the conversion applet to indicate that the biometric metadata description comes from the conversion applet.

16. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises:

presenting an audio word as the proof challenge to the user.

17. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises:

presenting a text segment as the proof challenge to the user.

18. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises:

creating a response representation based on the audio input.

19. A human interactive proof portal, comprising:

a communication interface configured to receive an access request for an online data service from a user device; and

a processor configured to generate a proof challenge for presentation to a user and to examine a biometric input metadata description to determine whether to grant access to the online data service, the biometric description generated and signed at the user device by a conversion applet to indicate that the biometric metadata description comes from the conversion applet.

20. The human interactive proof portal of claim 19, wherein the processor determines whether the biometric input metadata description describes a speech synthesizer.