Systems and methods for performing security authentication based on responses to observed stimuli

• US 9,477,823 B1
• Filed: 02/28/2014
• Issued: 10/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Smart Information Flow Technologies LLC
• Original Assignee: Smart Information Flow Technologies LLC
• Inventors: Ott, Tammy Elizabeth, Thomsen, Daniel Jay
• Primary Examiner(s): Traore, Fatoumata
• Application Number:
  US14/193,621
• Time in Patent Office: 970 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/316 by observing the pattern of computer usage, e.g. typical user behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints

Abstract

A method performed by an authentication processor for authenticating an unknown user claiming to be a legitimate user. The method includes comparing a legitimate user response metric to an unknown user response metric and one of preventing access to the computer system and decreasing a level of access to the computer system when the unknown user response metric differs from the legitimate user response metric by more than a predefined degree of acceptable variation. The legitimate user response metric represents observed changes in micro-behaviors of the legitimate user in response to viewing a plurality of prime images. The unknown user response metric represents observed changes in micro-behaviors of the unknown user in response to viewing the plurality of prime images.

Claims

1. A method performed by a hardware processor for authenticating an unknown user claiming to be a legitimate user, the method comprising:

presenting, by the hardware processor, to the unknown user a plurality of prime images, wherein the plurality of prime images are presented to the unknown user in an amount of time that is less than or equal to 16 milliseconds such that the plurality of prime images are consciously unperceivable and subconsciously perceivable by the unknown user to induce one or more conditioned responses;

observing, by the hardware processor, one or more responses, by the unknown user, to the plurality of prime images that are consciously unperceivable and subconsciously perceivable by the unknown user;

generating, by the hardware processor, an unknown user response metric based on the observed one or more responses;

comparing, by the hardware processor, a known conditioned user response metric to the unknown user response metric;

one of preventing access to a computer system and decreasing a level of access to the computer system when the unknown user response metric differs from the conditioned user response metric by more than a predefined degree of acceptable variation, wherein the conditioned user response metric represents observed changes in micro-behaviors of the legitimate user in response to viewing the plurality of prime images, and the unknown user response metric represents observed changes in micro-behaviors of the unknown user in response to viewing the plurality of prime images; and

one of granting access to the computer system and maintaining the level of access to the computer system when the unknown user response metric matches the legitimate user response metric by less than the predefined degree of acceptable variation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the micro-behaviors include keyboard dynamics.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting the plurality of prime images to the unknown user claiming to be the legitimate user on a display device of the computer system as the unknown user attempts to access the computer system.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein presenting the plurality of prime images to the unknown user includes presenting each of the plurality of prime images for an amount of time that is less than 16 milliseconds.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

observing micro-behavior responses exhibited by the unknown user after the unknown user views each of the plurality of prime images; and

generating the unknown user response metric based on the observed micro-behavior responses.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the unknown user is presented each of the plurality of prime images subconsciously, and micro-behavior responses are observed in a manner substantially unperceivable by the unknown user.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting the plurality of prime images to the legitimate user on a display device of the computer system, each of the plurality of prime images being selected to elicit observable behavioral changes when viewed by the legitimate user, wherein presenting the plurality of prime images to the legitimate user occurs prior to comparing the legitimate user response metric to the unknown user response metric.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

selecting each prime image of the plurality of prime images including selecting a familiar prime image.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

selecting each prime image of the plurality of prime images including selecting a neutral prime image.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

selecting a stimulus prime image to pair with the neutral prime image, the stimulus prime image being selected to produce an observable change in the micro-behavior of the legitimate user upon viewing the stimulus prime image; and

evaluatively conditioning the legitimate user to have the observable change in micro-behavior in response to the neutral prime image.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein evaluatively conditioning the legitimate user includes repeatedly presenting the neutral prime image and the stimulus prime image in sequence for time durations consciously unperceivable by the legitimate user.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein presenting the plurality of prime images to the legitimate user includes presenting each of the plurality of prime images between task images displayed for durations longer than a conscious viewing threshold.

13. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

selecting each prime image of the plurality of prime images including selecting at least one neutral prime image for evaluative conditioning and selecting at least one familiar prime image.

14. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

observing the micro-behavior responses exhibited by the legitimate user after viewing each of the plurality of prime images and generating the legitimate user response metric representing the micro-behavior responses exhibited by the legitimate user.

15. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory, computer readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein, the computer-readable program code configured for executing a method for verifying an identity of an unknown user attempting to access a computer system and claiming to be a legitimate user, comprising:

computer code for presenting, by a hardware processor, to the unknown user a plurality of prime images, wherein the plurality of prime images are presented to the unknown user an amount of time that is less than or equal to 16 milliseconds such that the plurality of prime images are consciously unperceivable and subconsciously perceivable by the unknown user to induce one or more conditioned responses;

computer code for observing, by the hardware processor, one or more responses by the unknown user to the plurality of prime images that are consciously unperceivable and subconsciously perceivable by the unknown user;

computer code for generating, by the hardware processor, an unknown user response metric based on the observed one or more responses;

computer code for comparing a known conditioned user response signature to an unknown user response signature;

one of computer code for preventing access to a computer system and computer code for decreasing a level of access to the computer system when the unknown user response signature differs from the conditioned user response signature by more than an acceptable threshold of variation, wherein the conditioned user response signature represents observed changes in micro-behaviors of the legitimate user in response to subconscious viewing of the plurality of prime images, and the unknown user response signature represents observed changes in micro-behaviors of the unknown user in response to subconscious viewing of the plurality of prime images; and

one of computer code for granting access to the computer system and computer code for maintaining the level of access to the computer system when the unknown user response metric matches the legitimate user response metric by less than the predefined degree of acceptable variation.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising:

computer code for presenting the plurality of prime images to the unknown user claiming to be the legitimate user on a display device of the computer system as the unknown user attempts to access the computer system.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the computer code for presenting the plurality of prime images to the unknown user comprises computer code for presenting each of the plurality of prime images for an amount of time that is less than 16 milliseconds.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising:

computer code for observing micro-behavior responses exhibited by the unknown user after the unknown user views each of the plurality of prime images; and

computer code for generating the unknown user response signature based on the micro-behavior responses exhibited by the unknown user.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the unknown user is presented each of the plurality of prime images subconsciously, and micro-behavior responses are observed in a manner substantially unperceivable by the unknown user.

20. A system for authenticating a user attempting to access a computer system, the system comprising:

a hardware processor operable with the computing system, wherein the processor is configured for;

presenting, by the hardware processor, to the unknown user a plurality of prime images, wherein the plurality of prime images are presented to the unknown user in an amount of time that is less than or equal to 16 milliseconds such that the plurality of prime images are consciously unperceivable and subconsciously perceivable by the unknown user to induce one or more conditioned responses,

observing, by the hardware processor, one or more responses by the unknown user to the plurality of prime images that are consciously unperceivable and subconsciously perceivable by the unknown user,

generating, by the hardware processor, an unknown user response metric based on the observed one or more responses;

comparing a known conditioned user response metric to an unknown user response metric,

one of preventing access to a computer system and decreasing a level of access to the computer system when the unknown user response metric differs from the conditioned user response metric by more than a predefined degree of acceptable variation, wherein the conditioned user response metric represents observed changes in micro-behaviors of the legitimate user in response to subconscious viewing of the plurality of prime images, and the unknown user response metric represents observed changes in micro-behaviors of the unknown user in response to subconscious viewing of the plurality of prime images, and

one of granting access to the computer system and maintaining the level of access to the computer system when the unknown user response metric matches the legitimate user response metric by less than the predefined degree of acceptable variation.