Proximity based authentication for striped data

• US 9,558,344 B2
• Filed: 03/18/2015
• Issued: 01/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Childress, Rhonda L., Goldberg, Itzhack, Pickover, Clifford A., Sondhi, Neil
• Primary Examiner(s): Okeke, Izunna
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shayanfar, Ali
• Application Number:
  US14/661,079
• Publication Number:
  US 20160275285A1
• Time in Patent Office: 685 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/44 Program or device authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS
• 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 67/1021 based on client or server locations
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication

Abstract

An approach for authentication is provided. The approach performs identifying, by one or more computer processors, an account attempting to access striped data. The approach performs identifying, by one or more computer processors, one or more computing devices that are associated with the account. The approach performs determining, by one or more computer processors, a distance from a first computing device of the identified one or more computing devices to a second computing device of the identified one or more computing devices. The approach performs determining, by one or more computer processors, whether the distance from the first computing device to the second computing device is within a threshold proximity. The approach further grants or denies access to striped data based on threshold proximity being met or exceeded.

Claims

1. A method for authentication, the method comprising:

receiving, by one or more computer processors, an indication an account is attempting to access striped data;

identifying, by one or more computer processors, at least two computing devices that are associated with the account, wherein at least a portion of the striped data is located on at least one computing device associated with the account;

determining, by one or more computer processors, a distance from a first computing device of the identified at least two computing devices to a second computing device of the identified one or more computing devices;

determining, by one or more computer processors, whether the distance from the first computing device to the second computing device is within a threshold proximity;

identifying, by one or more computer processors, the computing devices associated with the account;

determining, by one or more computing devices, whether a preset number of the computing devices associated with the account are within a threshold proximity of one another

adjusting, by one or more computer processors, the threshold proximity for the account based on a probability of a data breach; and

determining, by one or more computer processors, whether to grant access to the striped data based at least in part on the determination of threshold proximity.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to determining that the distance from the first computing device to the second computing device is within a threshold proximity, granting, by one or more computer processors, access to the striped data.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to determining that the distance from the first computing device to the second computing device exceeds a threshold proximity, granting, by one or more computer processors, access to the striped data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a distance from a first computing device to a second computing device comprises:

determining, by one or more computer processors, a distance from a first computing device to a second computing device based on whether the first computing device and the second computing device are configured to communicate via a wireless personal area network (WPAN);

wherein the determined distance is within the threshold proximity if the first computing device and the second computing device are communicating utilizing a WPAN; and

wherein the determined distance exceeds the threshold proximity if the first computing device and the second computing device are not communicating utilizing a WPAN.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting, by one or more computer processors, the threshold proximity for the account based on a probability of a data breach includes:

identifying, by one or more computer processors, the probability of a data breach for striped data on a computing device associated with the account based on a location of the computing device from the account.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying, by one or more computer processors, a security level for a portion of the striped data; and

adjusting, by one or more computer processors, the proximity threshold for the account based on the identified security level for the portion of the striped data.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to determining that the distance from the first computing device to the second computing device is outside a threshold proximity, denying, by one or more computer processors, access to the striped data.

8. A computer program product for authentication, the computer program product comprising:

one or more computer readable storage media and program instructions stored on the one or more computer readable storage media, the program instructions comprising;

program instructions to receive an indication an account is attempting to access striped data;

program instructions to identify at least two computing devices that are associated with the account, wherein at least a portion of the striped data is located on at least one computing device associated with the account;

program instructions to determine a distance from a first computing device of the identified at least two computing devices to a second computing device of the identified one or more computing devices;

program instructions to determine whether the distance from the first computing device to the second computing device is within a threshold proximity;

program instructions to identify the computing devices associated with the account;

program instructions to determine whether a preset number of the computing devices associated with the account are within a threshold proximity of one another

program instructions to adjust the threshold proximity for the account based on a probability of a data breach; and

determining, by one or more computer processors, whether to grant access to the striped data based at least in part on the determination of threshold proximity.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising program instructions to:

in response to program instructions to determine that the distance from the first computing device to the second computing device is within a threshold proximity, program instructions to grant access to the striped data.

10. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising program instructions to:

in response to program instructions to determine that the distance from the first computing device to the second computing device exceeds a threshold proximity, program instructions to grant access to the striped data.

11. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein program instructions to determine a distance from a first computing device to a second computing device comprises program instructions to:

determine a distance from a first computing device to a second computing device based on whether the first computing device and the second computing device are configured to communicate via a wireless personal area network (WPAN);

wherein the determined distance is within the threshold proximity if the first computing device and the second computing device are communicating utilizing a WPAN; and

wherein the determined distance exceeds the threshold proximity if the first computing device and the second computing device are not communicating utilizing a WPAN.

12. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein program instructions to adjust the threshold proximity for the account based on a probability of a data breach includes:

program instructions to identify the probability of a data breach for striped data on a computing device associated with the account based on a location of the computing device from the account.

13. A computer system for authentication, the computer system comprising:

one or more computer processors;

one or more computer readable storage media;

program instructions stored on the computer readable storage media for execution by at least one of the one or more computer processors, the program instructions comprising;

program instructions to receive an indication an account is attempting to access striped data;

program instructions to identify at least two computing devices that are associated with the account, wherein at least a portion of the striped data is located on at least one computing device associated with the account;

program instructions to determine a distance from a first computing device of the identified at least two computing devices to a second computing device of the identified one or more computing devices;

program instructions to determine whether the distance from the first computing device to the second computing device is within a threshold proximity;

program instructions to identify the computing devices associated with the account;

program instructions to determine whether a preset number of the computing devices associated with the account are within a threshold proximity of one another

program instructions to adjust the threshold proximity for the account based on a probability of a data breach; and

determining, by one or more computer processors, whether to grant access to the striped data based at least in part on the determination of threshold proximity.

14. The computer system of claim 13, further comprising program instructions to:

in response to program instructions to determine that the distance from the first computing device to the second computing device is within a threshold proximity, program instructions to grant access to the striped data.

15. The computer system of claim 13, further comprising program instructions to:

in response to program instructions to determine that the distance from the first computing device to the second computing device exceeds a threshold proximity, program instructions to grant access to the striped data.

16. The computer system of claim 13, wherein program instructions to determine a distance from a first computing device to a second computing device comprises program instructions to:

determine a distance from a first computing device to a second computing device based on whether the first computing device and the second computing device are configured to communicate via a wireless personal area network (WPAN);

wherein the determined distance is within the threshold proximity if the first computing device and the second computing device are communicating utilizing a WPAN; and

wherein the determined distance exceeds the threshold proximity if the first computing device and the second computing device are not communicating utilizing a WPAN.

17. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein program instructions to adjust the threshold proximity for the account based on a probability of a data breach includes:

program instructions to identify the probability of a data breach for striped data on a computing device associated with the account based on a location of the computing device from the account.