Determining user authentication requirements based on the current location of the user in comparison to the users's normal boundary of location

• US 9,819,680 B2
• Filed: 10/06/2015
• Issued: 11/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Original Assignee: Bank of America Corp.
• Inventors: Grigg, David M., Bertanzetti, Peter John, Burrell, Charles Jason, Hanson, Carrie Anne, Johansen, Joseph Neil, Toth, Michael E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Korsak, Oleg
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kanaan, Simon
• Application Number:
  US14/876,651
• Publication Number:
  US 20160026779A1
• Time in Patent Office: 770 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2137 Time limited access, e.g. to a computer or data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0876 based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/63 Location-dependent; Proximity-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/68 Gesture-dependent or behaviour-dependent

Abstract

Systems, apparatus, methods, and computer program products are provided for determining a user'"'"'s authentication requirements/credentials for a specific network access session based on the current location of the user in comparison to known boundaries of location associated with the user, such as patterns of movement or the like. As such, the present invention serves to expedite the process for authenticating a user who desires to gain access to a network service, such as a banking application or the like.

Claims

1. An apparatus for determining user authentication requirements, the apparatus comprising:

a computing platform including a memory and a processor in communication with the memory; and

an authentication requirements module stored in the memory, executable by the processor and configured to,

store a geographic area and a period of time associated with the geographic area, wherein the geographic area and the period of time are dynamically defined by a provider of a service available on the apparatus;

receive a request for a user to access the service, wherein the service requires authentication prior to the user accessing the service,

in response to receiving the request, determine a current physical location of the apparatus and a current time, and

in response to determining that (1) the apparatus is currently located within the geographic area, and (2) the current time is within the period of time, request the user to provide increased authentication credentials, wherein the increased authentication credentials include authentication credentials that differ from standard authentication credentials,

wherein the user is provided access to the service in response to the user inputting the increased authentication credentials.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the authentication requirements module is further configured to, in response to determining at least one of (1) the apparatus is currently located outside of the geographic area, (2) the current time is outside of the period of time, determine a level of authentication required for the user to access the service based on the proximity in at least one of (i) distance and (ii) time of the current physical location of the user to the geographic location or the period of time, wherein the level of authentication is from amongst a plurality of levels of authentication.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the authentication requirements module is further configured to determine the level of authentication required based on the proximity in at least one of (i) distance and (ii) time of the current physical location of the user to the geographic location or the period of time, wherein each level of authentication is defined by at least one of a predetermined distance threshold from the geographic location or a predetermined time threshold from the period of time.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the authentication requirements module is further configured to determine a point along an authentication continuum based on the proximity in at least one of (i) distance and (ii) time of the current physical location of the user to the geographic location or the period of time, wherein the point along the authentication continuum corresponds to predetermined authentication credentials.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a service access module stored in the memory, executable by the processor and configured to determine a level of access available to the user of the service upon the user providing the determined authentication requirements, wherein the level of access defines functionality available to the user within the service based on the increased authentication credentials required, wherein the level of access is granted to the user in response to the user providing the increased authentication credentials.

6. A method for determining user authentication requirements, the method comprising:

store a geographic area and a period of time associated with the geographic area, wherein the geographic area and the period of time are dynamically defined by a provider of a service available on the apparatus;

receiving, by a computing device, a request for a user to access the service, wherein the service requires authentication prior to the user accessing the service;

in response to receiving the request, determining, by a computing device processor, a current physical location of the apparatus and a current time;

in response to determining that (1) the apparatus is currently located within the geographic area, and (2) the current time is within the period of time, requesting, by a computing device processor, the user to provide increased authentication credentials, wherein the increased authentication credentials include authentication credentials that differ from standard authentication credentials,

wherein the user is provided access to the service in response to the user inputting the increased authentication credentials.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising, in response to determining at least one of (1) the apparatus is currently located outside of the geographic area, (2) the current time is outside of the period of time, determining, by the computing device processor, a level of authentication required for the user to access the service based on the proximity in at least one of (i) distance and (ii) time of the current physical location of the user to the geographic location or the period of time, wherein the level of authentication is from amongst a plurality of levels of authentication.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein determining the level of authentication further comprises determining, by a computing device processor, the level of authentication required based on the proximity in at least one of (i) distance and (ii) time of the current physical location of the user to the geographic location or the period of time, wherein each level of authentication is defined by at least one of a predetermined distance threshold from the geographic location or a predetermined time threshold from the period of time.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising determining, by the computing device processor, a point along an authentication continuum based on the proximity in at least one of (i) distance and (ii) time of the current physical location of the user to the geographic location or the period of time, wherein the point along the authentication continuum corresponds to predetermined authentication credentials.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising determining, by a computing device processor, a level of access available to the user of the service upon the user providing the determined authentication requirements, wherein the level of access defines functionality available to the user within the service based on the increased authentication credentials required, wherein the level of access is granted to the user in response to the user providing the increased authentication credentials.

11. A computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising;

a first set of codes for causing a computer to store a geographic area and a period of time associated with the geographic area, wherein the geographic area and the period of time are dynamically defined by a provider of a service available on the apparatus;

a second set of codes for causing a computer to receive a request for a user to access the service, wherein the service requires authentication prior to the user accessing the service;

a third set of codes for causing a computer to, in response to receiving the request, determine a current physical location of the apparatus and a current time; and

a fourth set of codes for causing a computer to, in response to determining that (1) the apparatus is currently located within the geographic area, and (2) the current time is within the period of time, requesting, by a computing device processor, the user to provide increased authentication credentials, wherein the increased authentication credentials include authentication credentials that differ from standard authentication credentials,

wherein the user is provided access to the service in response to the user inputting the increased authentication credentials.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising a fifth set of codes configured to cause the computer to, in response to determining at least one of (1) the apparatus is currently located outside of the geographic area, (2) the current time is outside of the period of time, determine a level of authentication required for the user to access the service based on the proximity in at least one of (i) distance and (ii) time of the current physical location of the user to the geographic location or the period of time, wherein the level of authentication is from amongst a plurality of levels of authentication.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the fifth set of codes is further configured to cause the computer to determine the level of authentication required based on the proximity in at least one of (i) distance and (ii) time of the current physical location of the user to the geographic location or the period of time, wherein each level of authentication is defined by at least one of a predetermined distance threshold from the geographic location or a predetermined time threshold from the period of time.

14. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising a fifth set of codes configured to cause the computer to determine a point along an authentication continuum based on the proximity in at least one of (i) distance and (ii) time of the current physical location of the user to the geographic location or the period of time, wherein the point along the authentication continuum corresponds to predetermined authentication credentials.

15. The computer program product of claim 11, further comprising a fifth set of codes for causing a computer to determine a level of access available to the user of the service upon the user providing the determined authentication requirements, wherein the level of access defines functionality available to the user within the service based on the increased authentication credentials required, wherein the level of access is granted to the user in response to the user providing the increased authentication credentials.