Time-varying passwords for user authentication

• US 9,842,205 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2015
• Issued: 12/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Williams, Richard A., Aboujaoude, Roger B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zand, Kambiz
• Assistant Examiner(s): LE, THANH H
• Application Number:
  US14/673,339
• Publication Number:
  US 20160292413A1
• Time in Patent Office: 988 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/46 by designing passwords or checking the strength of passwords

Abstract

Time-varying passwords for user authentication are disclosed. Example methods disclosed herein for password generation include obtaining a base password including characters, determining a first character position of the base password at which a first time-varying data element is to be inserted to determine a time-varying password, the first time-varying data element to be computed based on a time-varying parameter, and determining a first offset to be applied to a value of the time-varying parameter to compute the first time-varying data element. Example methods disclosed herein for password evaluation include accessing a base password including characters, applying a first offset to a value of a time-varying parameter to determine a first time-varying data element to be inserted at a first character position of the base password to determine a time-varying password, and comparing the time-varying password with an input password to perform authentication based on the input password.

Claims

1. A method for password generation, the method comprising:

obtaining, by executing an instruction with a processor, a base password including a plurality of characters;

implementing, by executing an instruction with the processor, a user interface to accept an input specifying a first character position of the base password at which a first time-varying data element is to be inserted to determine a time-varying password, the first time-varying data element to be computed by a computing device based on a time-varying parameter; and

determining, by executing an instruction with the processor, a first offset to be applied by the computing device to a value of the time-varying parameter to compute the first time-varying data element.

2. The method of claim 1, further including determining a data format for the value of the time-varying parameter, the data format being one of a plurality of possible data formats for representing values of the time-varying parameter.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the data format is a first data format, and further including:

determining a second character position of the base password at which a second time-varying data element is to be inserted to determine the time-varying password, the second time-varying data element to be computed by the computing device based on the time-varying parameter;

determining a second offset different from the first offset to be applied by the computing device to the value of the time-varying parameter to compute the second time-varying data element; and

determining a second data format from the plurality of possible data formats to be applied by the computing device to the value of the time-varying parameter to compute the second time-varying data element.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the time-varying parameter is a first time-varying parameter, and further including determining a second character position of the base password at which a second time-varying data element is to be inserted to determine the time-varying password, the second time-varying data element to be computed by the computing device based on a second time-varying parameter different from the first time-varying parameter.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first time-varying parameter is a time-of-day parameter determined based on a system clock of the computing device, and the second time-varying parameter is a day-of-month parameter determined based on the system clock of the computing device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the value of the time-varying parameter is to be represented by a first numerical value, and the offset is a second numerical value to be added to the value of the time-varying parameter to compute the first time-varying data element.

7. The method of claim 1, further including:

implementing the user interface to permit entry of the base password, the first character position, the time-varying parameter and the first offset; and

storing the base password, the first character position, the time-varying parameter and the first offset to permit determination of the time-varying password by the computing device.

8. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer readable instructions which, when executed, cause a machine to perform operations comprising:

obtaining a base password including a plurality of characters;

implementing a user interface to accept an input specifying a first character position of the base password at which a first time-varying data element is to be inserted to determine a time-varying password, the first time-varying data element to be computed based on a time-varying parameter; and

determining a first offset to be applied to a value of the time-varying parameter to compute the first time-varying data element.

9. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein the operations further include determining a data format for the value of the time-varying parameter, the data format being one of a plurality of possible data formats for representing values of the time-varying parameter.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the data format is a first data format, and the operations further include:

determining a second character position of the base password at which a second time-varying data element is to be inserted to determine the time-varying password, the second time-varying data element to be computed based on the time-varying parameter;

determining a second offset different from the first offset to be applied to the value of the time-varying parameter to compute the second time-varying data element; and

determining a second data format from the plurality of possible data formats to be applied to the value of the time-varying parameter to compute the second time-varying data element.

11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein the time-varying parameter is a first time-varying parameter, and the operations further include determining a second character position of the base password at which a second time-varying data element is to be inserted to determine the time-varying password, the second time-varying data element to be computed based on a second time-varying parameter different from the first time-varying parameter.

12. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the first time-varying parameter is a time-of-day parameter determined based on a system clock, and the second time-varying parameter is a day-of-month parameter determined based on the system clock.

13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein the value of the time-varying parameter is to be represented by a first numerical value, and the offset is a second numerical value to be added to the value of the time-varying parameter to compute the first time-varying data element.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 8, wherein the operations further include:

implementing the user interface to permit entry of the base password, the first character position, the time-varying parameter and the first offset; and

storing the base password, the first character position, the time-varying parameter and the first offset to permit determination of the time-varying password.

15. An apparatus for password generation, the apparatus comprising:

memory including machine readable instructions; and

a processor to execute the machine readable instructions to perform operations including;

obtaining a base password including a plurality of characters;

accepting a user input specifying a first character position of the base password at which a first time-varying data element is to be inserted to determine a time-varying password, the first time-varying data element to be computed based on a time-varying parameter; and

determining a first offset to be applied to a value of the time-varying parameter to compute the first time-varying data element.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the operations further include determining a data format for the value of the time-varying parameter, the data format being one of a plurality of possible data formats for representing values of the time-varying parameter.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the data format is a first data format, and the operations further include:

determining a second character position of the base password at which a second time-varying data element is to be inserted to determine the time-varying password, the second time-varying data element to be computed based on the time-varying parameter;

determining a second offset different from the first offset to be applied to the value of the time-varying parameter to compute the second time-varying data element; and

determining a second data format from the plurality of possible data formats to be applied to the value of the time-varying parameter to compute the second time-varying data element.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the time-varying parameter is a first time-varying parameter, and the operations further include determining a second character position of the base password at which a second time-varying data element is to be inserted to determine the time-varying password, the second time-varying data element to be computed based on a second time-varying parameter different from the first time-varying parameter.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the first time-varying parameter is a time-of-day parameter determined based on a system clock, and the second time-varying parameter is a day-of-month parameter determined based on the system clock.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the operations further include:

implementing the user interface to permit entry of the base password, the first character position, the time-varying parameter and the first offset; and

storing the base password, the first character position, the time-varying parameter and the first offset to permit determination of the time-varying password.