Systems and methods to secure user identification

• US 9,912,483 B2
• Filed: 07/13/2016
• Issued: 03/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Visa International Service Association (Visa, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Visa International Service Association (Visa, Inc.)
• Inventors: Carlson, Mark, Bankston, Michael Steven, Jogi, Kalpana, Gallagher, Timothy, Panagiotides, Alesia
• Primary Examiner(s): Leung, Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Alata, Ayoub
• Application Number:
  US15/209,631
• Publication Number:
  US 20160323259A1
• Time in Patent Office: 601 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/325 using wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3825 Use of electronic signatures
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/387 Payment using discounts or coupons relating to marketing G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/389 Keeping log of transactions for guaranteeing non-repudiation of a transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4014 Identity check for transactions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0807 using tickets, e.g. Kerberos cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using tickets or tokens H04L9/3213
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/12 Applying verification of the received information cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for data integrity or data verification H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3215 using a plurality of channels network architectures or network communication protocols using different networks H04L63/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3242 involving keyed hash functions, e.g. message authentication codes [MACs], CBC-MAC or HMAC
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures

Abstract

A computing apparatus configured to verify a digital signature applied on a set of data received from a user device, including an user ID assigned by a partner system to uniquely identify a user of the user device among customers of the partner system, and a user device identifier identifying the user device. The digital signature is generated via applying a cryptographic one-way hash function on a combination of the set of data and a secret, shared between the computing apparatus and the partner system via a secure communication channel separate from a channel used to receive the set of data.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, with a server from a user device, a communication including;

a digital signature;

user information of a user of the user device; and

a first user identifier configured to identify the user of the user device among a plurality of first users of the server, wherein the first user identifier is generated by a computing device, separate from the server and the user device, based on a combination of;

the user information of the user that is received in the computing device from the user device before the communication is received in the server; and

a second user identifier of the user configured to identify the user of the user device among a plurality of second users of the computing device;

extracting the second user identifier from the first user identifier; and

validating an integrity of the communication based on the first user identifier, the second user identifier extracted from the first user identifier, and the user information of the user received in the communication, wherein validating the integrity of the communication comprises;

combining, with the server, the second user identifier extracted from the first user identifier and the user information of the user received in the communication with a secret shared between the server and the computing device,

generating, with the server, a combined dataset based on combining the second user identifier and the user information of the user with the secret,

applying, with the server, a hash function to the combined dataset,

generating, with the server, a hash result based on applying the hash function to the combined dataset, and

comparing, with the server, the hash result to the digital signature, and

determining, with the server, whether the hash result matches the digital signature based on comparing the hash result to the digital signature; and

determining to grant access to a service associated with the server based on validating the integrity of the communication.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the secret is not communicated between the computing device and the server through the user device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving of the communication is in response to the user device transmitting a query to the server.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the communication is received via parameters embedded via a query string submitted from the user device.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

pre-filling, by the server, a plurality of fields in an enrollment form using the user information of the user received in the communication; and

transmitting, from the server to the user device, the enrollment form pre-filled using the user information received in the communication.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein applying the hash function to the combined dataset includes applying a cryptographic one-way hash function to the combined dataset.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the dataset further includes a secret that is shared between the server and the computing device and not communicated via the user device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the secret represents the computing device in a digital signature applied on the dataset.

9. A non-transitory computer storage medium storing instructions configured to instruct a server to perform a method, the method comprising:

receiving, with the server from a user device, a communication including;

a digital signature;

user information of a user of the user device; and

a first user identifier configured to identify the user of the user device among a plurality of first users of the server, wherein the first user identifier is generated by a computing device, separate from the server and the user device, based on a combination of;

the user information of the user that is received in the computing device from the user device before the communication is received in the server; and

a second user identifier of the user among a plurality of second users of the computing device;

extracting the second user identifier from the first user identifier; and

validating an integrity of the communication based on the first user identifier, the second user identifier extracted from the first user identifier, and the user information of the user received in the communication, wherein validating the integrity of the communication comprises;

combining, with the server, the second user identifier extracted from the first user identifier and the user information of the user received in the communication with a secret shared between the server and the computing device,

generating, with the server, a combined dataset based on combining the second user identifier and the user information of the user with the secret,

applying, with the server, a hash function to the combined dataset,

generating, with the server, a hash result based on applying the hash function to the combined dataset, and

comparing, with the server, the hash result to the digital signature, and

determining, with the server, whether the hash result matches the digital signature based on comparing the hash result to the digital signature; and

determining to grant access to a service associated with the server based on validating the integrity of the communication.

10. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 9, wherein the secret is not communicated between the computing device and the server through the user device.

11. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 9, wherein the receiving of the communication is in response to the user device transmitting a query to the server.

12. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 11, wherein the communication is received in the server via parameters embedded via a query string submitted from the user device.

13. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises:

pre-filling, by the server, a plurality of fields in an enrollment form using the user information of the user received in the communication; and

transmitting, from the server to the user device, the enrollment form pre-filled using the user information received in the communication.

14. A server, comprising:

at least one microprocessor; and

a memory storing instructions configured to instruct the at least one microprocessor to;

receive, with the server from a user device, a communication including;

a digital signature;

user information of a user of the user device; and

a first user identifier configured to identify the user of the user device among a plurality of first users of the server, wherein the first user identifier is generated by a computing device, separate from the server and the user device, based on a combination of;

the user information of the user that is received in the computing device from the user device before the communication is received in the server; and

a second user identifier of the user among a plurality of second users of the computing device;

extract the second user identifier from the first user identifier; and

validate an integrity of the communication based on the first user identifier, the second user identifier extracted from the first user identifier, and the user information of the user received in the communication, wherein the instructions that are configured to instruct the at least one microprocessor to validate the integrity of the communication, are to instruct the at least one microprocessor to;

combine the second user identifier extracted from the first user identifier and the user information of the user received in the communication with a secret shared between the server and the computing device,

generate a combined dataset based on combining the second user identifier and the user information of the user with the secret,

apply a hash function to the combined dataset,

generate a hash result based on applying the hash function to the combined dataset, and

compare the hash result to the digital signature, and

determine whether the hash result matches the digital signature based on comparing the hash result to the digital signature; and

determine to grant access to a service associated with the server based on validating the integrity of the communication.

15. The server of claim 14, wherein the secret is shared between the server and the computing device and not communicated via the user device.

16. The server of claim 15, wherein the secret represents the computing device in the digital signature.

17. The server of claim 16, wherein the hash function is a cryptographic one-way hash function based on SHA-256 designed by the National Security Agency (NSA) and published in 2001 by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) as a U.S. Federal Information Processing Standard.