METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR AUTHENTICATION

• US 20100095360A1
• Filed: 10/14/2008
• Published: 04/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Pavlovski, Christopher J., Plant, Laurence J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,112,910 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/7
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3821 Electronic credentials
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0861 using biometrical features, e.g. fingerprint, retina-scan cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using biological data H04L9/3231
• 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 63/18 using different networks or channels, e.g. using out of band channels cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key distribution involving distinctive intermediate devices or communication paths H04L9/0827; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for authentication using a plurality of channels H04L9/3215
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3247 involving digital signatures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/10 Integrity

Abstract

A method and system of authenticating communications sessions between two or more parties over one or more simultaneous communications channels using one or more communicating devices is provided including having a first party create a first set of signatures, wherein the first set of signatures includes a signature for each communications channel, communicating with at a second party over at least one communications channel, whereby the second party authenticates the first party'"'"'s signature associated with the at least one communications channel and accepts communication with the first party.

Claims

1. A method of authenticating a communications session between two or more parties over one or more communications channels comprising:

having a first party create a first set of signatures, wherein the first set of signatures comprises a signature for each communications channel;

communicating with at least a second party over at least one communications channel, whereby the second party authenticates the first party'"'"'s signature associated with the at least one communications channel and accepts communication with the first party.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more communications channels may be established simultaneously or sequentially for communication thereover.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the first set of signatures comprises a different signature for each communications channel and a different signature for each party involved in the communication.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein each party uses a communicating device, wherein the first set of signatures comprises a different signature for each communicating device.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein each signature comprises a channel identifier.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein at least a second party creates a second set of signatures, wherein the second set of signatures comprises a different signature for each communication channel, and wherein the first party authenticates the second party'"'"'s signature associated with the first communication channel.

7. The method of claim 1 comprising an M amount of parties communicating over an N amount of channels, whereby each party provides a number of signatures equal to M x N, where M equals the number of parties communicating and N equals the number of communication channels being used.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein a party'"'"'s signature must be authenticated by each party with whom it will communicate before a communication can occur.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the communication channels comprise multiple forms of interaction.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the multiple forms of interaction comprise instant messaging, voice-over-internet protocol, email, video conferencing, short message service, and/or haptics.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the set of signatures is created prior to or during the communications session.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein the authenticating process comprises checking credentials, the credentials comprising a user identification, a password, biometric information, and/or a certificate.

13. A system for authenticating a communications session between two or more communicating parties over one or more communication channels comprising:

two or more communications devices;

one or more communications channel linked to the two or more communications devices;

an authentication module linked to the two or more communications devices;

a certificate authority server;

two or more user interfaces linked to the two or more communications devices;

wherein a first set of signatures is created at a user interface for each communications channel and sent to each communicating party; and

wherein each signature corresponding to the respective communications channel is verified by the authentication module before a communication can be received.

14. The system of claim 13 further comprising N amount of communications channels for an M amount of communicating parties, wherein each party provides a set of total signatures equal to M×

N, where M equals the number of communicating parties and N equals the number of communications channels used.

15. The system of claim 13 wherein one or more communications channels may be established simultaneously or sequentially for communication thereover.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein the each signature in the set of total signatures comprises a different signature for each communications channel.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein a signature must be verified before a communication session can begin on a communications channel.

18. The system of claim 13 wherein the one or more communications channels comprise instant messaging, voice-over-internet protocol, email, video conferencing, short message service, and/or haptics.

19. The system of claim 13 wherein the two or more communications devices comprise a PSTN phone, a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant, a portable media player, and/or a computer.

20. The system of claim 13 comprising a plurality of communication devices for receiving communication from one communication device, wherein the one communication device broadcasts to the plurality of communication devices in a unilateral communication stream.

21. A computer program product encoded in a computer readable medium for instructing a system to authenticate a communications session between two or more communicating parties over one or more communications channels comprising:

instructing the creation of a first set of signatures, wherein the first set of signatures comprises a signature for each communications channel;

instructing sending the set of signatures to one or more communicating parties;

instructing an authentication component to verify each signature for each communications channel.

22. The computer program product of claim 21 further comprising instructing the creation of M×

N signatures for each communicating party, wherein M equals the number of communicating parties and N equals the number of communications channels used.

23. The computer program product of claim 21 further comprising instructing the establishment of the one or more communications channels simultaneously or sequentially for communication thereover.

24. The computer program product of claim 22 wherein each signature of the M x N signatures comprises a different signature for each communications channel.

25. The computer program product of claim 22 further instructing the verification of a signature before a communication session can begin on a communications channel.