System and method for authentication of network users

• US 6,263,447 B1
• Filed: 05/20/1999
• Issued: 07/17/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Equifax, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Equifax, Inc.
• Inventors: Wilder, Jone, French, Jennifer
• Primary Examiner(s): Hua, Ly V.
• Application Number:
  US09/315,128
• Time in Patent Office: 789 Days
• Field of Search: 713/200, 713/201, 713/202, 381/30
• US Class Current: 726/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/33 using certificates
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/40 by quorum, i.e. whereby two or more security principals are required
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2113 Multi-level security, e.g. mandatory access control
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/341 Active cards, i.e. cards including their own processing means, e.g. including an IC or chip
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4014 Identity check for transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/4097 using mutual authentication between devices and transaction partners
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0609 Buyer or seller confidence or verification
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security

Abstract

A network authentication system provides verification of the identity or other attributes of a network user to conduct a transaction, access data or avail themselves of other resources. The user is presented with a hierarchy of queries based on wallet-type (basic identification) and non-wallet type (more private) information designed to ensure the identity of the user and prevent fraud, false negatives and other undesirable results. A preprocessing stage may be employed to ensure correct formatting of the input information and clean up routine mistakes (such as missing digits, typos, etc.) that might otherwise halt the transaction. Queries can be presented in interactive, batch processed, or other format. The authenticator can be configured to require differing levels of input or award differing levels of authentication according to security criteria.

Claims

1. A method of authenticating a user on a network, said method comprising:

a) performing a first authentication step based on a first type of information; and

b) performing at least a second authentication step based on a second type of information other than the first type of information, wherein at least one of step (a) and step (b) comprises generating an interactive query, the interactive query comprising at least one question having multiple-choice answers, wherein only one of the answers is the correct answer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the network comprises the Internet.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first information comprises at least one of name information, address information, social security number information, gender information, birth date information, telephone number information, email information, and driver'"'"'s license information.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second information comprises at least one of credit card information, mortgage information, other loan information, and monthly payment information.

5. A method of authenticating a user on a network, said method comprising:

a) performing a first authentication step based on a first type of information; and

b) performing at least a second authentication step based on a second type of information other than the first type of information, the second type of information comprising information pertaining to credit accounts to which the user is a party, the information pertaining to credit accounts comprising mortgage loan information, wherein the user is requested to identify at least one of;

i) mortgage lender information; and

ii) mortgage loan amount information.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the network comprises the Internet.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the first information comprises at least one of name information, address information, social security number information, gender information, birth date information, telephone number information, email information, and driver'"'"'s license information.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the second information comprises at least one of credit card information, mortgage information, other loan information, and monthly payment information.

9. A method of authenticating a user on a network, said method comprising:

a) performing a first authentication step based on a first type of information, performing a first authentication step further comprising;

i) obtaining the first type of information from the user;

ii) retrieving user identification information from a data source;

iii) comparing the first type of information supplied by the user with the user identification information retrieved from the data source; and

iv) determining a level of correspondence between the first type of information supplied by the user and the user identification information retrieved from the data source; and

b) performing at least a second authentication step based on a second type of information other than the first type of information, wherein the data source for the first type of information is used to identify the availability of the second type of information for the user.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the network comprises the Internet.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the first information comprises at least one of name information, address information, social security number information, gender information, birth date information, telephone number information, email information, and driver'"'"'s license information.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the second information comprises at least one of credit card information, mortgage information, other loan information, and monthly payment information.

13. A method of authenticating a user on a network, said method comprising:

a) performing a first authentication step based on a first type of information;

b) performing at least a second authentication step based on a second type of information other than the first type of information; and

c) storing a transaction record of the first authentication step.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the network comprises the Internet.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the first information comprises at least one of name information, address information, social security number information, gender information, birth date information, telephone number information, email information, and driver'"'"'s license information.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the second information comprises at least one of credit card information, mortgage information, other loan information, and monthly payment information.

17. A method of authenticating a user on a network, said method comprising;

a) performing a first authentication step based on a first type of information;

b) performing at least a second authentication step based on a second type of information other than the first type of information; and

c) executing a pattern recognition process to detect potential irregularities in at least one of the first type of information and the second type of information.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the network comprises the Internet.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the first information comprises at least one of name information, address information, social security number information, gender information, birth date information, telephone number information, email information, and driver'"'"'s license information.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the second information comprises at least one of credit card information, mortgage information, other loan information, and monthly payment information.

21. A method of authenticating a user on a network, said method comprising:

a) performing a first authentication step based on a first type of information;

b) performing at least a second authentication step based on a second type of information other than the first type of information; and

c) performing a remote authentication step based upon at least one of the first type of information and the second type of information.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the step (c) of performing a remote authentication step further comprises filtering through a mailability filter the at least one of the first type of information and the second type of information.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the network comprises the Internet.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the first information comprises at least one of name information, address information, social security number information, gender information, birth date information, telephone number information, email information, and driver'"'"'s license information.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein the second information comprises at least one of credit card information, mortgage information, other loan information, and monthly payment information.

26. A system for authenticating a user on a network, said system comprising:

an input interface for receiving input from the user; and

a processor connected to the input interface and configured to;

perform a first authentication based on a first type of information; and

perform at least a second authentication based on a second type of information other than the first type of information, wherein the processor generates an interactive query, the interactive query comprising at least one question having multiple-choice answers wherein only one of the answers is the correct answer.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the network comprises the Internet.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein the first information comprises at least one of name information, address information, social security number information, gender information, birth date information, telephone number information, email information, and driver'"'"'s license information.

29. The system of claim 26, wherein the second information comprises at least one of credit card information, mortgage information, other loan information, and monthly payment information.

30. A system for authenticating a user on a network, said system comprising:

an input interface for receiving input from the user; and

a processor connected to the input interface and configured to;

perform a first authentication based on a first type of information, the first type of information comprising wallet-type information; and

performing at least a second authentication based on a second type of information other than the first type of information wherein the second type of information comprises non-wallet type information and pertains to credit accounts to which the user is a party, the second type of information pertaining to credit accounts further comprising mortgage loan information, and performing at least a second authentication further comprises a request for the user to identify at least one of;

mortgage lender information; and

mortgage loan amount information.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the network comprises the Internet.

32. The system of claim 30, wherein the first information comprises at least one of name information, address information, social security number information, gender information, birth date information, telephone number information, email information, and driver'"'"'s license information.

33. The system of claim 30, wherein the second information comprises at least one of credit card information, mortgage information, other loan information, and monthly payment information.

39. The system of claim 30, wherein the network comprises the Internet.

34. A system for authenticating a user on a network, said system comprising:

an input interface for receiving input from the user; and

a processor connected to the input interface and configured to;

perform a first authentication step based on a first type of information, the first authentication comprising

obtaining the first type of information from the user;

retrieving user identification information from a data source;

comparing the first type of information supplied by the user with the user identification information retrieved from the data source; and

determining a level of correspondence between the first type of information supplied by the user and the user identification information retrieved from the data source; and

perform at least a second authentication step based on a second type of information other than the first type of information, wherein the user identification information retrieved from the data source is used to identify the availability of the second type of information for the user.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein the network comprises the Internet.

36. The system of claim 34, wherein the first information comprises at least one of name information, address information, social security number information, gender information, birth date information, telephone number information, email information, and driver'"'"'s license information.

37. The system of claim 34, wherein the second information comprises at least one of credit card information, mortgage information, other loan information, and monthly payment information.

38. A system for authenticating a user on a network, said system comprising:

an input interface for receiving input from the user; and

a processor, connected to the input interface and configured to;

perform a first authentication step based on a first type of information; and

perform at least a second authentication step based on a second type of information other than the first type of information, wherein the processor stores a transaction record of the first authentication step.

40. The system of claim 38, wherein the first information comprises at least one of name information, address information, social security number information, gender information, birth date information, telephone number information, email information, and driver'"'"'s license information.

41. The system of claim 38, wherein the second information comprises at least one of credit card information, mortgage information, other loan information, and monthly payment information.

42. A system for authenticating a user on a network, said system comprising:

an input interface for receiving input from the user; and

a processor, connected to the input interface and configured to;

perform a first authentication step based on a first type of information; and

perform at least a second authentication step based on a second type of information other than the first type of information, wherein the processor executes a pattern recognition process to detect potential irregularities in the input supplied by the user.

43. The system of claim 42, wherein the network comprises the Internet.

44. The system of claim 42, wherein the first information comprises at least one of name information, address information, social security number information, gender information, birth date information, telephone number information, email information, and driver'"'"'s license information.

45. The system of claim 42, wherein the second information comprises at least one of credit card information, mortgage information, other loan information, and monthly payment information.

46. A system for authenticating a user on a network, said system comprising:

an input interface for receiving input from the user; and

a processor, connected to the input interface and configured to;

perform a first authentication step based on a first type of information; and

perform at least a second authentication step based on a second type of information other than the first type of information,

wherein the processor further performs a remote authentication step based upon at least one of the first type of information and the second type of information.

47. The system of claim 46, wherein the offline authentication comprises applying a mailability filter to the at least one of the first type of information and the second type of information.

48. The system of claim 46, wherein the network comprises the Internet.

49. The system of claim 46, wherein the first information comprises at least one of name information, address information, social security number information, gender information, birth date information, telephone number information, email information, and driver'"'"'s license information.

50. The system of claim 46, wherein the second information comprises at least one of credit card information, mortgage information, other loan information, and monthly payment information.