Multi-channel multi-factor authentication

• US 8,347,370 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2011
• Issued: 01/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Veritrix, Inc.
• Inventors: Headley, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): REVAK, CHRISTOPHER A
• Application Number:
  US13/213,029
• Publication Number:
  US 20110302644A1
• Time in Patent Office: 502 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 726/7
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/608 Watermarking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/805 Lightweight hardware, e.g. radio-frequency identification [RFID] or sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/32 including means for verifying the identity or authority of a user of the system or for message authentication, e.g. authorization, entity authentication, data integrity or data verification, non-repudiation, key authentication or verification of credentials
• 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 9/3231 Biological data, e.g. fingerprint, voice or retina network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using biometrical features in a packet data network H04L63/0861
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3271 using challenge-response

Abstract

Systems and methods for authenticating electronic transactions are provided. The authentication methods employ a combination of security features and communication channels. These security features can be based, for example, on unique knowledge of the person being authenticated, a unique thing that the person has, unique personal features and attributes of the person, the ability of the person to respond, and to do so in a fashion that a machine cannot, and so forth. Methods for enrolling the person prior to authentication are also provided, as well as systems for enrollment and authentication.

Claims

1. A method for authenticating a user comprising:

receiving a claimant target over a first channel;

retrieving a device address associated with a user ID;

sending a prompt over a second channel to a device associated with the device address, the prompt being one of a plurality of prompts, each of the plurality of prompts having a biometric template of the user associated therewith;

receiving video in response to the prompt;

extracting a biometric response from the video; and

determining a match between the biometric response and a biometric template associated with the prompt that was sent over the second channel.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the claimant target comprises the user ID.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining the user ID from the claimant target.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the device address is a phone number.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the prompts comprises a personalized prompt.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising selecting the prompt from the plurality of prompts.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein determining the match between the biometric response and the biometric template includes performing voice recognition.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein determining the match between the biometric response and the biometric template includes performing voice identification.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the prompt comprises a hybrid prompt including a random word.

10. A method for authenticating a user comprising:

receiving a claimant target over a first channel;

retrieving a device address associated with a user ID;

establishing a second channel to a device associated with the device address;

sending a prompt to the user, the prompt being one of a plurality of prompts, each of the plurality of prompts having a biometric template of the user associated therewith;

receiving video in response to the prompt;

extracting a biometric response from the video; and

determining a match between the biometric response and a biometric template associated with the prompt sent over the second channel.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the claimant target comprises the user ID.

12. The method of claim 10 further comprising determining the user ID from the claimant target.

13. The method of claim 10 further comprising selecting the prompt from the plurality of prompts.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein sending the prompt to the user comprises sending the prompt over the first channel.

15. An authentication system comprising authentication logic configured to authenticate a claimant by

receiving a claimant target over a first channel;

retrieving a device address associated with a user ID;

sending a prompt from a plurality of prompts to a device associated with the device address over a second channel;

receiving video in response to the prompt;

extracting, with a microprocessor, a biometric response from the video; and

determining a match between the biometric response and a biometric template associated with the prompt.

16. The authentication system of claim 15 wherein the claimant target comprises the user ID.

17. The authentication system of claim 15 wherein the authentication logic is further configured to determine the user ID from the claimant target.

18. The authentication system of claim 15 wherein the authentication logic is further configured to send a key that expires within a period of time.

19. The authentication system of claim 15 wherein the prompt includes a key.