Enhancing password protection

• US 8,856,904 B2
• Filed: 02/22/2013
• Issued: 10/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Chougle, Abdullah Q., Chougule, Vishal V., Jain, Priyanka P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Siddiqi, Mohammad A
• Application Number:
  US13/774,191
• Publication Number:
  US 20130333010A1
• Time in Patent Office: 592 Days
• Field of Search: 726/5, 726/7, 726/26, 726/27, 713/172, 713/169, 713/194
• US Class Current: 726/7
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/46 by designing passwords or checking the strength of passwords

Abstract

A mechanism is provided for enhancing password protection. a combination password that comprises dynamic text interspersed within a static user password is received from a user. A determination is made as to whether the combination password is to be verified without the dynamic text. Responsive to identifying that the combination password is to be verified without the dynamic text, the dynamic text is filtered from the combination password based on an identified dynamic suggestion issued to the user prior to the combination password being received thereby forming a filtered password. The filtered password is then authenticated using information stored for the user. Responsive to validating the filtered password, access is granted by the user to a secured system.

Claims

1. A method, in a data processing system, for enhancing password protection, the method comprising:

receiving, by a processor, a combination password from a user, the combination password comprising dynamic text interspersed within a static user password, the combination password generated by presenting a dynamic suggestion to the user, the dynamic suggestion instructing the user to enter a first text value at a first identified location from a grid card either after or before a first identified character position of the static user password, and the first text value identified by a first column indicator and a first row indicator;

determining, by the processor, whether the combination password is to be verified without the dynamic text;

responsive to identifying that the combination password is to be verified without the dynamic text, filtering, by the processor, the dynamic text from the combination password based on the dynamic suggestion issued to the user prior to the combination password being received thereby forming a filtered password;

authenticating, by the processor, the filtered password using information stored for the user; and

responsive to validating the filtered password, granting, by the processor, access by the user to a secured system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein filtering the dynamic text from the combination password based on an identified dynamic suggestion issued to the user prior to the combination password being received further forms filtered dynamic text and wherein the method further comprises:

comparing, by the processor, the filtered dynamic text against an identified dynamic suggestion issued to the user.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to identifying that the combination password is to be verified with the dynamic text, constructing, by the processor, a comparison password utilizing the stored password and the identified dynamic suggestion;

comparing, by the processor, the comparison password to the combination password received from the user;

determining, by the processor, whether the comparison password matches the combination password; and

responsive to identifying a match of the comparison password to the combination password, granting, by the processor, access by the user to the secured system.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the processor, a user id of the user attempting to access the secured system;

verifying, by the processor, that the user is a valid user id by comparing the user id to a data structure of valid user ids;

responsive to the user being a valid user, identifying, by the processor, a current risk level of the secured system in a current time period;

responsive to the current risk level being greater than a lowest risk level, identifying, by the processor, the dynamic suggestion from a data structure of dynamic suggestions to use for the current risk level; and

sending, by the processor, the identified dynamic suggestion to the user in order for the user to generate the combination password.

5. The method of claim 1,

wherein the dynamic suggestion further instructs the user to enter at least one subsequent text value at a subsequent identified location from the grid card either after or before at least one subsequent identified character position of the static user password and wherein the at least one subsequent text value is identified by an associated subsequent column indicator and a subsequent row indicator.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the combination password is generated by the method comprising:

presenting, by the processor, a set of instructions associated with the dynamic suggestion to the user, wherein the set of instructions instructs the user to enter a first portion of the static user password followed by a first value identified in a first CAPTCHA pop-up presented to the user and wherein the set of instructions further instructs the user to enter at least one subsequent portion of the static user password followed by at least one subsequent text value identified in a subsequent CAPTCHA pop-up presented to the user.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the combination password is generated by the method comprising:

presenting, by the processor, a set of instructions associated with the dynamic suggestion to the user, wherein the set of instructions instructs the user to enter a first portion of the static user password followed by a first text value at a first identified location identified in a first CAPTCHA pop-up presented to the user from the grid card, wherein the first text value is identified by a first column indicator and a first row indicator, wherein the set of instructions further instructs the user to enter at least one subsequent portion of the static user password followed by at least one subsequent text value at a subsequent identified location identified in a subsequent CAPTCHA pop-up presented to the user from the grid card, and wherein the at least one subsequent text value is identified by an associated subsequent column indicator and a subsequent row indicator.