Password-less security and protection of online digital assets

• US 8,954,758 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2012
• Issued: 02/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nicolas Leoutsarakos
• Original Assignee: Nicolas Leoutsarakos
• Inventors: Leoutsarakos, Nicolas
• Primary Examiner(s): Desrosiers, Evans
• Application Number:
  US13/607,769
• Publication Number:
  US 20130159732A1
• Time in Patent Office: 884 Days
• Field of Search: 713/193, 713168-174, 713182-186, 713/202, 709/206, 709/225, 709/229, 709/249, 709/389, 726 2- 8
• US Class Current: 713/193
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0435 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply symmetric encryption, i.e. same key used for encryption and decryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for symmetric key encryption H04L9/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/085 Secret sharing or secret splitting, e.g. threshold schemes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/68 Gesture-dependent or behaviour-dependent

Abstract

Digital assets stored on an asset server by an asset owner are protected without a password. Instead, the digital assets are functionally handicapped by removing at least a portion of digital data (or a key) associated with the digital asset and discarding the key after being sent to an enabling device. The portion of digital data (or a key) is then handicapped by the enabling device by a cryptographic key which is formed from a human gesture and subsequently discarded. When access to the digital asset is requested, an asset owner is notified by the enabling device for approval. A human gesture from the asset owner first provides a key to reconstitute the digital data portion which is transmitted to the asset server to reconstitute the digital asset upon which the access is granted and logged.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for protecting a digital asset on an asset server with a key and destroying the key, the method, comprising the steps of:

storing the digital asset on the asset server;

disabling the digital asset, comprising;

handicapping the digital asset on the asset server with security data to prevent normal use of the digital asset, by removing a portion of bits from the digital asset itself to prevent normal use of the digital asset;

sending the security data from the asset server to the remote device, wherein the remote device handicaps the security data with a second security data based on a user gesture to prevent normal use of the security data, wherein the second security data is completely discarded from the remote device; and

completely discarding the security data from the asset server, wherein the digital asset remains disabled on the asset server; and

enabling the digital asset, comprising;

receiving the security data from the remote device responsive to a request to access the digital asset, wherein the remote device reconstitutes the second security data from user gesture and uses the second security data to enable the security data that was handicapped by the remote device for normal use of the security data; and

reconstituting the digital asset using at least the security data in order to enable the digital asset that was handicapped by the asset server for normal use of the digital asset.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein handicapping comprises:

handicapping the digital asset with a cryptographic key to prevent normal use.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein unique human input comprises a two-dimensional or a three-dimensional human gesture.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein unique human input comprises a bio-sample, a retina scan, a facial scan, a fingerprint scan, and a voice sample.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving security data from the remote device comprises:

receiving the security data from the remote device which has decrypted the security data with data from a received unique human input.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

storing one of the at least two keys on the asset server apart from the digital asset.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the security data to a remote device, wherein the remote device handicaps the security data comprises:

the remote device encrypting the security data with a unique identifier associated with the enabling device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the security data to a remote device, wherein the remote device handicaps the security data, comprises:

generating at least two derivatives of the security data, the two derivatives corresponding to two keys; and

sending one of the at least two keys to the remote device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein generating the at least two derivatives corresponding to two keys comprises:

using a polynomial of a Shamir-type secret splitting algorithm to derive at least two data points which correspond to at least two keys.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request to access the digital asset; and

in response, sending a notification to the remote device to send the security data for reconstitution.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

logging each access to the digital asset, regardless of whether the digital asset is stored at the asset server.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the digital asset comprises at least one of:

data, multimedia, an executable application, a configuration file, machine code, and source code.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the remote device comprises a wireless mobile device.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the digital asset comprises at least one of:

a digital asset, a group of digital assets, and a file system referring to the digital asset.

15. A computer-implemented method for protecting a digital asset on an asset server from a remote device with a key and destroying the key, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving at least security data associated with the digital asset that has been handicapped to prevent normal use of the digital asset, from the asset server, and wherein the digital asset remains intact on the asset server and the security data has been completely discarded from the asset server;

disabling the security data;

receiving a unique human input from an owner of the digital asset;

handicapping the security data with data from the unique human input; and

completely discarding the second security data from the remote device enabling the security data;

responsive to receiving a notification for a request for access to the digital asset, requesting the unique human input from the owner of the digital asset;

reconstituting the security data with the unique human input; and

sending the security data to the asset server to reconstitute the digital asset for normal use.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing source code that, when executed by a processor, performs a method for protecting a digital asset on an asset server with a key and destroying the key, the method comprising the steps of:

storing the digital asset on the asset server;

disabling the digital asset, comprising;

handicapping the digital asset on the asset server with security data to prevent normal use of the digital asset, by removing a portion of bits from the digital asset itself to prevent normal use of the digital asset;

sending security data from the asset server to the remote device, wherein the remote device handicaps the security data with a second security data based on a user gesture to prevent normal use of the security data, wherein the user gesture is not stored on the remote device; and

completely discarding the security data from the asset server, wherein the digital asset remains disabled on the asset server; and

enabling the digital asset, comprising;

receiving the security data from the remote device responsive to a request to access the digital asset, wherein the remote device reconstitutes the second security data from user gesture and uses the second security data to enable the security data that was handicapped by the remote device for normal use of the security data; and

reconstituting the digital asset using at least the security data in order to enable the digital asset that was handicapped by the asset server for normal use of the digital asset.

17. A system to protect a digital asset on an asset server, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory to store the digital asset, the memory comprising;

a handicapping module to handicap the digital asset with security data to prevent normal use, by removing a portion of bits from the digital asset itself to prevent normal use of the digital asset, to send the security data to a remote device, wherein the remote device handicaps the security data, the security data being independent from the digital asset, and discard the security data, wherein the digital asset remains disabled on the asset server; and

a reconstitution module to receive the security data from a remote device, and reconstitute the digital asset using the security data to enable the digital asset for normal use.