Increasing entropy for password and key generation on a mobile device

• US 9,160,744 B1
• Filed: 09/25/2013
• Issued: 10/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: RSA Security LLC (Symphony Technology Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: EMC Corporation (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Machani, Salah
• Primary Examiner(s): Barron, Jr., Gilberto
• Assistant Examiner(s): Golriz, Arya
• Application Number:
  US14/036,498
• Time in Patent Office: 748 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/33 using certificates
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/36 by graphic or iconic representation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/46 by designing passwords or checking the strength of passwords
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• 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 9/0861 Generation of secret information including derivation or calculation of cryptographic keys or passwords
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0863 involving passwords or one-time passwords network architectures or network communication protocols for using one-time keys in a packet data network H04L63/067

Abstract

Methods, apparatus and articles of manufacture for increasing entropy for password and key generation on a mobile device are provided herein. A method includes establishing a pre-determined set of cryptographic information, wherein said pre-determined set of cryptographic information comprises one or more input elements and one or more interface input behavior metrics associated with the one or more input elements; generating a prompt via a computing device interface in connection with an authentication request to access a protected resource associated with the computing device; processing input cryptographic information entered via the computing device interface in response to the prompt against the pre-determined set of cryptographic information; and resolving the authentication request based on said processing.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

establishing a pre-determined set of cryptographic information for a computing device, wherein said pre-determined set of cryptographic information comprises two or more input elements and one or more interface input behavior metrics associated with the two or more input elements, wherein the two or more input elements are selected by a user of the computing device, in a given sequence, from a collection of multiple items of non-alpha-numeric data stored on the computing device, and wherein said one or more interface input behavior metrics comprise one or more of (i) touch pressure of input via the computing device interface, (ii) touch angle of input via the computing device interface, (iii) directionality of input via the computing device interface, (iv) a distinct number of iterations of an action in connection with input via the computing device interface, and (v) velocity of input via the computing device interface;

generating a prompt via the computing device interface in connection with an authentication request to access a protected resource associated with the computing device;

processing input cryptographic information entered via the computing device interface in response to the prompt against the pre-determined set of cryptographic information; and

resolving the authentication request based on said processing.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said computing device interface comprises a virtual combination lock.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a pattern associated with input via the computing device interface in connection with the one or more interface input behavior metrics over multiple iterations of said processing step to establish one or more updated interface input behavior metrics associated with the two or more input elements.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

updating the pre-determined set of cryptographic information based on the one or more updated interface input behavior metrics.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said input cryptographic information comprises one or more items of authentication information, and wherein said pre-determined set of cryptographic information comprises a set of authentication information.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said two or more input elements comprise at least one of a character, a symbol, an image, a picture, a photograph, a color, a shape, a shaded shape, and a combination thereof.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said resolving comprises:

granting access to the protected resource associated with the computing device if the input cryptographic information matches the pre-determined set of cryptographic information.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said resolving comprises deriving an encryption key based on said input cryptographic information entered via the computing device interface.

9. The method of claim 1, comprising:

converting the two or more input elements to a second version of the two or more input elements for granting access to the protected resource associated with the computing device, wherein said converting comprises mapping the two or more input elements to a unique user via a mapping table so as to identify a version of the two or more input elements for granting access to the protected resource associated with the computing device.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein said resolving comprises denying access to the protected resource associated with the computing device if the input cryptographic information does not match the pre-determined set of cryptographic information.

10. An article of manufacture comprising a processor-readable storage medium having processor-readable instructions tangibly embodied thereon which, when implemented, cause a processor to carry out steps comprising:

establishing a pre-determined set of cryptographic information for a computing device, wherein said pre-determined set of cryptographic information comprises two or more input elements and one or more interface input behavior metrics associated with the two or more input elements, wherein the two or more input elements are selected by a user of the computing device, in a given sequence, from a collection of multiple items of non-alpha-numeric data stored on the computing device, and wherein said one or more interface input behavior metrics comprise one or more of (i) touch pressure of input via the computing device interface, (ii) touch angle of input via the computing device interface, (iii) directionality of input via the computing device interface, (iv) a distinct number of iterations of an action in connection with input via the computing device interface, and (v) velocity of input via the computing device interface;

generating a prompt via the computing device interface in connection with an authentication request to access a protected resource associated with the computing device;

processing input cryptographic information entered via the computing device interface in response to the prompt against the pre-determined set of cryptographic information; and

resolving the authentication request based on said processing.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 10, wherein said two or more input elements comprise at least one of a character, a symbol, an image, a picture, a photograph, a color, a shape, a shaded shape, and a combination thereof.

11. An apparatus comprising:

a memory; and

at least one processor coupled to the memory; and

a plurality of modules executing on the at least one processor, wherein the plurality of modules comprise;

a cryptographic information module configured to establish a pre-determined set of cryptographic information for a computing device, wherein said pre-determined set of cryptographic information comprises two or more input elements and one or more interface input behavior metrics associated with the two or more input elements, wherein the two or more input elements are selected by a user of the computing device, in a given sequence, from a collection of multiple items of non-alpha-numeric data stored on the computing device, and wherein said one or more interface input behavior metrics comprise one or more of (i) touch pressure of input via the computing device interface, (ii) touch angle of input via the computing device interface, (iii) directionality of input via the computing device interface, (iv) a distinct number of iterations of an action in connection with input via the computing device interface, and (v) velocity of input via the computing device interface;

an interface module configured to generate a prompt via the computing device interface in connection with an authentication request to access a protected resource associated with the computing device;

an authentication module configured to process input cryptographic information entered via the computing device interface in response to the prompt against the pre-determined set of cryptographic information; and

a processing module configured to resolving the authentication request based on said processing.

20. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein said two or more input elements comprise at least one of a character, a symbol, an image, a picture, a photograph, a color, a shape, a shaded shape, and a combination thereof.

12. A method comprising:

generating each of multiple input elements to be associated with a computing device in response to user activity in connection with the computing device, wherein said generating each of the multiple input elements comprises fetching each of the multiple input elements from a collection of non-alpha-numeric data stored on the computing device;

displaying the multiple generated input elements via an interface of the computing device;

determining one or more input modality parameters associated with the multiple generated input elements, wherein said one or more input modality parameters comprise one or more of (i) touch pressure of input via the computing device interface, (ii) touch angle of input via the computing device interface, (iii) directionality of input via the computing device interface, (iv) a distinct number of iterations of an action in connection with input via the computing device interface, and (v) velocity of input via the computing device interface;

generating a prompt via the computing device interface; and

processing input cryptographic information entered via the computing device interface in response to the prompt against the multiple generated input elements and the one or more input modality parameters, wherein said processing comprises;

establishing the multiple generated input elements and the one or more input modality parameters as a pre-determined set of cryptographic information to be used in connection with an authentication request to access a protected resource associated with the computing device if the input cryptographic information matches the multiple generated input elements and the one or more input modality parameters.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said generating each of the multiple input elements comprises utilizing an accelerometer associated with the computing device.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein said generating each of the multiple input elements further comprises identifying each of the multiple input elements within a database of the computing device based on user selection.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein said determining the one or more input modality parameters comprises prompting a user to select the one or more input modality parameters.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein said input elements comprise at least one of a character, a symbol, an image, a picture, a photograph, a color, a shape, a shaded shape, and a combination thereof.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein said computing device interface comprises a virtual combination lock.