Location specific image based authentication

• US 9,811,653 B1
• Filed: 10/24/2016
• Issued: 11/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Generac Power Systems Incorporated (Generac Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Maresh, Mark E., Nolan, Colm, Vargas, Juan F., Whitney, Michael J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zaidi, Syed
• Application Number:
  US15/332,501
• Time in Patent Office: 379 Days
• Field of Search: 726 7
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/36 by graphic or iconic representation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/107 wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal

Abstract

Embodiments are described for logging in to a location-specific user account on a host system. An example method includes sending, by a user device, as part of a login request, an authentication image. The method further includes receiving an authentication response from the host system based on determining whether the login request is sent from an authorized login-location, which is based on a comparison of the authentication image with a reference image captured at the authorized login-location. The method further includes, in response to the authentication image matching the reference image within a predetermined threshold range, receiving access to the user account based on the authentication response.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for logging in to a location-specific user account on a host system, the method comprising:

sending, by a user device, as part of a login request, an authentication image captured at the time of the login request, the authentication image capturing an object from surroundings of a location from which the login request is being sent, and the authentication image further comprising geographic coordinates of where the authentication image is captured;

receiving an authentication response from the host system based on determining whether the login request is sent from an authorized login-location, based on a comparison of the geographic coordinates of the authentication image and geographic coordinates of the authorized login-location, and a comparison of a viewpoint from which the object in the authentication image is captured with a viewpoint of one or more objects from a reference image captured at the authorized login-location, wherein the viewpoint of the object is indicative of the authorized login-location in addition to the geographic coordinates associated with the authorized login-location; and

in response to geographic coordinates and the viewpoint of the object of the authentication image matching the reference image within a predetermined threshold range, receiving access to the user account based on the authentication response.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the authentication response denies access to the host system in response to the login request not being sent from the authorized login-location.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the comparison of the authentication image with the reference image comprises:

determining authentication vector data in the authentication image; and

comparing the authentication vector data with reference vector data corresponding to the reference image.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising capturing and sending the reference image to the host system when creating the user account.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising, associating the authorized login-location with the user account by capturing and sending the reference image to the host system.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein, the host system generates authentication vector data corresponding to the authentication image, wherein the authentication vector data comprises identification of straight lines in the authentication image and measurements of angles between one or more pairs from the straight lines.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein, the host system generates authentication vector data corresponding to the authentication image, wherein the authentication vector data comprises identification of straight lines in the authentication image and measurements of distances between one or more pairs from the straight lines.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising, receiving a denial of access to the user account in response to sending a previously stored image as the authentication image, wherein the host system determines that the authentication image is the previously stored image based on the authentication image entirely matching the reference image.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising, receiving a denial of access to the user account in response to sending a previously stored image as the authentication image, wherein the host system determines that the authentication image is the previously stored image based on the authentication image entirely matching one or more previous authentication images that resulted in successful logins to the user account.

10. A system for logging in to a location-specific user account on a host system, the system comprising:

a memory; and

a processing unit coupled with the memory, the processing unit configured to;

send, as part of a login request, an authentication image captured at the time of the login request, the authentication image capturing an object from surroundings of a location from which the login request is being sent, and the authentication image further comprising geographic coordinates of where the authentication image is captured; and

receive an authentication from the host system to access the user account based on a comparison of the geographic coordinates of the authentication image and geographic coordinates of an authorized login-location, and a comparison of a viewpoint from which the object in the authentication image is captured with a viewpoint at of an object in a reference image captured at the authorized login-location associated with the user account.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the authentication image being captured from the viewpoint at the authorized login-location is determined based on a comparison of the authentication image with a reference image captured at the authorized login-location.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the comparison of the authentication image with the reference image comprises:

generating authentication vector data for the authentication image;

generating reference vector data for the reference image; and

comparing the authentication vector data with the reference vector data.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the processing unit is further configured to capture and send the reference image to the host system when creating the user account.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the processing unit is further configured to associate the authorized login-location with the user account by capturing and sending the reference image to the host system.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein generation of the authentication vector data corresponding to the authentication image comprises:

identification of straight lines in the authentication image;

identification a subset of the straight lines as significant vectors of the authentication image; and

determination of angles between one or more pairs of straight lines from the significant vectors of the authentication image.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein generation of the authentication vector data corresponding to the authentication image comprises:

identification of straight lines in the authentication image;

identification a subset of the straight lines as significant vectors of the authentication image; and

determination of distances between one or more pairs of straight lines from the significant vectors of the authentication image.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the processing unit receives a denial of access to the user account in response to the authentication image being identified as a previously stored image based on the authentication image entirely matching the reference image.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the processing unit receives a denial of access to the user account in response to the authentication image being identified as a previously stored image based on the authentication image entirely matching with one or more previous authentication images that resulted in successful logins to the user account.

19. A computer program product for logging in to a location-specific user account on a host system, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium, the computer readable storage medium comprising computer executable instructions, wherein the computer readable storage medium comprises instructions to:

send, to the host system, a reference image that captures a scene from a viewpoint at an authorized login-location for the user account, wherein the host system generates and stores reference vector data corresponding to the viewpoint of the reference image;

send, as part of a login request, an authentication image captured at the time of the login request, the authentication image capturing an object from surroundings of a location from which the login request is being sent, and the authentication image further comprising geographic coordinates of where the authentication image is captured;

receive an authentication response from the host system based on the host system determining whether the login request is sent from the authorized login-location based on a comparison of the geographic coordinates of the authentication image and geographic coordinates of the authorized login-location, and based on a comparison of a viewpoint from which the object in the authentication image is captured comprising;

generating authentication vector data corresponding to the viewpoint in the authentication image;

determining a vector-difference between the authentication vector data with the reference vector data; and

in response to the vector-difference being within a predetermined range, determining that the login request is sent from the authorized login-location; and

wherein the authentication response facilitates access to the user account in response to the login request being sent from the authorized login-location.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the reference image is sent when the user account is created.