System and apparatus for secure password recovery and identity verification

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10162956-B1
Application number	US-201816042057-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Jul 23, 2018
Priority date	Jul 23, 2018
Publication date	Dec 25, 2018
Grant date	Dec 25, 2018

Abstract

A secure method for resetting the password for an account is disclosed. During the setup of the account, the user can provide the service provider with a media file, and when the user asks the service provider to reset the password for the account, the user will be prompted with several media files. The user can be asked to identify the media file that the user provided to the service provider at the time of the setup of the account. If the user properly identifies the media file, the password will be reset.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
receiving a first request for opening an account at a server of a service provider, wherein the first request was obtained from a user interface of a device of a user;
responsive to receiving the first request, transmitting, from the server to the device, a set of questions to be displayed in the user interface of the device;
receiving, at the server, a response to the set of questions, the response including a username, a password, a reset phrase, and a reset media file, wherein:
the response was obtained using the user interface of the device; and
the user can access the account using the username and the password;

receiving, at the server, a second request for resetting the password, wherein the second request was obtained from the user interface of a second device;
responsive to receiving the second request, transmitting, from the server to the second device, a communication including the reset phrase and a plurality of media files, wherein:
the communication is configured to be displayed on the user interface of the second device;
the media files include a plurality of related media files and the reset media file; and
the server chooses each of the plurality of related media files based on an acoustic fingerprint comparison of the reset media file and at least some media files stored in a database;

receiving, at the server from the second device, a selection of at least one of the plurality of media files, wherein the selection was obtained using the user interface of the second device; and
responsive to receiving the selection, determining whether the selection matches the reset media file, and if the selection matches the reset media file, transmitting a temporary password to the user such that the user can access the account using the username and the temporary password.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the server includes the database of media files; and
the plurality of related media files is chosen by the server.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the server chooses each of the plurality of related media files if the media files are within a tolerance level of similarity of the reset media file.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the comparison of the reset media file and at least some of the media files stored in the database are based on a maximally stable extremal regions algorithm.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of media files is a photo.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of media files is a video file.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the response to the set of questions includes more than one media file.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the plurality of media files in the communication include at least two of the plurality of reset photos.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the selection matches the reset media file if all of the at least two of the plurality of reset media files are identified in the selection.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first device and the second device are the same device.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the transmitting a temporary password to the user includes at least one of emailing the temporary password to the user or transmitting a communication to the second device such that the communication is displayable on the user interface of the second device.

12. A method comprising:
transmitting a first request for opening an account to a server of a service provider, wherein the first request is entered into a user interface of a device of a user;
displaying a set of questions received from the server in the user interface of the device;
transmitting, to the server, a response to the set of questions, the response including a username, a password, a reset phrase, and a reset media file, wherein:
the response is entered using the user interface of the device; and
the user can access the account using the username and the password;

transmitting, from a second device to the server, a second request for resetting the password, wherein the second request is entered from the user interface of the second device;
receiving, at the second device from the server, a communication including the reset phrase and a plurality of media files, wherein:
the communication is displayed on the user interface of the second device;
the media files include a plurality of related media files and the reset media file; and
the server chooses each of the plurality of related media files based on an acoustic fingerprint comparison of the reset media file and at least some media files stored in a database;

transmitting, from the second device to the server, a selection of at least one of the plurality of media files, wherein the selection is entered using the user interface of the second device; and
receiving a temporary password at the second device in response to a determination by the server that the selection matches the reset media file, wherein the user can access the account using the username and the temporary password.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein at least one of the plurality of media files is a photo.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein at least one of the plurality of media files is a video file.

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein the response to the set of questions includes more than one media file.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the plurality of media files in the communication include at least two of the plurality of reset photos.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the selection matches the reset media file if all of the at least two of the plurality of reset media files are identified in the selection.

18. A method comprising:
receiving, at a server from a device, a request for resetting a password;
responsive to receiving the request, transmitting, from the server to the device, a communication including a reset phrase and a plurality of media files, wherein:
the communication is configured to be displayed on a user interface of the device; and
the media files include a plurality of related media files, and at least one of the reset media file and a media file indicating that the reset media file is not displayed;

receiving, at the server from the device, a selection of at least one of the plurality of media files, wherein the selection was obtained using the user interface of the device; and
responsive to receiving the selection, determining whether the selection matches the reset media file, and if the selection matches the reset media file, transmitting a temporary password to the user such that the user can access the account using the username and the temporary password, wherein:
the server includes a database of media files;
the plurality of related media files is chosen by the server;
the server chooses each of the plurality of related media files based on a comparison of the reset media file and at least some of the media files stored in the database; and
the server chooses each of the plurality of related media files if the media files are within a tolerance level of similarity of the reset media file; and
the comparison of the reset media file and at least some of the media files stored in the database are based on an acoustic fingerprint.

Assignees

• Capital One Services Llc

Inventors

• Truong Anh
• Key Kate
• Goodsitt Jeremy
• Taylor Kenneth
• Farivar Reza
• Watson Mark
• Abad Fardi Abdi Taghi
• Walters Austin
• Pham Vincent

Classifications

• G06Q10/10

  Office automation; Time management · CPC title

• H04L63/083

  using passwords (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226) · CPC title

• G06F21/36 Primary

  by graphic or iconic representation · CPC title

• G06Q10/107

  Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing] · CPC title

• G06F2221/2103

  Challenge-response · CPC title