Systems and methods for scalable-factor authentication

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10560455-B2
Application number	US-201916252164-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 18, 2019
Priority date	Dec 4, 2015
Publication date	Feb 11, 2020
Grant date	Feb 11, 2020

Abstract

Authentication systems and methods can selectively authenticate a request to access a resource data store storing access rights associated with a user device. The systems and methods can scalably execute challenges workflows as part of the authentication process. For example, a request to access one or more access rights stored in the data store can be received from the user device. The user device can be authenticated using challenge workflows selected based on a device identifier of the user device. The selected challenge workflows can be executed to determine whether or not to grant access to the access rights stored in the resource data store.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
downloading an application onto a user device associated with a user;
executing the application at the user device;
in response to executing the application, automatically detecting a technology footprint associated with the user device, the technology footprint representing one or more computing devices associated with the user, each wirelessly-connected computing device of the one or more computing devices being within a defined range of the user device;
receiving, at the user device executing the application, a request to access a user account associated with the user;
accessing a set of challenge workflows, each challenge workflow of the set of challenge workflows being a process that is executed to authenticate the user requesting access to the user account;
selecting a subset of the set of challenge workflows to present to the user before granting access to the user account, the specific challenge workflows selected for the subset of the set of challenge workflows being determined based at least in part on the technology footprint associated with the user device;
executing each challenge workflow of the subset of challenge workflows;
for each executed challenge workflow, determining whether or not the user has been successfully authenticated; and
in response to determining that the user has been successfully authenticated for each challenge workflow of the subset of challenge workflows, enabling the user to access the user account associated with the user.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein detecting the technology footprint associated with the user device includes displaying a prompt on the user device executing the application, the displayed prompt requesting an identification of the one or more computing devices within the defined range of the user device.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein detecting the technology footprint associated with the user device includes automatically detecting the one or more computing devices, wherein the automatic detection of the one or more computing devices includes detecting a computing device wirelessly connected to the user device.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
comparing the technology footprint associated with the user device with a technology footprint model indicative of a technology footprint of a human user; and
determining a result based on the comparison, the result indicating whether or not the user is a human user.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4 , wherein when the result indicates that the user is a human user, the subset of challenge workflows is selected so as to enable the human user to access the user account.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
comparing the technology footprint associated with the user device with a technology footprint model indicative of a technology footprint of a bot; and
determining a result based on the comparison, the result indicating whether or not the user is a bot.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6 , wherein when the result indicates that the user is a bot, the subset of challenge workflows is selected so as to prevent the bot from accessing the user account.

8. A system, comprising:
one or more data processors; and
a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium containing instructions which, when executed on the one or more data processors, cause the one or more data processors to perform operations including:
downloading an application onto a user device associated with a user;
executing the application at the user device;
in response to executing the application, automatically detecting a technology footprint associated with the user device, the technology footprint representing one or more computing devices associated with the user, each wirelessly-connected computing device of the one or more computing devices being within a defined range of the user device;
receiving, at the user device executing the application, a request to access a user account associated with the user;
accessing a set of challenge workflows, each challenge workflow of the set of challenge workflows being a process that is executed to authenticate the user requesting access to the user account;
selecting a subset of the set of challenge workflows to present to the user before granting access to the user account, the specific challenge workflows selected for the subset of the set of challenge workflows being determined based at least in part on the technology footprint associated with the user device;
executing each challenge workflow of the subset of challenge workflows;
for each executed challenge workflow, determining whether or not the user has been successfully authenticated; and
in response to determining that the user has been successfully authenticated for each challenge workflow of the subset of challenge workflows, enabling the user to access the user account associated with the user.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein detecting the technology footprint associated with the user device includes displaying a prompt on the user device executing the application, the displayed prompt requesting an identification of the one or more computing devices within the defined range of the user device.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein detecting the technology footprint associated with the user device includes automatically detecting the one or more computing devices, wherein the automatic detection of the one or more computing devices includes detecting a computing device wirelessly connected to the user device.

11. The system of claim 8 , wherein the operations further comprise:
comparing the technology footprint associated with the user device with a technology footprint model indicative of a technology footprint of a human user; and
determining a result based on the comparison, the result indicating whether or not the user is a human user.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein when the result indicates that the user is a human user, the subset of challenge workflows is selected so as to enable the human user to access the user account.

13. The system of claim 8 , wherein the operations further comprise:
comparing the technology footprint associated with the user device with a technology footprint model indicative of a technology footprint of a bot; and
determining a result based on the comparison, the result indicating whether or not the user is a bot.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein when the result indicates that the user is a bot, the subset of challenge workflows is selected so as to prevent the bot from accessing the user account.

15. A computer-program product tangibly embodied in a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, including instructions configured to cause a data processing apparatus to perform operations including:
downloading an application onto a user device associated with a user;
executing the application at the user device;
in response to executing the application, automatically detecting a technology footprint associated with the user device, the technology footprint representing one or more computing devices associated with the user, each wirelessly-connected computing device of the one or more computing devices being within a defined range of the user device;
receiving, at the user device executing the application, a request to access a user account associated with the user;
accessing a set of challenge workflows, each challenge workflow of the set of challenge workflows being a

Assignees

• Live Nation Entertainment Inc

Inventors

• Cernoch Dan
• Pondicherry Ajay
• Refsland David
• Ives-Halperin Kenneth

Classifications

• H04L63/105 Primary

  Multiple levels of security · CPC title

• H04L63/205

  involving negotiation or determination of the one or more network security mechanisms to be used, e.g. by negotiation between the client and the server or between peers or by selection according to the capabilities of the entities involved (negotiation of communication capabilities H04L69/24) · CPC title

• H04L63/0876

  based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint · CPC title

• G06F21/31

  User authentication · CPC title

• H04L63/08

  for authentication of entities (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32) · CPC title