Authenticating application legitimacy

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10635809-B2
Application number	US-201916257794-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 25, 2019
Priority date	Aug 6, 2015
Publication date	Apr 28, 2020
Grant date	Apr 28, 2020

Abstract

Facilities are provided herein to address application phishing by determining whether an application is a legitimate application it purports to be. Optical code(s) are displayed on a display device in association with an application to be authenticated for a user as being a legitimate application. Based on imaging the optical code(s) using a camera of a device of a user, data of the optical code(s) are obtained. It is automatically determines, based on the obtained data of the optical code(s), whether the application to be authenticated is authenticated as being the legitimate application, and based on this, an indication of whether the application is authenticated as being the legitimate application is provided for the user by the device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
obtaining, by a user device of a user based on imaging at least one optical code using a camera of the user device of the user, data of the at least one optical code, the at least one optical code being displayed on a display device in association with an application to be authenticated for the user as being a legitimate application;
automatically determining by the user device, based on the obtained data of the at least one optical code and on obtaining and comparing (i) data from a trusted authentication entity associated with the legitimate application, the data from the trusted authentication entity being provided to the user device separate from the at least one optical code, to (ii) the obtained data of the at least one optical code, whether the application to be authenticated is authenticated as being the legitimate application; and
providing for the user, by the user device, based on the automatically determining, an indication of whether the application to be authenticated is authenticated as being the legitimate application.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the application to be authenticated comprises a mobile application or a web application.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the user device comprises a wearable device, and wherein the indication comprises at least one visual, haptic, or audible indication for the user.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least optical code comprises computer readable encoded information and the data of the at least one optical code comprises decoded data decoded from the encoded information.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising triggering, during boot of the user device, checking a digital signature of an application of the user device.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising, based on verifying the digital signature as being correct, initiating execution of the application, wherein the application at least partially performs the obtaining, the automatically determining, and the providing.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein an application running as a background application of the user device monitors for presence of an optical code in an imaging space proximate the user device.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the obtaining, the automatically determining, and the providing are performed based on detecting presence of the optical code, the optical code being an optical code of the at least one optical code.

9. A computer program product comprising:
a non-transitory computer readable storage medium readable by a processing circuit and storing instructions for execution by the processing circuit for performing a method comprising:
obtaining, by a user device of a user based on imaging at least one optical code using a camera of the user device, data of the at least one optical code, the at least one optical code being displayed on a display device in association with an application to be authenticated for the user as being a legitimate application;
automatically determining by the user device, based on the obtained data of the at least one optical code and on obtaining and comparing (i) data from a trusted authentication entity association with the legitimate application, the data from the trusted authentication entity being provided to the device separate from the at least one optical code, to (ii) the obtained data of the at least one optical code, whether the application to be authenticated is authenticated as being the legitimate application; and
providing for the user, by the user device, based on the automatically determining, an indication of whether the application to be authenticated is authenticated as being the legitimate application.

10. The computer program product of claim 9 , wherein the application to be authenticated comprises a mobile application or a web application.

11. The computer program product of claim 9 , wherein the method further comprises triggering, during boot of the user device, checking a digital signature of an application of the user device.

12. The computer program product of claim 11 , wherein the method further comprises, based on verifying the digital signature as being correct, initiating execution of the application, wherein the application at least partially performs the obtaining, the automatically determining, and the providing.

13. The computer program product of claim 9 , wherein an application running as a background application of the user device monitors for presence of an optical code in an imaging space proximate the user device.

14. The computer program product of claim 13 , wherein the obtaining, the automatically determining, and the providing are performed based on detecting presence of the optical code, the optical code being an optical code of the at least one optical code.

15. A computer system comprising:
a memory; and
a processor in communication with the memory, wherein the computer system is configured to perform a method, the method comprising:
obtaining, by a user device of a user based on imaging at least one optical code using a camera of the user device of the user, data of the at least one optical code, the at least one optical code being displayed on a display device in association with an application to be authenticated for the user as being a legitimate application;
automatically determining by the user device, based on the obtained data of the at least one optical code and on obtaining and comparing (i) data from a trusted authentication entity associated with the legitimate application, the data from the trusted authentication entity being provided to the user device separate from the at least one optical code, to (ii) the obtained data of the at least one optical code, whether the application to be authenticated is authenticated as being the legitimate application; and
providing for the user, by the user device, based on the automatically determining, an indication of whether the application to be authenticated is authenticated as being the legitimate application.

16. The computer system of claim 15 , wherein the application to be authenticated comprises a mobile application or a web application.

17. The computer system of claim 15 , wherein the method further comprises triggering, during boot of the user device, checking a digital signature of an application of the user device.

18. The computer system of claim 17 , wherein the method further comprises, based on verifying the digital signature as being correct, initiating execution of the application, wherein the application at least partially performs the obtaining, the automatically determining, and the providing.

19. The computer system of claim 15 , wherein an application running as a background application of the user device monitors for presence of an optical code in an imaging space proximate the user device.

20. The computer system of claim 19 , wherein the obtaining, the automatically determining, and the providing are performed based on detecting presence of the optical code, the optical code being an optical code of the at least one optical code.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Ekambaram Vijay
• Rakshit Sarbajit K

Classifications

• G06F21/31

  User authentication · CPC title

• G06F21/44

  Program or device authentication · CPC title

• H04L63/1483

  service impersonation, e.g. phishing, pharming or web spoofing (detection of rogue wireless access points H04W12/12) · CPC title

• G06F21/55 Primary

  Detecting local intrusion or implementing counter-measures · CPC title

• G06F21/64

  Protecting data integrity, e.g. using checksums, certificates or signatures · CPC title