Service account access

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9332006-B2
Application number	US-201414460823-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 15, 2014
Priority date	May 28, 2014
Publication date	May 3, 2016
Grant date	May 3, 2016

Abstract

A computer system detects an external media device and determines the external media device contains authentication data for the computer system. In response, a first password is generated based on an identifier unique to the computer system. A prompt is displayed for a second password obtained from a service provider. The second password is received through an input device. The computer system provides access to the service account if the second password matches the first password.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for providing access to a service account, the method comprising:
generating, by a computer system, a random code;
encrypting, by the computer system, the random code;
storing, on an external media device, the encrypted random code;
detecting, by the computer system, the external media device;
determining the external media device contains the encrypted random code, and in response:
generating, based on an identifier unique to the computer system, a first password;
displaying a prompt to a user for a second password, the second password received by the user from an external service provider and based on the identifier;
receiving the second password from the user through an input device; and
providing access to the service account if the second password matches the first password.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the identifier is selected from the group consisting of a hardware identifier and a software license key.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first password and the second password are further based on a temporal indicator.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the temporal indicator is a current date.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
creating an authorized user account in a database controlled by the service provider, the authorized user account comprising a plurality of challenge question and answer pairs associated with the user.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the generating the first password is performed using encrypted program instructions stored on the external media device.

7. A method for providing access to a service account, the method comprising:
creating an authorized user account in a database controlled by the service provider, the authorized user account comprising a plurality of challenge question and answer pairs associated with a user;
generating, by a computer system, a random code;
encrypting, by the computer system, the random code;
storing, on an external media device, the encrypted random code;
detecting, by the computer system, the external media device;
determining the external media device contains the encrypted random code;
executing, in response to the determining, instructions on the external media device to perform steps comprising:
generating, based on an identifier unique to the computer system and a current date, a first password, the identifier selected from the group consisting of a hardware identifier and a software license key;
displaying a prompt to the user for a second password, the second password received by the user from an external service provider and based on the identifier and a current date;
receiving the second password from the user through an input device; and
providing access to the service account if the second password matches the first password.

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Cramer Keith D
• Manthei Dale H
• Patel Niraj D
• Vanhavermaet Benjamin C

Classifications

• G06F21/34 Primary

  involving the use of external additional devices, e.g. dongles or smart cards · CPC title

• H04L2209/56

  Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash · CPC title

• H04L63/083 Primary

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

• H04L67/10

  in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network (software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46) · CPC title

• H04L9/3234

  involving additional secure or trusted devices, e.g. TPM, smartcard, USB or software token (network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using an additional device in a packet data network H04L63/0853) · CPC title