Secure identity authentication in an electronic transaction

Abstract

An approach is provided for securely authenticating an identity of a user participating in an electronic transaction. A request is received from a mobile device to initiate the electronic transaction. Attributes of the user and request are received. A request is selected for a biometric identifier or a security question to authenticate the identity of the user. The request for the biometric identifier or security question is converted to a complete Quick Response (QR) code. Based on the user and request attributes, the complete QR code is disassembled into first and second portions by employing a disassembly algorithm. The first portion, but not the second portion, is sent to the mobile device, which prevents an entity other than the user and the enterprise from obtaining the request for the biometric identifier or security question by capturing network traffic that includes the electronic transaction.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD[0001]The present invention relates to managing an electronic transaction, and more particularly to securely authenticating an identity of a party to an electronic transaction.BACKGROUND[0002]With the advent of mobile device-based payments and new online fraud patterns, authentication of an identity of a user participating in an electronic transaction over the Internet has become more challenging. Forms of identity authentication include security questions and biometric identifiers (e.g., fingerprints). The security of identify authentication is vulnerable because attackers capture and log wireless network traffic that includes transmissions of security questions, answers to security questions, biometric identifiers and requests for particular biometric identifiers. After being unlawfully captured or captured without permission from the parties to the transaction, information needed to authenticate an identity is used to perform fraudulent transactions.BRIEF SUMMARY[0...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention provides a way to enhance security when verifying a person's identity for critical activities, such as high value financial transactions or making life-changing decisions. This is done by using a portion of a QR code that includes biographic information or biometric identifiers. This helps prevent malicious entities from interfering with the transmission of authentication requests or data during electronic transactions. The invention can coexist with existing biographic based authentication methods.

Problems solved by technology

With the advent of mobile device-based payments and new online fraud patterns, authentication of an identity of a user participating in an electronic transaction over the Internet has become more challenging.

The security of identify authentication is vulnerable because attackers capture and log wireless network traffic that includes transmissions of security questions, answers to security questions, biometric identifiers and requests for particular biometric identifiers.

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