Authentication system(s) with multiple authentication modes using one-time passwords with enhanced security

Abstract

A computer program product for authentication processing within an authentication system, the computer program product comprising: a computer-readable storage medium readable by a processing circuit and storing instructions for performing a method, the method comprising: Generating an authentication parameter as a function of a time-dependent input using a predetermined transform with an inverse transform, wherein the time-dependent input is recoverable from the authentication parameter using the inverse transform, and the authentication system supports multiple authentication modes, wherein a bit length of the time-dependent input for one authentication mode of the plurality of authentication modes differs from a bit length of the time-dependent input for another authentication mode of the plurality of authentication modes, and wherein the generating depends in part on whether the time-dependent input belongs to the one authentication mode or the other authentication mode; Generating a time-dependent password comprising a character string from the authentication parameter using another predetermined transformation with another inverse transformation, wherein the authentication parameter is recoverable from the time-dependent password using the other inverse transformation; and Forwarding the time-dependent password to an authenticator of the authentication system for authentication, wherein generating an authentication parameter comprises: Splitting the time-dependent input into one segment (part_a) and another segment (part_b); Performing multiple rounds of transformation of the time-dependent input using the one segment (part_a) and the other segment (part_b) to obtain a final part_a and a final part_b, wherein a round of transformation of the multiple rounds of transformation comprises transforming a current part_a and a current part_b at least in part using a login key, a round-specific value, and a transformation process, wherein the round-specific value changes with each round of transformation of the multiple rounds of transformation; combining the final part_a and the final part_b to form the authentication parameter based on performing the multiple rounds of transformation, and wherein one or more transformation rounds of the plurality of transformation rounds comprise a process that depends in part on whether the authentication system is currently using one or the other authentication mode.

Description

BACKGROUND

[0001] Authentication systems for authenticating users to system resources, such as user applications, are well known. Many authentication systems rely on passwords that are generally known only to the user and the issuer or authenticator. Systems that transmit such passwords over a data transmission channel from a resource-requesting node are vulnerable to interception of the transmitted passwords by unauthorized entities. These entities can then attempt to gain access to system resources by using the intercepted passwords along with non-secret information, such as a user ID, which may also have been intercepted.

[0002] To prevent attempts to gain unauthorized access, passwords are often transmitted in encrypted form over data transmission channels, so that access to the data transmission channel does not reveal the password itself in plaintext. However, even with systems that encrypt passwords before transmission, there is the possibility that the encrypted password is recorded and subsequently fed directly into the data transmission channel (rather than via a terminal and encryption unit) to secure the desired access.

[0003] To address this challenge, "one-time" or "dynamic" passwords have been used, which are valid only for a short time interval (e.g., one minute or less), so that intercepting a one-time password during one interval does not provide useful information for accessing a system during a later interval.

[0004] Systems of this type typically generate one-time passwords as a function of secret information (e.g., a user password or an encryption key), time-dependent information (e.g., a time-of-day (TOD) value or a time / date value), and optionally non-secret information (e.g., user ID and application ID). The one-time password is transmitted to the authentication node, where, in one embodiment, it is compared with a benchmark password similarly generated using the same secret and, optionally, non-secret information, as well as a time value available at the authentication node. If the transmitted password matches the benchmark password, the user is authenticated and granted access to the system resource.In another implementation, the need to generate a comparison password at the authenticator can be avoided by restoring the original time / date value from the received one-time password for direct comparison with the time / date value available at the authenticating node.

[0005] Documents have already been published in this context. Document US 5 592 553 describes an authentication system with one-time passwords. This system uses an authentication node that uses one-time passwords that are randomly changed with each authentication request. The requesting node generates a non-time-dependent value from non-secret information that identifies a user. An application then applies a secret encryption key, which is also known to the authentication node. The user is then authenticated via several intermediate steps if a time-dependent value lies within a predetermined range generated by the authentication node. Furthermore, document US 2014 / 0 189 831 A1 describes time-dependent authentication. The method described here is primarily aimed at use in connection with mobile telephone devices.The starting point is a “seed” record in the mobile device, which is provided by a time-dependent authentication device. SUMMARY

[0006] Certain deficiencies in the prior art are overcome, and additional advantages are achieved, according to one or more aspects by providing a computer program product for authentication processing in an authentication system. The computer program product includes a computer-readable storage medium readable by processing circuitry and storing instructions for performing a method. The method includes generating an authentication parameter as a function of a time-dependent input using a predetermined transform with an inverse transform. The time-dependent input is recoverable from the authentication parameter using the inverse transform, and the authentication system supports multiple authentication modes.A bit length of the time-dependent input for one authentication mode of the plurality of authentication modes differs from a bit length of the time-dependent input for another authentication mode of the plurality of authentication modes. Furthermore, generating the authentication parameter depends in part on whether the time-dependent input belongs to one or the other authentication mode. Additionally, the method comprises generating a time-dependent password containing a character string from the authentication parameter using a different predetermined transformation with a different inverse transformation, wherein the authentication parameter is recoverable from the time-dependent password using the different inverse transformation, and forwarding the time-dependent password to an authenticator of the authentication system for authentication.

[0007] Computer-implemented systems and methods relating to one or more aspects are also described and claimed herein. Services relating to one or more aspects are also described and may be claimed herein.

[0008] Additional features and advantages are realized by the methods described herein. Further embodiments and aspects of the invention are described in detail herein and are considered part of the claimed aspects. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] One or more aspects of the present invention are particularly pointed out and specifically claimed by way of example in the claims at the end of the specification. The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a block diagram of one embodiment of an authentication system for using authentication processing in accordance with one or more aspects of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a more detailed block diagram showing further details of an embodiment of the authentication system of Fig. 1 according to one or more aspects of the present invention; Fig. 3 is a block diagram of another embodiment of an authentication system in which authentication passwords are generated by a security server using authentication processing in accordance with one or more aspects of the present invention; Fig. 4 illustrates a process embodiment for encrypting a time-dependent input of arbitrary bit length to obtain a time-dependent authentication password for forwarding to an authenticator of an authentication system, in accordance with one or more aspects of the present invention; Fig. Figure 5 shows a process embodiment for evaluating a time-dependent authentication password, in which the original time value used in the encryption process from Fig. 4 is restored for comparison with a reference time value, according to one or more aspects of the present invention; Fig. 6A to 6D illustrate a more detailed embodiment of an encryption process for generating a time-dependent authentication password for forwarding to an authenticator in accordance with one or more aspects of the present invention; Fig. 7A and Fig. 7B show a more detailed embodiment of an evaluation process for evaluating a time-dependent authentication password obtained via the encryption process from Fig. 6A to 6D, according to one or more aspects of the present invention; Fig. 8A shows an example of a computing environment or resource for integrating and using one or more aspects of the present invention; Fig. Figure 8B shows further details of the processor from Fig. 8A according to one aspect of the present invention; Fig. 9A shows another example of a computing environment or resource for incorporating and utilizing one or more aspects of the present invention; Fig. Figure 9B shows further details of the memory from Fig. 9A according to one aspect of the present invention; Fig. 10 illustrates an embodiment of a cloud computing environment that may implement or be used in conjunction with certain aspects of an embodiment of the present invention; and Fig. 11 shows abstraction model layers according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0010] The accompanying figures, in which like reference characters refer to identical or functionally similar elements throughout the several views, and which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, further illustrate the present invention and, together with the detailed description, serve to explain aspects of the present invention. In this regard, it is to be understood that descriptions of well-known systems, units, processing methods, etc., are omitted in order to more particularly clarify the invention. It should be understood, however, that the detailed description and the present example(s), while demonstrating aspects of the invention, are intended to be illustrative and not limiting.Various substitutions, modifications, additions, and / or other arrangements that are consistent with the spirit or scope of the underlying inventive concepts will be apparent to one skilled in the art from this disclosure. It should also be appreciated that numerous inventive aspects and features are disclosed herein, and, where consistent, each disclosed aspect or feature may be combined with any other disclosed aspect or feature as desired for a particular application of one or more of the presently disclosed concepts.

[0011] Additionally, it should be noted that illustrative embodiments are described below using specific code, configurations, architectures, protocols, layouts, schemes, or tools by way of example only, and not by way of limitation. Furthermore, for clarity of description, the illustrative embodiments are in some cases described using particular software, tools, or computing environments. The illustrative embodiments may be used in conjunction with other comparable or similarly intended structures, systems, applications, or architectures. One or more aspects of an illustrative embodiment may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination thereof.

[0012] As one of ordinary skill in the art will understand, program code referred to in this application may include both software and hardware. For example, in certain embodiments of the present invention, program code may include fixed-function hardware, while other embodiments may use a software-based implementation of the described functionality. In certain embodiments, both types of program code are combined. An example of program code, also referred to as one or more programs or program instructions, is shown in Fig. 8A as application program(s) 830 and / or computer-readable program instruction(s) 834 stored in memory 806 of computer system 802, and as programs 846 and computer-readable program instruction(s) 848 stored in a data storage device 844 accessed by computer system 802.

[0013] As briefly mentioned above, an authentication token-based validation system can provide an entity, such as a requesting node, with the ability to confirm an identity assertion to an authenticator (or authenticating node). Confirming the identity assertion is accomplished by proving possession of a secret login key through the use of a specified authentication protocol. Several different protocols exist for generating and evaluating authentication parameters or tokens. In many cases, the authentication parameter generation protocols operate in two main phases. First, a secret key, other known authentication credentials, and one or more cryptographic processes are used to generate a token binary value or authentication parameter. The token binary value is then encoded as a string token value or authentication password.

[0014] In many types of authentication systems, the authentication data is restricted to a certain length and character set, but at the same time, more possible valid token values ​​lead to greater variability and therefore make it more difficult for an attacker to identify or guess a correct token value.

[0015] According to one or more aspects, an authentication system having multiple authentication modes is disclosed herein, in which an authentication parameter (AP) is generated as a function of time-dependent information, such as time-of-day (TOD) information, using a predetermined (first) transformation. The predetermined transformation has an inverse transformation such that the time-dependent information can be regenerated from the authentication parameter using the inverse transformation. A time-dependent password containing a character string, such as an alphanumeric character string, is generated from the authentication parameter using a predetermined (second) transformation, wherein this predetermined transformation has an inverse transformation such that the authentication parameter can be regenerated from the password using the inverse transformation.

[0016] Unless otherwise specified, a reference to an inverse transform in this context means not only that the inverse transform exists, but also that it is computationally possible to generate it. Transformations that have such computationally possible inverse transformations are said to be "invertible," while those that do not are called "noninvertible" or "unidirectional" transformations or functions.

[0017] The password is presented to an authenticator, which may be located at an authenticating node to which the password is transmitted, for example, from a requesting node. The authenticator regenerates the time-dependent information from the password by regenerating the authentication parameter from the password presented to the authenticator using the inverse of the second transformation, and then regenerating the time-dependent information from the authentication parameter using the inverse of the first transformation.

[0018] The authenticator compares the regenerated time-dependent information with time-dependent reference information and grants access to the resource based on the comparison of the regenerated time-dependent information with the time-dependent reference information. For example, if the regenerated time value is within a predetermined tolerance of the reference time value, the authentication request is granted; otherwise, it is rejected. In one or more embodiments, the predetermined tolerance may be system-configurable.

[0019] In one or more implementations, the first transformation is a cryptographic transformation using an encryption key shared with the authenticator. The cryptographic transformation is performed such that the time-dependent information can be regenerated from the authentication parameter and the key, but the key cannot be regenerated from the authentication parameter and the time-dependent information. In such a case, the authenticator regenerates the original time-dependent information by decrypting the regenerated authentication parameter using the decryption key corresponding to the original encryption key.In one or more embodiments using the disclosed encryption procedures, the encryption key is identical to the corresponding decryption key, but in other encryption procedures, the encryption key could be different from the corresponding decryption key, even though the two are related.

[0020] In one or more embodiments, the authentication parameter is generated by combining the time-dependent information with non-time-dependent information to generate composite information, and encrypting the composite information to generate the authentication parameter. In one embodiment, the time-independent information may be generated, for example, by encrypting non-secret information (e.g., a user ID and / or an application name or ID) for an event that requires identifying an authentication request.

[0021] By using an invertible transformation to convert the authentication parameter into a password, the original time-dependent information can be regenerated, and the password can be validated based on a single comparison between the regenerated time-dependent information and the time-dependent reference information available at the authenticating node.

[0022] Advantageously, in one or more embodiments, the authentication system takes into account different authentication modes. In one mode, referred to herein as "BIG," an m-bit authentication parameter is obtained, while in another approach, referred to herein as "MIXED," an n-bit authentication parameter is obtained. In a specific embodiment, m is 41 bits and N is 48 bits. In one embodiment, the secret login key in BIG mode uses only uppercase letters and numbers, for example, to represent 2 41 possible tokens or parameters, while in MIX mode 2 48 Parameters or tokens are possible, e.g., using upper and lower case letters, numbers, and one or more special characters such as "_" and "-". In one embodiment, the authentication parameter thus has a first plurality of possible values ​​(e.g., 2 m for one m-bit AP or 2 nfor an n-bit AP), while the password or another authentication code has a second plurality of possible values (e.g., 36 8 for an 8-alphanumeric uppercase letter password) that is greater than the first plurality of values. It should be noted that the reference in this context is made without regard to restrictions between the characters that may be conditioned by the respective system used to generate the AP or the password. Depending on which mode is used by the authentication system, an extended block encryption procedure described herein with an m-bit input and output or an n-bit input and output is used to generate the desired authentication parameter.

[0023] Another aspect of the present invention includes a system for transforming (e.g., encrypting or decrypting) an input data block of x bits into an output data block of x bits, where x is an even or odd integer. During transformation, the input data block is first divided into first and second (e.g., left and right) bit segments (or portions), where one bit segment may have a different length than the other bit segment. The two bit segments or portions of the input data block are subjected to multiple rounds of transformation in which the segments (or portions) are transformed into first and second output segments that serve as the corresponding segments for the subsequent round. Upon completion of the multiple rounds, the final transformed segments (or portions) are recombined to produce the output data block.

[0024] According to one or more aspects described herein, data blocks of any size, regardless of whether they have an odd or even number of bits, can be transformed into output data blocks of a similar size, preserving all information in the input block for reconstruction by an inverse transformation. This is advantageous in many situations, such as those described herein, where standard encryption methods require an excessively large block size. By using a round-specific value for each round, the same key for an x-bit encryption can be used on each pass, avoiding the computational overhead of having to set up a different encryption for each round.

[0025] In one or more aspects, novel authentication processes for an authentication system that accommodates multiple authentication modes and provides one-time passwords with increased security are disclosed herein.

[0026] Some embodiments of the present invention include a computer program product, a computer system, and a method, wherein program code executing on one or more processors provides authentication processing for an authentication system by generating an authentication parameter as a function of a time-dependent input using a predetermined transform with an inverse transform. The time-dependent input is recoverable from the authentication parameter using the inverse transform. The authentication system supports multiple authentication modes, and a bit length of the time-dependent input for one authentication mode of the multiple authentication modes is different from a bit length of the time-dependent input for another authentication mode of the multiple authentication modes.Furthermore, the generation of the authentication parameter depends in part on whether the time-dependent input belongs to one or the other authentication mode. Furthermore, some embodiments of the present invention include program code for generating a time-dependent password containing a character string from the authentication parameter using a different predetermined transformation with a different inverse transformation, wherein the authentication parameter is recoverable from the time-dependent password using the different inverse transformation. Furthermore, some embodiments of the present invention include program code that forwards the time-dependent password to an authenticator of the authentication system for authentication, for example, in connection with a request event, such as for access to a protected application.

[0027] In certain embodiments, when the time-dependent input belongs to one authentication mode, the time-dependent input is a binary input with an odd or even number of bits, and when the time-dependent input belongs to the other authentication mode, the time-dependent input is a binary input with a different odd or even number of bits. For example, in one embodiment, the time-dependent input for one authentication mode is an odd number of bits, e.g., 41 bits, and the time-dependent input for the other authentication mode is an even number of bits, e.g., 48 bits, both of which offer an expanded number of authentication parameters or tokens compared to previous approaches.

[0028] In one or more embodiments, program code executing on one or more processors generates the authentication parameter by splitting the time-dependent input into one segment (part_a) and another segment (part_b) and performing multiple rounds of transformation of the one segment (part_a) and the other segment (part_b) to obtain a final part_a and a final part_b. One round of the multiple rounds of transformation includes transforming a current part_a and a current part_b using at least in part a login key, a round-specific value, and a transformation process, wherein the round-specific value changes with each round of transformation of the multiple rounds of transformation. After performing the multiple rounds of transformation, the final part_a and the final part_b are combined to form the authentication parameter.

[0029] In one or more embodiments, one authentication mode is an UPPERCASE authentication mode in which the login key uses only uppercase letters and numbers, and the other authentication mode is a MIXED authentication mode in which the login key uses any uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and one or more special characters.

[0030] In one or more implementations, one or more transformation rounds of the multiple transformation rounds include a process that depends in part on whether the authentication system is currently using one or the other authentication mode.

[0031] In certain embodiments, during the performance of the multiple transformation rounds of Part_a and Part_b, at least one transformation round comprises generating a new Part_a by transforming the current Part_a using the current Part_b and generating a new Part_b by transforming the current Part_b using the new Part_a.

[0032] In certain embodiments, the round-specific value includes a current value of a round counter, wherein the current value of the round counter changes with each transformation round of the plurality of transformation rounds. In one or more embodiments, the transformation process is a message authentication code (MAC) process, such as a hash-based message authentication code (HMAC).

[0033] In certain embodiments, program code executing on one or more processors regenerates the authentication parameter from the time-dependent password presented to the authenticator using the other inverse transform and regenerates the time-dependent input from the authentication parameter using the inverse transform. Further, program code executing on one or more processors grants access to a resource if the regenerated time-dependent value is within a predetermined tolerance of a time-dependent reference value; otherwise, access to the resource is denied. In one embodiment, the predetermined tolerance may be configurable for a particular authentication system.

[0034] Some embodiments of the present invention are inextricably linked to computing and offer significantly more than existing authentication approaches. For example, embodiments of the present invention provide program code executing on one or more processors to exploit the interconnectivity of different systems and utilize various computing-centric data analysis and processing techniques to generate an authentication parameter as a function of a time-dependent input using a predetermined transform with an inverse transform, wherein the time-dependent input is recoverable from the authentication parameter using the inverse transform, and the authentication system supports multiple authentication modes.A bit length of the time-dependent input for one authentication mode of the plurality of authentication modes differs from a bit length of the time-dependent input of another authentication mode of the plurality of authentication modes, and generation of the authentication parameter depends in part on whether the time-dependent input belongs to one authentication mode or the other authentication mode. Program code executing on one or more processors further generates a time-dependent password including a character string from the authentication parameter using a different predetermined transformation with a different inverse transformation, wherein the authentication parameter is recoverable from the time-dependent password using the different inverse transformation, and passes the time-dependent password to an authenticator of the authentication system for authentication.

[0035] Both the interconnectivity of the data processing systems or nodes used and the computer-exclusive data processing methods used by the program code enable various aspects of the present invention. Furthermore, some embodiments of the present invention offer significantly more than existing authentication approaches by providing authentication processing with multiple authentication modes and an expanded number of authentication parameters, as well as encryption and decryption processes applicable to values ​​of arbitrary length, i.e., with any bit length, including even and odd lengths, thereby enabling the authentication system to maximize the variability of the token binary values ​​to accommodate a restrictive character set of a particular system and thereby provide increased security against possible system breach attempts.Furthermore, the authentication processing disclosed herein does not require a nonce value to be secure. The disclosed processing splits the value to be encrypted into multiple parts and increases the entropy by subjecting each part to multiple rounds of advanced transformation processing before recombining the parts into the final authentication parameter or encrypted value.

[0036] In some embodiments of the present invention, the program code provides substantially more functionality, including, but not limited to: 1) program code that generates an authentication parameter as a function of a time-dependent input using a predetermined transform with an inverse transform, wherein the time-dependent input is recoverable from the authentication parameter using the inverse transform, and the authentication system supports multiple authentication modes, wherein a bit length of the time-dependent input for one authentication mode of the plurality of authentication modes is different from a bit length of the time-dependent input for another authentication mode of the plurality of authentication modes, and wherein the generating depends in part on whether the time-dependent input belongs to the one authentication mode or the other authentication mode;2) program code that generates a time-dependent password containing a character string from the authentication parameter using another predetermined transformation with another inverse transformation, wherein the authentication parameter is recoverable from the time-dependent password using the other inverse transformation; and 3) program code that forwards the time-dependent password to an authenticator of the authentication system for authentication.

[0037] By way of example, an embodiment of a system 100 for applying one or more aspects of the present invention in Fig. 1. As illustrated, the system 100 includes one entity, e.g., a requesting node 102, and another entity, e.g., an authenticating node 104, that communicate with each other via a communications channel 106 established, for example, over one or more networks over which the requesting node 102 and the authenticating node 104 communicate with each other. The requesting node 102 may be or execute on a variety of computing resources, environments, or devices that must be authenticated to communicate with the authenticating node 104 or receive requested data from that authenticating node 104.The requesting node 102 may be, for example, a mobile device, a smartphone, a tablet computer, a laptop, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless computer, a desktop computer, a server, a workstation, or other computing resource, etc. Further, the authentication node 104 may be or execute on a variety of computing environments such as those described herein. In one or more embodiments, the authentication node 104 may be or execute on one or more of a variety of computing resources, including, in one or more embodiments, cloud-based computing resources. As previously mentioned, the requesting node 102 may communicate with the authenticating node 104 via a communications channel 106 provided over one or more networks.The one or more networks may be, for example, a telecommunications network, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet, or a combination thereof, and may include wired, wireless, fiber optic connections, etc. The network may include one or more wired and / or wireless networks capable of receiving and transmitting data, including authentication-related data, as described herein.

[0038] Briefly described, in one or more embodiments, the computing resources of the requesting node 102 and / or the authenticating node 104 may include one or more processors, such as central processing units (CPUs). The processor(s) may also include functional components used in the integration of program code, such as functional components for retrieving program code from storage locations such as a cache or main memory, decoding and executing program code, accessing memory for instruction execution, and writing results of the executed instructions or code. The processor(s) may include one or more registers used by one or more of the functional components.In one or more embodiments, the computing resources may include memory, input / output, a network interface, and storage, which may include and / or access one or more other computing resources and / or databases as necessary to perform the processing described herein. The components of the respective computing resource(s) may be interconnected via one or more buses and / or other connections. The bus connections may be one or more of various types of bus structures, including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, an AGP bus, and a processor or local bus using any of a variety of architectures.As non-limiting examples, such architectures may include Industry Standard Architecture (ISA), Micro Channel Architecture (MCA), Enhanced ISA (EISA), Video-Electronic Standard Association (VESA) Localbus, and Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI). Examples of computing resources or one or more computer systems that may implement one or more of the presently disclosed aspects are described below with reference to FIG. Fig. 8A to 11 are described in more detail.

[0039] Fig. Figure 2 shows a more detailed implementation of an authentication system according to one or more aspects of the present invention. In this implementation, the requesting node 102 is shown to include a one-time password generator 200, which may be implemented as program code executing on a computing resource or machine comprising the requesting node. Alternatively, one or more aspects of the password generator 200 may also be implemented with special-purpose hardware. The requesting node 102 also includes memory locations for storing, for example, a user ID (UID) 202 that identifies the user, an application ID (AID) 204 that identifies the host application being accessed, a login key (K) 206 that is used as the secret key for the encryptions described herein, and a time / date value (T) 208. As shown in Fig. 2, the values ​​202 to 208 provide inputs for the password generator 200.

[0040] In one embodiment, password generator 200 includes program code executing on one or more computing resources of requesting node 102 that is invoked when a user requests access to a host application. In one or more embodiments, when invoked, password generator 200 further generates a one-time password 210 as a function of, for example, user ID 202, application ID 204, login key 206, and time / date 208. In one embodiment, password 210 is transmitted to authentication node 104 along with user ID 202 and application ID 204 as part of a login request 220.

[0041] The authentication node 104 includes a password evaluator 212, which, similar to the password generator 200, can be implemented as program code executing on one or more computing resources of the machine forming the authentication node 104. The authentication node 104 also includes, for example, one or more host applications 218 that a user of the requesting node 102 can access after presenting a valid password 210. The password evaluator 212 can be, for example, a separate program code or a part of a security software program, such as the IBM software product Resource Access Control Facility (RACF ® ). (RACF ®is a trademark of International Business Machines Corporation of Armonk, New York (USA). Authentication node 104 stores a copy of login key (K) 214, which is not entrusted to data transmission channel 106, and a reference time / date (Tref) 216. Password evaluator 212 receives as inputs the local login key 214 and the login request 220 from requesting node 102, which includes one-time authentication password 210 and user ID 202. In one or more implementations, application ID 204, which identifies host application 218, may be obtained by password evaluator 212 directly from the host application.In one embodiment, password generator 200 uses these variables to regenerate the original time / date input 208, which is compared to the reference time / date 216 to determine if the difference between the two is within a predetermined tolerance (e.g., 10 minutes or less). If so, password evaluator 212 authenticates the user and grants access to the application; otherwise, the evaluator denies access. In either case, password evaluator 212 sends a response 222 to requesting node 102 informing the status of login request 220.

[0042] Fig. 3 shows another embodiment of a system 300 that implements one-time access authentication parameters or tokens as disclosed herein. In the embodiment of Fig. 3, the system is implemented as a client-server environment, with resource request functions split between a client workstation 302 and a security server workstation 308. As illustrated, in one or more embodiments, system 300 includes a client workstation 302 connected to authentication node 304 via a communications channel 306 and to a security server 308 via a local area network (LAN) 310. Client workstation 302, security server 308, and LAN 310 may collectively be viewed as a single requesting node from the perspective of authentication node 304. Authentication node 304 and communications channel 306 of system 300 may be similar to corresponding elements 104 and 106 of system 100.As with the requesting node 102 of the system 100, the client workstation 302 and the security server 308 may be or execute on a variety of computing resources or devices, such as mobile devices, smartphones, tablet computers, laptops, personal digital assistants (PDAs), wireless computers, desktop computers, servers, workstations, etc. Furthermore, the LAN 310 may be any suitable type of local area network, such as a token-ring LAN or the like.

[0043] In one embodiment of the authentication sequence of system 300, a user at client workstation 302 authenticates to LAN 310, for example, by entering a LAN security server authentication password, where the method for authenticating the user to LAN 310 is any of a variety of approaches known in the art, as well as, if desired, an authentication approach as disclosed herein. After authenticating to LAN 310 and security server 308, a user may access a host application, for example, via a workstation or client function. A request (REQ1) 312 containing information identifying the user and the host application being accessed is sent from client workstation 302 to security server 308 over LAN 310.The security server 308 uses this information, along with time / date information and a login key, to generate a one-time password (PW), as described herein 314, for accessing the host application. The one-time password 314 is returned over the LAN 310 to the client workstation 302, which transmits a login request (REQ2) 316 containing the password and the user and application information to the authenticating node 304. The authentication node 304 processes the request 316 similarly to the authentication node 104 in one or more embodiments. Fig. 1 and Fig. 2.

[0044] As previously mentioned, some embodiments of the present invention include computer program products, computer systems, and methods for enhanced authentication processing within an authentication system. Aspects described herein provide improved processes for encrypting and decrypting values ​​of arbitrary bit lengths, including even and odd bit lengths. This capability is useful in an authentication token system to maximize a sum of resulting or encrypted binary values ​​(e.g., authentication parameters) that can be encoded in an authentication password with a limited length and character set for authentication data of a particular system.By supporting both even and odd time-dependent length values ​​(across multiple authentication modes), the presently disclosed enhanced authentication processing provides a binary value range that precisely matches the size requirements of the restricted character set of the authentication system. Furthermore, the presently disclosed processes do not require a nonce value to be secure. Rather, the value to be encrypted is split into multiple parts, and the entropy is increased by subjecting the different parts to multiple rounds of transformation before the parts are recombined into an encrypted value or authentication parameter.

[0045] In one or more embodiments, the presently disclosed authentication processes use multiple input values, including a secret login key, event-specific values ​​(e.g., authentication credentials such as a user identity value and an application name identifier), round-count specific credentials (such as a round counter value and / or other round-specific transformation data), a transformation process (such as a message authentication code (MAC) process, e.g., a hash-based message authentication code (HMAC)), and a value to be encrypted, such as a time-dependent input based on the current time / day. Note that round-specific values, such as the round counter count value, are used to ensure that each round-specific transformation produces different results than all other rounds, even if all other inputs are the same.

[0046] Fig. 4 illustrates a program code embodiment for generating and forwarding a time-dependent password to an authenticator of an authentication system for authentication in accordance with one or more aspects of the present invention. The program code generation or encryption may optionally include generating a time-dependent input for a particular authentication mode of one of a plurality of authentication modes supported by the authentication system by transforming a time value to be encrypted using a secret login key, one or more event-specific values, and a transformation process as described herein 400.As described herein, when the time-dependent input belongs to one authentication mode, the time-dependent input is a binary number with a first odd or even number of bits, and when the time-dependent input belongs to the other authentication mode, the time-dependent input is a binary input with a different number of bits (by way of example only). For example, in one embodiment, the time-dependent input of one authentication mode is an odd number of bits, and the time-dependent input of the other authentication mode is an even number of bits. Thus, the time-dependent input may be a binary number with an odd or even number of bits, depending on which authentication mode the authentication system is currently using.In a particular example described herein, the time-dependent input of one authentication mode contains 41 bits and the time-dependent input of the other authentication mode contains 48 bits. However, one skilled in the art will recognize that these bit counts are provided merely as examples.

[0047] As shown, the time-dependent input, or initial binary packet (in one embodiment), is divided into two segments, referred to herein as Part_a and Part_b 402. Advantageously, the time-dependent input, as described herein, may be divided into segments (or parts) of equal or unequal length.

[0048] Based on the authentication mode, multiple transformation rounds of the time-dependent input are performed using Part_a and Part_b to obtain a final Part_a and a final Part_b 404. The multiple transformation rounds may include, for each round: (i) generating a new Part_a by transforming a current Part_a using the secret login key, one or more event-specific values, one or more round-specific parameters (e.g., a round number and / or a current Part_b), and the transformation process 406; (ii) generating a new Part_b by transforming the current Part_b using the secret login key, one or more event-specific values, one or more round-specific parameters (e.g., the round number and / or the new Part_a), and the transformation process 408.Generation (i) and generation (ii) are repeated for N rounds, with the current part_a being replaced by a new part_a and the current part_b being replaced by a new part_b at the beginning of each round 410. Note that the number of transformation rounds may be configurable for a particular authentication system.

[0049] The final part_a and the final part_b are combined to form an authentication parameter 412, or an encrypted binary value with the same number of bits as the time-dependent input. The authentication parameter is encoded into a character string token value whose length and character set are acceptable to the target system (e.g., the authenticating node) 414. In particular, a time-dependent password containing a character string is generated from the authentication parameter using a further predetermined transformation with an inverse transformation, wherein the authentication parameter is recoverable from the time-dependent password using the inverse transformation. The time-dependent password is then forwarded to an authenticator of the authentication system for authentication 416.

[0050] It should be noted that the processing of Fig. 4 illustrates only one embodiment for encrypting, for example, a plaintext value of any bit length according to the concepts disclosed herein.

[0051] Fig. Figure 5 illustrates a process embodiment for evaluating an authentication password, such as one generated using the processing of Fig. 4. The evaluation process includes deciphering the authentication password, which, as mentioned, may be based on an encrypted value of any bit length obtained by the generation processing described herein.

[0052] The evaluation process of Fig. 5 assumes that the inverse transformation of the authentication password into the authentication parameter has already occurred, so that the authentication parameter remains as the value to be deciphered. In one or more embodiments, for example, the authentication password or the string token value is first decoded or inversely transformed into the authentication parameter (or the encrypted binary value, i.e., the value to be deciphered). As shown, the value to be deciphered, i.e., the authentication parameter, is divided into two segments (part_a, part_b) with the same number of bits as the two segments (initial part_a, initial part_b) into which the time-dependent input was initially divided during the encryption process 500, which, as mentioned, may be of equal or unequal length.

[0053] Multiple rounds of back-transformation of Part_a and Part_b are performed to obtain the initial Part_a and the initial Part_b of the encryption process 502. The multiple rounds of back-transformation include: (i) generating a new Part_b by transforming a current Part_b using the secret login key, one or more event-specific values, one or more round-specific values ​​(e.g., a round count (which counts in the reverse order as in encryption) and a current Part_a) and the transformation process 504; (ii) generating a new Part_a by transforming the current Part_a using the secret login key, one or more event-specific values, one or more round-specific values ​​(e.g., the round count (which counts in the reverse order as in encryption) and a new part_b) and the transformation process 506. Generation (i) and generation (ii) are repeated for the N rounds, wherein at the beginning of each round 508 the current part_a is replaced by a new part_a and the current part_b is replaced by a new part_b. Based on performing the multiple back-transformation rounds, the initial part_a and the initial part_b are obtained and combined to form the time-dependent input 510. The original time value to be encrypted can then be recovered by back-transforming the time-dependent input using the secret login key, the one or more event-specific values, and the transformation process 512. Upon receipt, the recovered time value is compared with a reference time value at the authenticator to determine whether the recovered time value is within a predetermined tolerance 514 (e.g.within a predefined number of minutes or seconds).

[0054] Fig. 6A through 7B illustrate a more detailed program code embodiment for generating and evaluating passwords in accordance with one or more implementations of the present invention.

[0055] In one embodiment, the process uses multiple inputs, including in one embodiment a host user ID, such as a RACF ®-Host user ID, a login secret, which may be mode- and application-dependent, an application name, time and date information, and the encoding or transformation process type. For example, the user ID identifies the user on the authentication system on which the target application is executing or running. The user ID may be represented in one implementation in Extended Binary-Coded Decimal Interchange Code (EBCDIC) and may be left-aligned and right-padded with spaces to achieve a length of 8 bytes (in one embodiment). The login key is an application secret key value appropriate for the authentication mode currently configured for the authentication system. In one or more embodiments, the secret key is an HMAC secret key, which may have a variable number of bits.In one implementation, HMAC is used with SHA-512, along with 256- to 2048-bit HMAC keys. However, other platforms or implementations may have different support or limitations for HMAC. In one embodiment, the secret HMAC keys are used in both GROSS authentication mode and MIXED authentication mode.

[0056] The application name is defined for a specific application and can be used to link the logon secret to a specific host application. Further details on determining application names can be found, for example, in the z / OS Security Server RACF ®Security Administrator's Guide published by International Business Machines Corporation in Armonk, New York (USA). In one implementation, the application name (or ID) is represented in EBCDIC and is left-aligned and padded on the right with spaces to a length of 8 bytes (for example only). Note that the user ID and application ID are in text form (usually ASCII or EBCDIC, depending on the implementation) when used by the password generator. In one embodiment, different matching login keys are used for each accessed host application. To facilitate this, the login keys may be stored in a table (not shown), where they are retrieved using, for example, the application ID.

[0057] The time / date information (together with the reference time / date generated by the authenticating node) indicates the number of time intervals of a specified duration that have elapsed since a predefined start time. In one embodiment, the time / date information represents the number of seconds that have elapsed since 00:00 GMT on January 1, 1970. (The term "time / date" is used because the value as a whole indicates both the time of day (TOD) and the date; there are no separate fields for these two quantities.) The time / date input for one authentication mode is a 41-bit binary integer (for GROSS mode) derived using a time macro or similar programming function to obtain the time from the machine clock at the relevant node.For the other authentication mode, the time / date information is a 48-bit binary integer (for MIXED mode). Various programming languages ​​support a function for representing time in this way. In the C language, for example, the time in the desired format could be obtained using the following code. Assuming the variable "ts" is declared as "long," calling the Time (&ts) function in the variable "ts" returns the number of seconds elapsed since 00:00 GMT on January 1, 1970, expressed as an unsigned long integer.

[0058] It should be noted that the computer or authenticating node that authenticates the time-dependent password is likely not the same computer or requesting node that generated the password. To account for differences between internal clocks, the processing described here allows the generated time to differ from the TOD clock of the authenticator or authenticating node evaluating the time-dependent password. The permissible deviation, or time offset, can be configurable within the authentication system. For the time-dependent password to be evaluated, the TOD clock should be set to GMT, not local time.

[0059] As another example, Fig. 6A to 6D details of a program code embodiment for generating an authentication password according to one or more implementations. Fig. 6A shows an overview of the authentication password process 600, which optionally includes generating the time-dependent input 602, an embodiment of which is described below with reference to Fig. 6B. The time-dependent input is transformed into an authentication parameter via a time encoder generation process 604, an embodiment of which is described in Fig. 6C and described below. Once the authentication parameter is obtained, it is encrypted by an encoding process 606, an embodiment of which is shown in Fig. 6D and described below, is converted into an authentication password. The authentication password, along with associated non-secret data such as the user ID and application ID, is forwarded, in one or more implementations, to the authenticator of the authenticating node 608, after which processing returns 610.

[0060] As already mentioned, Fig. 6B illustrates a program code embodiment for generating a time-dependent input 602 to be converted into an authentication parameter, as described herein. In the illustrated embodiment, the user ID and the application ID are concatenated to generate composite information (Result 1) 620. The composite information is transformed, for example, using a transformation process such as HMAC. In one embodiment, HMAC processing is performed on the composite information using the secret login key to generate transformed composite information (Result 2). Note that in one implementation, the cryptographic operations employed may use HMAC with SHA-512, which generates 64 bytes of output. In the embodiment of Fig. 6B, the left 6 bytes of the transformed information are selected and the remainder is discarded 624. The selected bytes are transformed by applying an exclusive OR operation to the time / date information to generate the time-dependent input 626 with the desired number of bits for the respective mode. The program code then returns to continue, for example, with the time encoder generation processing 604 ( Fig. 6A).

[0061] Fig. 6C illustrates, by way of example, one embodiment of a process or routine for program code encryption that includes a number of iterations or "rounds." The processing is generally referred to as time encoder generation processing and results in the output of an authentication parameter. As illustrated, in one embodiment, the time-dependent 6-byte input is split into two segments, a part_a, referred to as L3B (i.e., the left three bytes), and a part_b, referred to in this embodiment as R3B (i.e., the right three bytes) 630. Seventeen bytes are concatenated with part_b (R3B) to yield a resulting 20-byte string (R20B), with the 3 bytes of R3B occupying the leftmost 3-byte positions.In one implementation, the padding is a 17-byte string with separate fields, including, for example, a 1-byte round counter (where the round counter starts with a value of 1 on the first iteration and increments by 1 after each round), an 8-byte user ID, and an 8-byte application name or ID. Note that STEP 632 is a first step in a loop that includes STEPS 632 through 644 and is performed N times (referred to herein as "rounds"). In one example, N = 6, and in each round, Part_a (L3B) and Part_b (R3B) undergo various operations before the resulting parts are recombined to produce the authentication parameter output.

[0062] As shown, pseudorandom bits are generated from the result R20B, using, in one embodiment, HMAC and the secret login key as the HMAC key 634 to generate a pseudorandom product. The leftmost 3 bytes of the product are isolated as D3B 636, and the rest of the value is discarded.

[0063] The result D3B from STEP 636 is then combined with part_a (L3B) using the exclusive-OR (XOR) or modulo-2 addition operation 638 to complete the encryption process.

[0064] If the authentication mode is LARGE and the round counter is, for example, 1, 3, or 5, a masking operation is performed. Specifically, the leftmost 7 bits of the XOR result of STEP 638 are masked to change their value to 0. Otherwise, if the authentication mode is LARGE and the round counter is 2, 4, or 6, or the authentication mode is MIXED, the XOR result is passed on unchanged 640. Then, the current part_a (L3B) is set equal to the current part_b (R3B), creating a new part_a, and the new part_b is set equal to the result of the XOR operation 642. A check is made to see how many rounds have been completed 644. For example, if N is 6 and the count is less than 6, processing returns to STEP 632 for another round.When the N rounds are completed, processing continues with STEP 646 by recombining the final part_a and the final part_b to obtain the time encoder output, i.e., the authentication parameter 646, before processing continues, e.g., to process . Fig. 6A returns 648 to translate the authentication parameter into the authentication password.

[0065] As mentioned above, the received authentication parameter is converted into an authentication password. In one or more implementations, the process uses a translation table consisting of 64 slots. The first 10 slots are occupied by the numbers 0 through 9, the next 26 slots are occupied by the uppercase letters of the alphabet (A through Z). The next 26 slots are occupied by the lowercase letters of the alphabet (a through z). In one embodiment, the last two slots can be occupied by two special characters (e.g., "-" and "_"). One such embodiment is shown in Table 1. Note that an authentication parameter for LARGE authentication mode uses only the first 36 slots (0 to 35) of the translation table, while an authentication parameter for MIXED mode can use all 64 slots.

[0066] As in Fig. 6D, the authentication parameter conversion to an authentication password 606 may include program code converting the time encoder generation output to an EBCDIC string value by first converting the 6-byte time encoder output to a 64-bit binary value 650.

[0067] A loop is then initiated with STEPS 652 to 662, in which the processing is repeated to generate each of the 8 characters to be encoded. As shown, for the LARGE authentication mode, a modulo 36 is determined for the 64-bit binary value (for LARGE mode ciphering), or for MIXED mode ciphering, a modulo 64 is determined for the 64-bit binary value 652. In a next step, the result is translated from the binary value to an EBCDIC value using the translation table, for example, translation table 1 654. For example, the binary value 33 is translated to the EBCDIC value "X".

[0068] The translated result is typeset as a single character with the EBCDIC value 656. The characters are sequenced one after the other, starting with the rightmost character and moving to the left with each round of conversion.

[0069] The 64-bit binary value is adjusted (dividing by 36 for LARGE cipher or 64 for MIXED cipher) 658, and the adjusted 64-bit binary value is used instead of the 64-bit binary value 660. In STEP 662 it is determined whether the desired number of characters has been encoded, which in the example of Fig. 6D is 8. If fewer than 8 characters have been encoded, the conversion process returns to STEP 652 for another round. Once 8 characters have been encoded, the authentication password value 664 is compiled, and processing returns to the summary code process of, for example, Fig. 6A back 666.

[0070] Fig. 7A to 7B show a more detailed embodiment of a program code evaluation process for evaluating a time-dependent authentication password obtained via the encryption process from Fig. 6A to 6D.

[0071] Fig. 7A shows one embodiment of code processing implemented by the password evaluator at the authentication node to evaluate, for example, an authentication request containing a one-time password, a user ID, and an application ID received from a requesting node.

[0072] Upon receiving a login request containing a one-time password, the password evaluator may first attempt to reverse translate the password 702. The attempt results in the regeneration of the authentication parameter if the received password corresponds to a valid password, i.e., a password that could have been generated from the value of the authentication parameter entered into the password translation routine. If the reverse translation procedure determines that the received password does not correspond to a valid password 704, the password evaluator denies access 706 without further processing, since the received password represents either an attempted intrusion into the system or data corruption.

[0073] Based on the received password being a valid password, the password evaluator determines whether the received password is identical to a valid password recently received over a predefined time interval 708. If the received password is a repetition or replay of a previously processed password within the defined time interval, the just received password is rejected as a "replay" of the previously received password 706. Since the valid password for a given user ID and application ID changes over time, the only realistic way to generate an identical password is to intercept a previously transmitted password (e.g., while it is traversing the data transmission channel) and "replay" that password by re-feeding it into the authentication system.

[0074] If the received password is not a replay of a previously generated password, the password evaluator proceeds to generate an encryption product in a manner similar to the generation of the corresponding product by the password generator, except that the key used is the login key stored in the authenticating node, as well as the received user ID and application ID 710.

[0075] The regenerated authentication parameter is passed to a decryption routine, an embodiment of which is described in Fig. 7B, to retranslate the parameter 712. The retranslation of the authentication parameter converts the parameter into a decrypted m-bit or n-bit quantity corresponding to the time-dependent input. The decryption result is then combined with the encryption product (HMAC product) through an XOR operation to generate a time / date value T 714.

[0076] The regenerated time T is compared with the reference time / date value Tref generated locally by the authentication node using a suitable comparison routine 716. If the regenerated value T is outside a predetermined tolerance (e.g., + / - x minutes) of Tref 720, the password evaluator denies access 706 because the password does not correspond to a valid period.

[0077] If the regenerated value T is within the predetermined tolerance, the evaluator validates the requester and grants the request for access to the host application 722. Furthermore, the validated password is added to a queue of comparison passwords for replay detection 724. Validated passwords are added to the queue in order of their generation time T (maintained by the respective requesting node) rather than their arrival time, which is specified by the host time Tref (which may differ from T). They are removed from the queue if their generation time T lags behind the current host time Tref by more than a certain number of minutes, since at that point they are outdated and can no longer be successfully replayed into the system.This cleanup can occur both after validating a password (after STEP 720) and immediately before checking the queue for a reused password (in STEP 708).

[0078] Fig. 7B shows one embodiment of a program decryption routine for back translation 712. Upon entry into the routine, the input is split 730 into one segment, part_a (L3B), and another segment, part_b (R3B). Processing then performs N iterations ("rounds") of a loop containing STEPS 732 through 742 in which part_a and part_b are subjected to various operations before the parts are recombined and the decryption routine terminates.

[0079] In each round, part_a (L3B) is concatenated 732 with 17 bytes of padding bits consisting of the round counter, user ID, and application ID, as in the cipher process. In the resulting L20B output, the 3 bytes of L3B occupy the leftmost 3-byte positions. An HMAC with SHA-512 is performed on the L20B result, using the authentication copy of the secure login key 734 as the HMAC key, to generate a pseudorandom product. The leftmost 3 bytes of the pseudorandom product are isolated 736 as D3B, and the rightmost bytes outside D3B are discarded. The result D3B is combined with R3B by the XOR (modulo-2 addition) operation 738. The current part_b is then set equal to the current part_a (L3B), whereupon the current part_a is set equal to the result of the XOR operation 740.

[0080] In STEP 742, the number of rounds completed is checked. If the value has not yet reached 1, the encryption process continues for another round by subtracting 1 from the current round count 744 before repeating the loop. When 6 rounds have been completed, i.e., the round counter has counted down to 1, the resulting parts Part_a (L3B) and Part_b (R3B) are combined into a corresponding bit sequence for the authentication mode, completing the process 746, after which processing returns 748.

[0081] An embodiment of a data processing environment for incorporating and using one or more aspects of the present invention is described with reference to Fig. 8A. In one example, the computing environment is based on the z / Architecture hardware architecture offered by International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, New York. One embodiment of the z / Architecture hardware architecture is described in "z / Architecture Principles of Operation," IBM Publication No. SA22-7832-12, Thirteenth Edition, September 2019. IBM and Z / ARCHITECTURE are registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation in at least one jurisdiction.

[0082] In another example, the computing environment is based on the Power Architecture offered by International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, New York. One embodiment of the Power Architecture is described in "Power ISA™ Version 2.07B," International Business Machines Corporation, April 9, 2015. POWER ARCHITECTURE is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, New York.

[0083] The computing environment may also be based on other architectures, including, but not limited to, Intel's x86 architectures. Other examples exist as well.

[0084] As in Fig. 8A, the data processing environment 800 includes, for example, a computer system 802, shown, for example, in the form of a general-purpose data processing unit. Without limitation, the computer system 802 may include one or more processors or processing units 804 (e.g., central processing units (CPUs)), memory 806 (e.g., also known as main memory or storage), and one or more input / output (I / O) interfaces 808 interconnected via one or more buses and / or other connections 810.

[0085] Bus 810 represents one or more of various types of bus structures, including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, an AGP bus, and a processor or local bus, using any of a variety of bus architectures. Non-limiting examples of such architectures include Industry Standard Architecture (ISA), Micro Channel Architecture (MCA), Enhanced ISA (EISA), Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) Localbus, and Peripheral Component Interconnect.

[0086] For example, memory 806 may include a cache 820, such as a shared cache that may be connected to local caches 822 of processors 804. Further, memory 806 may include one or more programs or applications 830, an operating system 832, and one or more computer-readable program instructions 834. Computer-readable program instructions 834 may be configured to perform functions of embodiments of aspects of the invention.

[0087] The computer system 802 may also communicate with one or more external devices 840, one or more network interfaces 842, and / or one or more data storage devices 844, for example, via the I / O interfaces 808. Example external devices include a user terminal, a tape drive, a pointing device, a display, etc. Through the network interface 842, the computer system 802 may communicate with one or more networks, such as a local area network (LAN), a general wide area network (WAN), and / or a public network (e.g., the Internet), thereby providing data exchange with other computing devices or systems.

[0088] The data storage unit 844 may store one or more programs 846, one or more computer-readable program instructions 848, and / or data, etc. The computer-readable program instructions may be configured to perform functions of embodiments of aspects of the invention.

[0089] Computer system 802 may include and / or be connected to removable / non-removable, volatile / non-volatile storage media of the computer system. For example, it may include or be connected to a non-removable, non-volatile magnetic medium (commonly referred to as a "hard disk"), a magnetic disk drive for reading from and writing to a removable, non-volatile magnetic disk (e.g., a "floppy disk"), and / or an optical disk drive for reading from or writing to a removable, non-volatile optical disk such as a CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, or other optical media. It should be noted that other hardware and / or software components could be used in conjunction with computer system 802.Examples include, but are not limited to, microcode, device drivers, redundant processing units, external disk drive arrays, RAID systems, tape drives and data archiving storage systems, etc.

[0090] Computer system 802 may be operable with numerous other general-purpose or special-purpose computing system environments or configurations. Examples of known computing systems, environments, and / or configurations that may be suitable for use with computer system 802 include, but are not limited to, personal computer (PC) systems, server computer systems, thin clients, thick clients, portable or laptop devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor systems, set-top boxes, programmable consumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputer systems, mainframe systems, and distributed cloud computing environments that include any of the foregoing systems or devices, and the like.

[0091] Further details of an example of the processor 804 are provided with reference to Fig. 8B. The processor 804 includes a plurality of functional components used to execute instructions. These functional components include, for example, an instruction fetch component 850 for fetching instructions to be executed; an instruction decode unit 852 for decoding the fetched instructions and obtaining operands of the decoded instructions; instruction execution components 854 for executing the decoded instructions; a memory access component 856 for accessing memory for instruction execution, if necessary; and a write-back component 860 for providing the results of the executed instructions. The processor 804, in one embodiment, also includes one or more registers 870 used by one or more of the functional components.

[0092] Another embodiment of a data processing environment for incorporating and using one or more aspects is described with reference to Fig. 9A. In this example, a computing environment 900 includes, for example, a native central processing unit (CPU) 902, memory 904, and one or more input / output devices and / or interfaces 906 connected to one another, for example, via one or more buses 908 and / or other connections. The computing environment 900 may include, for example, a PowerPC processor or a pSeries server from International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, New York, and / or other machines based on architectures from International Business Machines Corporation, Intel, or other companies.

[0093] The native central processing unit 902 contains one or more native registers 910, e.g., one or more general-purpose registers and / or one or more special-purpose registers used during processing in the environment. These registers contain information representing the state of the environment at a given time.

[0094] Additionally, the native central processing unit 902 executes instructions and code stored in memory 904. In one particular example, the central processing unit executes emulator code 912 stored in memory 904. This code enables the computing environment configured in one architecture to emulate another architecture. For example, the emulator code 912 enables machines based on architectures other than the z / Architecture, such as PowerPC processors, pSeries servers, or other servers or processors, to emulate the z / Architecture and execute software and instructions developed based on the z / Architecture.

[0095] Further details on the 912 emulator code are provided with reference to Fig. 9B. Guest instructions 950 stored in memory 904 include software instructions (e.g., correlating with machine instructions) designed to execute on an architecture other than that of the native CPU 902. For example, guest instructions 950 may have been designed to execute on a z / Architecture processor, but are instead emulated on the native CPU 902, which may be, for example, an Intel processor. In one example, the emulator code 912 includes an instruction fetch routine 952 to obtain one or more guest instructions 950 from memory 904 and optionally provide local buffering for the obtained instructions. It also includes an instruction translation routine 954 to determine the type of guest instruction received and translate the guest instruction into one or more corresponding native instructions 956.This translation includes, for example, identifying the function to be performed by the guest instruction and selecting the native instruction(s) to perform that function.

[0096] Emulator code 912 further includes an emulation control routine 960 to cause the execution of the native instructions. Emulation control routine 960 may cause native CPU 902 to execute a routine with native instructions that emulate one or more previously received guest instructions and, upon completion of that execution, return control to the instruction fetch routine to emulate receiving the next guest instruction or group of guest instructions. Execution of native instructions 956 may include loading data from memory 904 into a register, storing data from a register back into memory, or performing an arithmetic or logical operation, as determined by the translation routine.

[0097] For example, each routine is implemented in software stored in memory and executed by the native central processing unit 902. In other examples, one or more of the routines or operations are implemented in firmware, hardware, software, or a combination thereof. The registers of the emulated processor may be emulated using registers 910 of the native CPU or using memory locations in memory 904. In some embodiments, the guest instructions 950, the native instructions 956, and the emulator code 912 may be located in the same memory or distributed across different memory units.

[0098] For example, firmware includes the processor's microcode or millicode. This includes, for example, the hardware-level instructions and / or data structures used in implementing higher-level machine code. In one embodiment, it includes, for example, proprietary code, typically delivered as microcode, which contains trusted software or microcode specific to the underlying hardware and controls the operating system's access to the system hardware.

[0099] A received, translated, and executed guest instruction 950 is, for example, an instruction of the protected memory device, some of which are described herein. The instruction of one architecture (e.g., the z / Architecture) is retrieved from memory, translated, and represented as a sequence of native instructions 956 of another architecture (e.g., PowerPC, pSeries, Intel, etc.). These native instructions are then executed.

[0100] One or more aspects may relate to or utilize cloud computing.

[0101] It should be noted in advance that, although this disclosure includes a detailed description of cloud computing, implementations of certain teachings presented herein are not limited to a cloud computing environment. Rather, embodiments of the present invention may be implemented in conjunction with any type of computing environment now known or later invented.

[0102] Cloud computing is a service delivery model for enabling seamless, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, network bandwidth, servers, processing, memory, storage, applications, virtual machines, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or interaction with a service provider. This cloud model can include at least five characteristics, at least three service models, and at least four implementation models.

[0103] The properties are as follows: On-demand self-service: A cloud user can unilaterally and automatically provision data processing functions such as server time and network storage as needed, without the need for human interaction with the service provider. Broad Network Access: Functions are available over a network and accessed through standard mechanisms that support use by heterogeneous thin or thick client platforms (e.g., mobile phones, laptops, and PDAs). Resource pooling: The provider's computing resources are pooled to serve multiple users using a multi-tenant model, with various physical and virtual resources dynamically allocated and reassigned as needed. There is a perceived location independence, as the user generally has no control or knowledge over the exact location of the provided resources, but may be able to specify a location at a higher level of abstraction (e.g., country, state, or data center). Rapid Elasticity: Features can be provisioned quickly and elastically for rapid scale-out, in some cases automatically, and released quickly for rapid scale-in. To the user, the features available for deployment often appear unlimited, and they can be purchased at any time in any quantity. Measured Service: Cloud systems automatically control and optimize resource usage by leveraging a metering function at a certain level of abstraction appropriate to the type of service (e.g., storage, processing, bandwidth, and active user accounts). Resource usage can be monitored, controlled, and reported, providing transparency for both the provider and the user of the service.

[0104] The service models are as follows: Software as a Service (SaaS): The functionality provided to the user consists of using the provider's applications running on a cloud infrastructure. The applications are accessible from various client devices via a thin client interface such as a web browser (e.g., web-based email). The user does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure, including the network, servers, operating systems, storage, or even individual application features, with the possible exception of limited user-specific application configuration settings. Platform as a Service (PaaS): The functionality provided to the user is to deploy applications created or obtained by the user, using programming languages ​​and tools supported by the provider, on the cloud infrastructure. The user does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure, including networks, servers, operating systems, or storage, but has control over the deployed applications and possibly over configurations of the application hosting environment. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): The functionality provided to the user consists of providing processing, storage, networking, and other basic computing resources, allowing the user to deploy and run any software, including operating systems and applications. The user does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure, but has control over operating systems, storage, deployed applications, and possibly limited control over selected network components (e.g., host firewalls).

[0105] The deployment models are as follows: Private Cloud: The cloud infrastructure is operated solely for an organization. It can be managed by the organization or a third party and can be located on its own premises or on third-party premises. Community Cloud: The cloud infrastructure is shared by multiple organizations and supports a specific user community with common concerns (e.g., mission, security requirements, policies, and compliance considerations). It can be managed by the organizations or a third party and can be located on their own premises or on someone else's premises. Public Cloud: The cloud infrastructure is made available to the general public or a large industry group and is owned by an organization that sells cloud services. Hybrid Cloud: Cloud infrastructure is a composition of two or more clouds (private, community, or public) that remain separate entities but are interconnected by a standardized or proprietary technology that enables data and application portability (e.g., cloud target distribution for load balancing between clouds).

[0106] A cloud computing environment is service-oriented with a focus on state independence, low coupling, modularity, and semantic interoperability. At the heart of cloud computing is an infrastructure consisting of a network of interconnected nodes.

[0107] A cloud computing node can be a computer system / server such as the one in Fig. 10. Computer system / server 802 from Fig. 8A or Fig. 902 from Fig. 9A may operate in distributed cloud computing environments in which tasks are performed by remotely located processing units connected by a data transmission network. In a distributed cloud computing environment, program modules may be located in both local and remote storage media of the computer system, including short-term storage units. Computer system / server 802, 902 may be implemented for and / or perform any of the functionality specified above.

[0108] According to Fig. 10, an illustrative cloud computing environment 50 is depicted. As shown, the cloud computing environment 50 includes one or more cloud computing nodes 10 with which local computing devices used by cloud customers, such as a personal digital assistant (PDA) or mobile phone 54A, desktop computer 54B, laptop computer 54C, and / or automotive computer system 54N, can exchange data. The nodes 10 can exchange data with each other. They can be physically or virtually grouped into one or more networks such as private, community, public, or hybrid clouds (not shown), as described above, or a combination thereof. This allows the cloud computing environment 50 to offer infrastructure, platforms, and / or software as services for which a cloud user does not need to maintain resources on a local computing device. It is understood that the types of Fig. 6 are intended to be merely illustrative and that the computing nodes 10 and the cloud computing environment 50 may communicate with any type of computer-based device via any type of network and / or via any type of network-accessible connection (e.g., using a web browser).

[0109] With reference to Fig. 11 shows a set of functional abstraction layers implemented by the cloud computing environment 50 ( Fig. 10). It should be clear in advance that the Fig. The components, layers, and functions shown in Figure 10 are intended to be illustrative only, and embodiments of the invention are not limited thereto. As shown, the following layers and corresponding functions are provided:

[0110] A hardware and software layer 60 includes hardware and software components. Examples of hardware components include: mainframe computers 61; Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC) architecture-based servers 62; servers 63; blade servers 64; storage devices 65; and networks and network components 66. In some embodiments, software components include network application server software 67 and database software 68.

[0111] The virtualization layer 70 provides an abstraction layer from which the following examples of virtual entities can be provided: virtual servers 71, virtual storage 72, virtual networks 73, including virtual private networks, virtual applications and operating systems 74; and virtual clients 75.

[0112] In one example, the management layer 80 may provide the functions described below. Resource provisioning 81 provides for the dynamic procurement of computing resources and other resources used to perform tasks within the cloud computing environment. Metering and pricing 82 provides for cost tracking of using resources within the cloud computing environment, as well as billing or invoicing for the consumption of these resources. In one example, these resources may include application software licenses. Security provides identity verification for cloud customers and tasks, as well as protection for data and other resources. A user portal 83 provides users and system administrators with access to the cloud computing environment.Service level management 84 provides for the allocation and management of cloud computing resources so that the required service objectives are met. Service level agreement (SLA) planning and fulfillment 85 provides for the pre-arranging and procurement of cloud computing resources for which future requirements are anticipated, in accordance with an SLA.

[0113] A workload layer 90 provides examples of the functionality for which the cloud computing environment can be used. Examples of workloads and functions that can be provided by this layer include: mapping and navigation 91; software development and lifecycle management 92; virtual classroom education delivery 93; data analytics processing 94; transaction processing 95; and authentication system processing 96.

[0114] The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration, but are not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terminology used herein has been chosen to best explain the principles of the embodiments, practical application, or technical improvement over commercially available technologies, or to enable those skilled in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0115] The present invention may be a system, method, and / or computer program product of any technically detailed level of integration. The computer program product may include computer-readable storage medium(s) having computer-readable program instructions stored thereon for causing a processor to perform aspects of the present invention.

[0116] The computer-readable storage medium may be any physical device capable of retaining and storing instructions for use by an instruction-executing device. The computer-readable storage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device, an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, a semiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination thereof. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of the computer-readable storage medium includes the following: a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM).Flash memory), static random access memory (SRAM), portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile disc (DVD), memory stick, floppy disk, mechanically encoded device such as punched cards or raised structures in a groove on which instructions are stored, and any suitable combination thereof. A computer-readable storage medium, as used herein, shall not be construed as carrying transient signals per se, such as radio waves or other freely propagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagating through a waveguide or other transmission medium (e.g., pulses of light traveling through an optical fiber cable), or electrical signals carried through a wire.

[0117] Computer-readable program instructions described herein may be downloaded from a computer-readable storage medium to respective computing / processing units or to an external computer or storage unit via a network such as the Internet, a local area network, a wide area network, and / or a wireless network. The network may include copper transmission cables, fiber optic transmission lines, wireless transmission, routers, firewalls, switching units, gateway computers, and / or edge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in each computing / processing unit receives computer-readable program instructions from the network and forwards the computer-readable program instructions for storage in a computer-readable storage medium within the respective computing / processing unit.

[0118] Computer-readable program instructions for performing operations of the present invention may be assembly language instructions, instruction set architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine-dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state-setting data, or either source code or object code, written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Smalltalk, C++, or the like, as well as conventional procedural programming languages ​​such as the C programming language or similar programming languages. The computer-readable program instructions may execute entirely on the user's computer, partially on the user's computer, as a standalone software package, partially on the user's computer and partially on a remote computer, or entirely on the remote computer or server.In the latter case, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer (for example, over the Internet using an Internet service provider). In some embodiments, electronic circuits, including, for example, programmable logic circuits, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or programmable logic arrays (PLAs), may execute the computer-readable program instructions by utilizing state information of the computer-readable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuits to perform aspects of the present invention.

[0119] Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference to flowchart and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention. It should be understood that each block of the flowchart and / or block diagrams, as well as combinations of blocks in the flowchart and / or block diagrams, may be implemented by computer-readable program instructions.

[0120] These computer-readable program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine such that the instructions, executed via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, produce a means for implementing the functions / steps defined in the flowchart and / or block diagram block(s).These computer-readable program instructions may also be stored on a computer-readable storage medium that can direct a computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and / or other devices to function in a particular manner, such that the computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon comprises an article of manufacture, including instructions that implement aspects of the function / step specified in the block(s) of the flowchart and / or block diagrams.

[0121] The computer-readable program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other device to cause a series of process steps to be performed on the computer, other programmable apparatus, or other device to produce a computer-executing process such that the instructions executing on the computer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement the functions / steps specified in the block(s) of flowchart and / or block diagrams.

[0122] The flowcharts and block diagrams in the figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods, and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in the flowcharts or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of instructions comprising one or more executable instructions for performing the particular logical function(s). In some alternative implementations, the functions indicated in the blocks may occur in a different order than shown in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in sequence may actually execute substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes execute in reverse order depending on the corresponding functionality.It is further to be understood that each block of the block diagrams and / or flowcharts, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and / or flowcharts, may be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specified functions or steps, or by combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.

[0123] In addition to the foregoing, one or more aspects may be provided, offered, deployed, managed, maintained, etc., by a service provider that provides management of customer environments. For example, the service provider may create, maintain, support, etc., computer code and / or computer infrastructure that performs one or more aspects for one or more customers. The service provider may receive payment from the customer for this, for example, pursuant to a subscription and / or fee agreement. Additionally or alternatively, the service provider may receive payment from the sale of advertising content to one or more third parties.

[0124] In one aspect, an application may be deployed to perform one or more embodiments. For example, deploying an application includes providing computing infrastructure operable to perform one or more embodiments.

[0125] As a further aspect, a computing infrastructure may be employed, comprising integrating computer-readable code into a computing system, the code in combination with the computing system capable of performing one or more embodiments.

[0126] As a further aspect, a process for integrating computing infrastructure may be provided, comprising integrating computer-readable code into a computer system. The computer system comprises a computer-readable medium, the computer medium comprising one or more embodiments. The code, in combination with the computer system, is capable of executing one or more embodiments.

[0127] Although various embodiments are described above, these are merely examples. For example, computing environments of other architectures may be used to incorporate and utilize one or more embodiments. Furthermore, different instructions, instruction formats, instruction fields, and / or instruction values ​​may be used. Many variations are possible.

[0128] Furthermore, other types of computing environments may benefit and be used. For example, a computing system suitable for storing and / or executing program code may be used, including at least two processors directly or indirectly connected to storage elements by a system bus. Storage elements include, for example, local memory used during actual execution of the program code, mass storage, and cache memory that provides temporary storage of at least a portion of the program code to reduce the number of necessary code retrievals from mass storage during execution.

[0129] Input / output (I / O) devices (including, but not limited to, keyboards, displays, pointing devices, DASD, tape, CDs, DVDs, memory sticks, and other storage media, etc.) may be connected to the system either directly or through intervening I / O controllers. Network adapters may also be connected to the system to enable the data processing system to connect to other data processing systems or remote printers or storage devices through intervening private or public networks. Modems, cable modems, and Ethernet cards are just a few of the types of network adapters available.

[0130] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention in any way. The singular forms "a" and "an" as used herein are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context obviously indicates otherwise. It is further noted that the terms "comprise" (and any form of comprise such as "comprises" and "comprising"), "have" (and any form of have such as "has" and "having"), "include" (and any form of include such as "includes" and "containing"), and "contain" (and any form of contain such as "contains" and "containing") are open linking verbs. As a result, a method or device comprisingthat "comprises / has", "has", "includes", or "contains" one or more steps or elements has, but is not limited to, only that one or more steps or elements. Likewise, a step of a method or an element of an entity that "comprises / has", "has", "includes", or "contains" one or more features has, but is not limited to, only that one or more features. Furthermore, an entity or structure that is configured in a particular way is configured in at least that way, but may be configured in other ways not listed.

[0131] The corresponding structures, materials, acts, and equivalents of all means or step-plus-function elements in the following claims are intended to encompass any structures, materials, or acts for performing the function, if any, in combination with other claimed elements as specifically claimed. The description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the forms disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of one or more aspects of the invention and the practical application, and to enable those skilled in the art to understand one or more aspects of the invention for various embodiments with various modifications suitable for the particular use contemplated.

Claims

A computer program product for authentication processing within an authentication system, the computer program product comprising: a computer-readable storage medium readable by a processing circuit and storing instructions for performing a method, the method comprising: generating an authentication parameter as a function of a time-dependent input using a predetermined transformation with an inverse transformation, wherein the time-dependent input is recoverable from the authentication parameter using the inverse transformation, and the authentication system supports multiple authentication modes, wherein a bit length of the time-dependent input for one authentication mode of the multiple authentication modes differs from a bit length of the time-dependent input for another authentication mode of the multiple authentication modes,and wherein the generation depends in part on whether the time-dependent input belongs to one authentication mode or the other authentication mode; generating a time-dependent password comprising a character string from the authentication parameter using another predetermined transformation with another inverse transformation, wherein the authentication parameter is recoverable from the time-dependent password using the other inverse transformation; and forwarding the time-dependent password to an authenticator of the authentication system for authentication, wherein generating an authentication parameter comprises: splitting the time-dependent input into one segment (part_a) and another segment (part_b); performing multiple rounds of transformation of the time-dependent input using the one segment (part_a) and the other segment (part_b),to obtain a final part_a and a final part_b, wherein one transformation round of the plurality of transformation rounds comprises transforming a current part_a and a current part_b at least in part using a login key, a round-specific value, and a transformation process, wherein the round-specific value changes with each transformation round of the plurality of transformation rounds; combining the final part_a and the final part_b into the authentication parameter based on performing the plurality of transformation rounds, and wherein one or more transformation rounds of the plurality of transformation rounds comprise a process that depends in part on whether the authentication system is currently using one or the other authentication mode. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein, when the time-dependent input belongs to the one authentication mode, the time-dependent input is a binary input having an odd number of bits. The computer program product of claim 2, wherein, when the time-dependent input belongs to the other authentication mode, the time-dependent input is a binary input having an even number of bits. The computer program product of claim 3, wherein the time-dependent input of one authentication mode comprises 41 bits and the time-dependent input of the other authentication mode comprises 48 bits. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein one authentication mode is an UPPERCASE authentication mode in which the login key uses only uppercase letters and numbers, and the other authentication mode is a MIXED authentication mode in which the login key uses any uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and one or more special characters. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein during the performing of the plurality of transformation rounds of part_a and part_b, at least one transformation round comprises generating a new part_a by transforming the current part_a using the current part_b and generating a new part_b by transforming the current part_b using the new part_a. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the round-specific value comprises a current value of a round counter, wherein the current value of the round counter changes with each transformation round of the plurality of transformation rounds, and wherein the transformation process is a message authentication code (MAC) process. The computer program product of claim 1, further comprising:regenerating the authentication parameter from the time-dependent password presented to the authenticator using the other inverse transform;regenerating the time-dependent input from the authentication parameter using the inverse transform; andgranting access to a resource if the regenerated time-dependent value is within a predetermined tolerance of a time-dependent reference value, otherwise denying access to the resource. A computer system for authentication processing within an authentication system, the computer system comprising:a memory,one or more processors communicating with the memory;andprogram code executable by the one or more processors via the memory to perform a method comprising:generating an authentication parameter as a function of a time-dependent input using a predetermined transform with an inverse transform, wherein the time-dependent input is recoverable from the authentication parameter using the inverse transform, and the authentication system supports multiple authentication modes, wherein a bit length of the time-dependent input for one authentication mode of the multiple authentication modes differs from a bit length of the time-dependent input for another authentication mode of the multiple authentication modes, and wherein the generating depends in part on whether the time-dependent input belongs to the one authentication mode or the other authentication mode;Generating a time-dependent password comprising a character string from the authentication parameter using another predetermined transformation with another inverse transformation, wherein the authentication parameter is recoverable from the time-dependent password using the other inverse transformation; forwarding the time-dependent password to an authenticator of the authentication system for authentication, and wherein generating an authentication parameter comprises: splitting the time-dependent input into a segment (part_a) and another segment (part_b);Performing multiple transformation rounds of the time-dependent input using the one segment (part_a) and the other segment (part_b) to obtain a final part_a and a final part_b, wherein a transformation round of the multiple transformation rounds comprises transforming a current part_a and a current part_b at least in part using a login key, a round-specific value, and a transformation process, wherein the round-specific value changes with each transformation round of the multiple transformation rounds;andcombining the final part_a and the final part_b into the authentication parameter based on performing the plurality of transformation rounds,wherein one or more transformation rounds of the plurality of transformation rounds comprise a process that depends in part on whether the authentication system is currently using one or the other authentication mode.; The computer system of claim 9, wherein, when the time-dependent input belongs to the one authentication mode, the time-dependent input is a binary input having an odd number of bits. The computer system of claim 10, wherein, when the time-dependent input belongs to the other authentication mode, the time-dependent input is a binary input having an even number of bits. The computer system of claim 9, wherein one authentication mode is an UPPERCASE authentication mode in which the login key uses only uppercase letters and numbers, and the other authentication mode is a MIXED authentication mode in which the login key uses any uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and one or more special characters. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the round-specific value comprises a current value of a round counter, wherein the current value of the round counter changes with each transformation round of the plurality of transformation rounds, and wherein the transformation process is a message authentication code (MAC) process. A method for authentication processing within an authentication system, the method comprising:generating an authentication parameter as a function of a time-dependent input using a predetermined transform with an inverse transform, wherein the time-dependent input is recoverable from the authentication parameter using the inverse transform, and the authentication system supports multiple authentication modes, wherein a bit length of the time-dependent input for one authentication mode of the plurality of authentication modes differs from a bit length of the time-dependent input for another authentication mode of the plurality of authentication modes, and wherein the generating depends in part on whether the time-dependent input belongs to the one authentication mode or the other authentication mode;Generating a time-dependent password comprising a character string from the authentication parameter using another predetermined transformation with another inverse transformation, wherein the authentication parameter is recoverable from the time-dependent password using the other inverse transformation; and forwarding the time-dependent password to an authenticator of the authentication system for authentication, and wherein generating the authentication parameter comprises: splitting the time-dependent input into a segment (part_a) and another segment (part_b);Performing multiple rounds of transformation of the time-dependent input using one segment (part_a) and the other segment (part_b) to obtain a final part_a and a final part_b, wherein a transformation round of the multiple transformation rounds comprises transforming a current part_a and a current part_b at least in part using a login key, a round-specific value, and a transformation process, wherein the round-specific value changes with each transformation round of the multiple transformation rounds; based on performing the multiple transformation rounds, combining the final part_a and the final part_b to form the authentication parameter;andwherein one or more transformation rounds of the plurality of transformation rounds comprise a process that depends in part on whether the authentication system is currently using one or the other authentication mode.; The method of claim 14, wherein when the time-dependent input belongs to one authentication mode, the time-dependent input is a binary input with an odd number of bits, and when the time-dependent input belongs to the other authentication mode, the time-dependent input is a binary input with an even number of bits.

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