User authentication based on periodic sampling of location coordinates

Abstract

User Authentication Based on Periodic Sampling of Location Coordinates According to one embodiment, a method, computer system, and computer program product for user authentication are provided. The embodiment may include receiving, from a first device, a plurality of location coordinates of the first device. The embodiment may include storing, at a second device, a second moving window including the last n location coordinates of the plurality of location coordinates. The embodiment may include receiving, from the first device, a request for access to the second device, where the request comprises login credentials and a first hash value. The embodiment may include calculating, at the second device, the second hash value based on the second moving window. The embodiment may include verifying the login credentials. The embodiment may include comparing the first hash value and the second hash value. In response to the first and second hash values ​​being equal and the login credentials being verified, the embodiment may include granting access.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates generally to the field of computing, and more particularly to multi-factor authentication of users. [Background technology]

[0002] User authentication verifies the identity of a user requesting access to a computing system by permitting human-to-machine transfer of credentials during network interactions to confirm the user's authenticity. Authentication helps ensure that only authorized users gain such access (i.e., login) to a network or computing system by preventing unauthorized users from gaining access. Categories of factors (i.e., pieces of evidence) used in user authentication can include knowledge factors, possession factors, and intrinsic factors. Knowledge factors can include what a user must know to log into a network or computing system (e.g., username, user ID, password, personal identification number). Possessive factors may include those that a user must possess to complete a login (e.g., one-time password (OTP), key fob, smartphone app, employee identification card). Intrinsic factors may include characteristics unique to a user that verify their identity (e.g., biometric, facial recognition, voice authentication). Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is an electronic authentication method in which a user is granted access only after successfully presenting factors from two or more categories to an authentication mechanism. For example, a user may be required to provide a user ID and password in combination with an OTP to log in to a computing system. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] According to one embodiment, a method, computer system, and computer program product for user authentication are provided. The embodiment may include receiving, from a first device, a plurality of location coordinates of the first device. The embodiment may include storing, at a second device, a second moving window including the last n location coordinates of the plurality of location coordinates. The embodiment may include receiving, from the first device, a request for access to the second device, where the request comprises user login credentials and a first hash value. The embodiment may include calculating, at the second device, a second hash value based on the set of the last n location coordinates of the second moving window. The embodiment may include verifying the user's login credentials. The embodiment may include comparing the first hash value and the second hash value. In response to the first hash value and the second hash value being equal and the login credentials being verified, the embodiment may include granting access to the second device via the first device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] According to one aspect, a computer-implemented method is provided, comprising: receiving, from a first device, a plurality of location coordinates of the first device; storing, at a second device, a second moving window comprising the last n location coordinates of the plurality of location coordinates; receiving, from the first device, a request for access to the second device, wherein the request comprises login credentials of a user and a first hash value; calculating, at the second device, a second hash value based on the set of the last n location coordinates of the second moving window; verifying the login credentials of the user; comparing the first hash value and the second hash value; and, in response to the first hash value and the second hash value being equal and the login credentials being verified, granting access to the second device via the first device.

[0005] According to another aspect, a computer system includes: one or more processors, one or more computer-readable memories, one or more computer-readable tangible storage media, and program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more tangible storage media for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, the computer system including: receiving, from a first device, a plurality of location coordinates of the first device; storing, at a second device, a second moving window comprising a last n location coordinates of the plurality of location coordinates; receiving a request for access to the second device from a user, the request comprising login credentials of a user and a first hash value; calculating, at the second device, a second hash value based on the set of the last n location coordinates of the second moving window; verifying the login credentials of the user; comparing the first hash value and the second hash value; and, in response to the first hash value and the second hash value being equal and the login credentials being verified, granting access to the second device via the first device.

[0006] According to another aspect, there is provided a computer program product comprising: one or more computer-readable tangible storage media and program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more tangible storage media, the program instructions being executable by a processor capable of performing a method, the method comprising: receiving, from a first device, a plurality of location coordinates of the first device; storing, at a second device, a second moving window comprising last n location coordinates of the plurality of location coordinates; receiving, from the first device, a request for access to the second device, the request comprising login credentials of a user and a first hash value; calculating, at the second device, a second hash value based on the set of last n location coordinates of the second moving window; verifying the login credentials of the user; comparing the first hash value and the second hash value; and, in response to the first hash value and the second hash value being equal and the login credentials being verified, granting access to the second device via the first device. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the following drawings, in which:

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 illustrates an exemplary computing environment in accordance with at least one embodiment.

[0009] [Figure 2] 1 illustrates an operational flowchart for authenticating a user via a location sampling multi-factor authentication process according to at least one embodiment.

[0010] Various features of the drawings are not to scale as the illustrations are for clarity in that they, together with the detailed description, will facilitate understanding of the invention by those skilled in the art. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Although detailed embodiments of the claimed structures and methods are disclosed herein, it should be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the claimed structures and methods, which may be embodied in various forms. The present invention, however, may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the exemplary embodiments described herein. In the description, details of well-known features and techniques may be omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the presented embodiments.

[0012] The singular forms "a," "an," and "the" should be understood to include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to a "component surface" includes a reference to the presence of one or more of such surfaces unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

[0013] The present invention relates generally to the field of computing, and more specifically, to multi-factor authentication of users. The exemplary embodiments described below provide, among other things, a system, method, and program product for authenticating a user via received hash values ​​of sampled (i.e., identified) location coordinates of registered computing devices co-located with the user in addition to the user's login credentials (e.g., user ID and password). Thus, the present embodiments have the ability to improve the technical field of multi-factor authentication by authenticating a user based in part on dynamically calculated hash values ​​of a set of the user's identified location coordinates sent to an authentication server along with the user's login credentials, thus eliminating multiple round-trip communications between the user and the authentication server.

[0014] As previously described, user authentication verifies the identity of a user requesting access to a computing system by permitting human-to-machine transfer of credentials during network interactions to confirm the user's authenticity. Authentication helps ensure that only authorized users gain such access (i.e., login) to a network or computing system by preventing unauthorized users from gaining access. Categories of factors (i.e., pieces of evidence) used in user authentication may include knowledge factors, possession factors, and intrinsic factors. Knowledge factors may include something a user must know to log into a network or computing system (e.g., username, user ID, password, personal identification number). Possessive factors may include those that a user must possess to complete a login (e.g., one-time password (OTP), key fob, smartphone app, employee identification card). Intrinsic factors may include characteristics unique to a user that verify their identity (e.g., biometric, facial recognition, voice authentication). MFA is an electronic authentication method in which a user is granted access only after successfully presenting factors from two or more categories to an authentication mechanism. For example, a user may be required to provide a user ID and password in combination with an OTP to log in to a computing system.

[0015] An OTP is a password that is valid only for one login session or transaction on a computer system or other digital device. OTPs may offer stronger protection than static passwords that remain the same for multiple login sessions because OTPs work through a randomness algorithm that generates a new random password each time they are used. The generation of an OTP may utilize several techniques, including time synchronization and mathematical algorithm schemes. OTP mechanisms for strengthening authentication are widely used, however, they are time-consuming because multiple round-trip communications between the user and the authentication server are required before access is granted. For example, a first round-trip communication between a user and an authentication server may involve the user, via a client device, sending a user ID and password to the authentication server and, in response, receiving an OTP from the authentication server. Thereafter, a second round-trip communication between the user and the authentication server may involve the user, via the client device, again sending the OTP to the authentication server and, in response, receiving validation / access from the authentication server. These multiple round-trip communications between the user and the authentication server may delay users as they wait to receive the OTP, which may result in reduced user productivity. Furthermore, the OTP mechanism may have the additional drawback of preventing users from accessing certain resources when they are needed in real time. Therefore, it may be essential to have a system in place for providing MFA utilizing information about the user's identified location coordinates, submitted for authentication along with the user's user ID and password. Thus, embodiments of the present invention may be advantageous, among other things, for computing a hash value of identified location coordinates of a computing device co-located with a user, utilizing the computed hash value in combination with the user's user ID and password to authenticate the user, and eliminating the need for a second round-trip communication to the user's MFA. The present invention does not require that all advantages be incorporated into every embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] According to at least one embodiment, a user may register a Global Positioning System (GPS)-enabled electronic device (e.g., a smartphone) with an authentication server. The registered device may periodically identify its location coordinates and share them with the authentication server. A moving window of location coordinates (e.g., the last n identified location coordinates) may be maintained in the registered device and the authentication server. When a user requests access to the authentication server via the registered device, the user's login credentials (e.g., user ID and password) and the registered device's calculated hash value of the moving window's set of location coordinates may be sent to the authentication server for authentication. The user may be granted access to the authentication server with valid login credentials and where authentication determines a match between the registered device's calculated hash value of the moving window's set of location coordinates and the authentication server's calculated hash value. According to at least one embodiment, the frequency of location coordinate identification, the number of location coordinates stored within the moving window, and the applied hashing algorithm may be defined during a system initialization phase and implemented by both the registered device and the authentication server. According to at least one other embodiment, access to the authentication server may be based in part on a comparison of identified location coordinates of the registered device maintained at the registered device and identified location coordinates of the registered device maintained at the authentication server. According to at least one further embodiment, the OTP may additionally be utilized for authentication where none of the last n identified location coordinates of the registered device have changed.

[0017] Various aspects of the present disclosure are described through text, flowcharts, block diagrams of computer systems, and / or block diagrams of machine logic included in embodiments of a computer program product (CPP). For any flowchart, depending on the technology involved, operations may be performed in an order different from that shown in a given flowchart. For example, two operations shown in successive flowchart blocks may be performed in the reverse order, as a single integrated step, simultaneously, or in an at least partially overlapping manner, again depending on the technology involved.

[0018] A computer program product embodiment ("CPP embodiment" or "CPP") is a term used in this disclosure to describe any set of one or more storage media (also referred to as "media"), collectively contained in a set of one or more storage devices, that collectively contain machine-readable code corresponding to instructions and / or data for performing the computer operations specified in a given CPP claim. A "storage device" is any tangible device that can hold and store instructions for use by a computer processor. The computer-readable storage medium may be, but is not limited to, an electronic storage medium, a magnetic storage medium, an optical storage medium, an electromagnetic storage medium, a semiconductor storage medium, a mechanical storage medium, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. Some known types of storage devices that include these media include diskettes, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), static random access memory (SRAM), compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital versatile disk (DVD), memory stick, floppy disk, mechanically encoded devices (such as punch cards or pits / lands formed on a major surface of a disk), or any suitable combination of the foregoing. Computer-readable storage media, as the term is used in this disclosure, is not to be construed as storage in the form of transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freely propagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagating through a waveguide, light pulses passing through fiber optic cables, electrical signals communicated over wires, and / or other transmission media. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, data is typically moved at some infrequent time during the normal operation of a storage device, such as during access, defragmentation, or garbage collection, but the above does not make a storage device temporary because the data is not temporary while it is stored.

[0019] The exemplary embodiments described below provide systems, methods, and program products for authenticating a user based in part on information regarding a set of identified location coordinates of an electronic device co-located with the user, and, accordingly, granting the user access to a computing system and / or applications of the computing system upon successful authentication.

[0020] Referring to FIG. 1, an exemplary computing environment 100 is shown, according to at least one embodiment. The computing environment 100 includes an example environment for the execution of at least some computer code involved in performing the inventive method, such as authentication programs 107A, 107B. The authentication programs 107A, 107B may be programs capable of granting user access to a computing system based on authentication of data related to the user's periodically identified location coordinates. In at least one embodiment, the authentication programs 107A, 107B may require the user to opt in to system use upon opening or installing the authentication programs 107A, 107B. The authentication method is described in further detail below with respect to FIG. 2. In addition to the authentication programs 107A, 107B, the computing environment 100 includes, for example, a computer 101, a wide area network (WAN) 102, an end user device (EUD) 103, a remote server 104, a public cloud 105, and a private cloud 106. In this embodiment, computer 101 includes a set of processors 110 (including processing circuitry 120 and cache 121), a communications fabric 111, volatile memory 112, persistent storage 113 (including an operating system 122, software programs 108, and authentication programs 107A, 107B), a set of peripheral devices 114 (including a set of user interface (UI) devices 123, storage 124, and a set of Internet of Things (IoT) sensors 125), and a network module 115. Remote server 104 includes a remote database 130. Public cloud 105 includes a gateway 140, a cloud orchestration module 141, a set of host physical machines 142, a set of virtual machines 143, and a set of containers 144.Despite the depiction of computer 101 and end user device 103, authentication programs 107A, 107B may be stored and / or executed by end user device 103, remote server 104, public cloud 105, and private cloud 106, individually or in any combination, such that functionality may be separated between the devices.

[0021] Computer 101 may take the form of a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a smartphone, a smartwatch or other wearable computer, a mainframe computer, a quantum computer, or any other form of computer or mobile device now known or later developed that is capable of executing programs, accessing a network, or querying a database, such as remote database 130. As is well understood in the field of computer technology, and depending on the technology, execution of a computer-implemented method may be distributed among multiple computers and / or among multiple locations. However, in this description of computing environment 100, for purposes of brevity, the detailed discussion focuses on a single computer, specifically computer 101. While computer 101 is not shown in FIG. 1 within a cloud, it may be located within a cloud. However, computer 101 is not required to reside within a cloud except to any extent that may be expressly indicated.

[0022] Processor set 110 includes one or more computer processors of any type now known or later developed. Processing circuitry 120 may be distributed across multiple packages, e.g., multiple tailored integrated circuit chips. Processing circuitry 120 may implement multiple processor threads and / or multiple processor cores. Cache 121 is memory located within the processor chip package and is typically used for data or code that should be available for fast access by threads or cores executing on processor set 110. Cache memory is typically organized into multiple levels depending on relative proximity to the processing circuitry. Alternatively, some or all caches for a processor set may be located “off-chip.” In some computing environments, processor set 110 may be designed to operate with qubits and perform quantum computing.

[0023] Computer-readable program instructions are typically loaded onto the computer 101 to cause the processor set 110 of the computer 101 to perform a series of operational steps, thereby realizing a computer-implemented method, such that the instructions so executed instantiate the method specified in the flowcharts and / or descriptions of the computer-implemented method contained herein (collectively referred to as the "methods of the present invention"). These computer-readable program instructions are stored in various types of computer-readable storage media, such as cache 121 and other storage media discussed below. The program instructions and associated data are accessed by the processor set 110 to control and direct the execution of the methods of the present invention. In the computing environment 100, at least some of the instructions for performing the methods of the present invention may be stored in persistent storage 113 and authentication programs 107A, 107B in the end-user device 103, respectively.

[0024] Communications fabric 111 is the signal-conducting pathway that allows various components of computer 101 to communicate with one another. Typically, this fabric is made up of switches and conductive pathways, such as buses, bridges, and switches and conductive pathways that make up physical input / output ports, etc. Other types of signal communication pathways may be used, such as fiber optic and / or wireless communication pathways.

[0025] Volatile memory 112 may be any type of volatile memory now known or later developed. Examples include dynamic random access memory (RAM) or static RAM. Typically, volatile memory is characterized by random access, although this is not required unless expressly indicated. In computer 101, volatile memory 112 is located in a single package and is internal to computer 101; however, alternatively or additionally, volatile memory may be distributed across multiple packages and / or located external to computer 101.

[0026] Persistent storage 113 is any form of non-volatile storage for a computer, now known or later developed. The non-volatility of this storage means that stored data is maintained regardless of whether power is supplied to computer 101 and / or to persistent storage 113 directly. While persistent storage 113 can be read-only memory (ROM), typically at least a portion of persistent storage allows data to be written, data to be deleted, and data to be rewritten. Some well-known forms of persistent storage include magnetic disks and solid-state storage devices. Operating system 122 may take several forms, such as various known proprietary operating systems or open-source Portable Operating System Interface-type operating systems that utilize a kernel. The code contained in authentication programs 107A, 107B typically includes at least some of the computer code involved in performing the methods of the invention.

[0027] Peripheral device set 114 includes the set of peripheral devices of computer 101. Data communication connections between peripheral devices and other components of computer 101 may be implemented in various ways, such as Bluetooth connections, Near-Field Communication (NFC) connections, connections made via cables (such as Universal Serial Bus (USB)-type cables), insertable connections (e.g., Secure Digital (SD) cards), connections made via local area communication networks, and even connections made via wide area networks such as the Internet. In various embodiments, UI device set 123 may include components such as display screens, speakers, microphones, wearable devices (such as smart glasses and smart watches), keyboards, mice, printers, touchpads, game controllers, and haptic devices. Storage 124 may be external storage, such as an external hard drive, or insertable storage, such as an SD card. Storage 124 may be persistent and / or volatile. In some embodiments, storage 124 may take the form of a quantum computing storage device for storing data in the form of qubits. In embodiments where computer 101 is required to have a large amount of storage (e.g., where computer 101 stores and manages large databases locally), this storage may be provided by a peripheral storage device designed to store very large amounts of data, such as a storage area network (SAN) shared by multiple, geographically distributed computers. IoT sensor set 125 is comprised of sensors that can be used in Internet of Things applications. For example, one sensor may be a thermometer, another may be a motion detector, and yet another may be a GPS receiver that provides satellite navigation and geographic location identification capabilities to computer 101.

[0028] Network module 115 is a collection of computer software, hardware, and firmware that enables computer 101 to communicate with other computers over WAN 102. Network module 115 may include hardware such as a modem or Wi-Fi signal transceiver, software for packetizing and / or depacketizing data for communication network transmission, and / or web browser software for communicating data over the Internet. In some embodiments, the network control and network forwarding functions of network module 115 are performed on the same physical hardware device. In other embodiments (e.g., embodiments utilizing Software-Defined Networking (SDN)), the control and forwarding functions of network module 115 are performed on physically separate devices, such that the control function manages several different network hardware devices. Computer-readable program instructions for implementing the methods of the present invention may be downloaded to computer 101 from an external computer or external storage device, typically via a network adapter card or network interface included in network module 115.

[0029] WAN 102 is any wide area network (e.g., the Internet) capable of communicating computer data over non-local distances using any technology for communicating computer data now known or later developed. In some embodiments, a WAN may be replaced and / or supplemented by a local area network (LAN) designed to communicate data between devices located in a local area, such as a Wi-Fi network. WANs and / or LANs typically include copper transmission cables, optical fiber transmissions, wireless transmissions, and computer hardware such as routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers, and edge servers.

[0030] End-user device (EUD) 103 is any computer system used and controlled by an end user (e.g., a client of the enterprise operating computer 101) and may take any of the forms described above with respect to computer 101. EUD 103 may be capable of hosting and executing authentication program 107B and communicating with computer 101 over WAN 102 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. EUD 103 typically receives useful and useful data from the operation of computer 101. For example, in a hypothetical case in which computer 101 is designed to provide recommendations to the end user, the recommendations would typically be communicated from network module 115 of computer 101 over WAN 102 to EUD 103. In this manner, EUD 103 can display or otherwise present the recommendations to the end user. In some embodiments, EUD 103 may be a client device such as a thin client, a heavy client, a mainframe computer, a desktop computer, and the like.

[0031] Remote server 104 is any computer system that provides at least some data and / or functionality to computer 101. Remote server 104 may be controlled and used by the same entity that operates computer 101. Remote server 104 represents a machine that collects and stores useful and useful data for use by other computers, such as computer 101. For example, in the hypothetical case where computer 101 is designed and programmed to provide recommendations based on historical data, this historical data may be provided to computer 101 from remote database 130 of remote server 104.

[0032] A public cloud 105 is any computer system available for use by multiple entities that provides on-demand availability of computer system resources and / or other computer functionality, particularly data storage (cloud storage) and computing power, without direct active management by users. Cloud computing typically leverages resource sharing to achieve coherence and economies of scale. Direct active management of public cloud 105 computing resources is performed by computer hardware and / or software in cloud orchestration module 141. The computing resources provided by public cloud 105 are typically implemented by virtual computing environments running on various computers comprising host physical machine set 142, which is the universe of physical computers within and / or available in public cloud 105. Virtual computing environments (VCEs) typically take the form of virtual machines from virtual machine set 143 and / or containers from container set 144. It is understood that these VCEs can be stored as images and can be transferred among and between various physical machine hosts, either as images or after instantiation of the VCE. The cloud orchestration module 141 manages the transfer and storage of images, deploys new instantiations of the VCE, and manages active instantiations of VCE deployments. The gateway 140 is a collection of computer software, hardware, and firmware that enables the public cloud 105 to communicate over the WAN 102.

[0033] Some further description of virtualized computing environments (VCEs) is now provided. A VCE can be stored as an "image." A new, active instance of a VCE can be instantiated from the image. Two well-known types of VCEs are virtual machines and containers. A container is a VCE that uses operating system-level virtualization. This refers to a feature of an operating system in which the kernel allows the existence of multiple isolated user space instances, called containers. These isolated user space instances typically behave as actual computers from the perspective of programs running within them. A computer program running on a typical operating system may utilize all of the computer's resources, such as connected devices, files and folders, network shares, CPU power, and quantifiable hardware capabilities. However, a program running inside a container can only use the contents of the container and of the devices assigned to the container; this feature is known as containerization.

[0034] A private cloud 106 is similar to a public cloud 105, except that the computing resources are available only for use by a single enterprise. While the private cloud 106 is shown in communication with the WAN 102, in other embodiments, the private cloud may be completely disconnected from the Internet and accessible only through a local / private network. A hybrid cloud is a composite of multiple clouds of different types (e.g., private, community, or public cloud types), often implemented by different vendors. While each of the multiple clouds remains a separate, discrete entity, the larger hybrid cloud architecture is bound together by standardized or proprietary technologies that enable orchestration, management, and / or data / application portability between the constituent clouds. In this embodiment, both the public cloud 105 and the private cloud 106 are part of a larger hybrid cloud.

[0035] Referring now to FIG. 2, an operational flowchart for authenticating a user via a location sampling / identification multi-factor authentication process 200 is illustrated, according to at least one embodiment. At 202, the authentication program 107A, 107B periodically receives GPS location coordinates of registered electronic devices (e.g., smartphones) co-located with the user. According to at least one embodiment, during the initialization / setup phase of the authentication program 107A, 107B, pending successful authentication by the authentication program 107A, 107B, the user may register one or more electronic devices (e.g., smartphones, laptop computers) with which the user may access other computing devices and / or applications on those devices. Each electronic device (e.g., computer 101) registered by the user may run a local instance of the authentication program 107A, 107B and may utilize a GPS receiver to periodically identify its geographic location coordinates (i.e., latitude and longitude values). The location coordinate identification frequency for a registered device may be initially specified by a user during the setup phase of the authentication program 107A, 107B and may subsequently be updated by the user or by the authentication program 107A, 107B. For example, a user may initially specify a location coordinate identification frequency of once every 30 minutes, hourly, daily, etc. for all registered devices. During implementation, a registered device may periodically identify its geographic location coordinates according to the location coordinate identification frequency and transmit them to an instance of the authentication program 107A, 107B running on a second computing device (e.g., end user device 103, authentication server). Additionally, the authentication program 107A, 107B may instruct the registered device to locally store a moving window of the last n identified location coordinates (e.g., the last four identified location coordinates). The size of the moving window (ie, the value of n) may be initially specified by the user during the setup phase of the authentication program 107A, 107B, and may be subsequently updated by the user or by the authentication program 107A, 107B.

[0036] Next, at 204, the authentication program 107A, 107B stores, at the second computing device, a moving window of location coordinates received for the registered device. According to at least one embodiment, the stored moving window of location coordinates received from the registered device may be equal in size (i.e., the value of n) to the moving window of identified location coordinates stored in the registered device. For example, the registered device may store the last four of its identified location coordinates within its locally stored moving window, and the second computing device may also store the last four identified location coordinates received from the registered device within its locally stored moving window. In doing so, the registered device and the second computing device may each maintain moving windows of the last four identified location coordinates of the registered device that are identical to each other (i.e., they each contain the same set of identified location coordinates for the registered device).

[0037] According to at least one other embodiment, in a scenario where a user has registered multiple electronic devices, the authentication program 107A, 107B may store, at each registered device, a moving window for each of its last n identified location coordinates. Similarly, the authentication program 107A, 107B may also store and maintain, internally in a second computing device, a moving window for each of the last n identified location coordinates received from each registered device.

[0038] At 206, the authentication program 107A, 107B receives a request from the user via the registered device to access the second computing device and / or an application on the second computing device. According to at least one embodiment, the request received from the user may include the user's login credentials, such as a user ID and password, and a hash value of a set of identified location coordinates from a moving window of the last n identified location coordinates stored on the registered device. For example, if the moving window includes the last four identified location coordinates of the registered device, the hash value may be calculated using the set of the last one, two, three, or four identified location coordinates from the moving window stored on the registered device. The hash value may be requested on-demand by the user and calculated by an instance of the authentication program 107A, 107B running on the registered device. According to at least one other embodiment, the hash value may be calculated automatically by an instance of the authentication program 107A, 107B running on the registered device in response to the user's request to access the second computing device and transmitted along with the user's login credentials. The hashing algorithm (H) (e.g., a version of the secure hash algorithm (SHA) or message-digest algorithm (MD5)) utilized by the authentication programs 107A, 107B may be initially specified by a user during the setup phase of the authentication programs 107A, 107B and may be subsequently updated by the user or by the authentication programs 107A, 107B. Also, the number of identified location coordinates to be hashed (L) may be initially specified by a user during the setup phase of the authentication programs 107A, 107B and may be subsequently updated by the user or by the authentication programs 107A, 107B.

[0039] Next, at 208, the authentication program 107A, 107B determines whether the received user request to access the second computing device was successfully authenticated (i.e., verified). In making this determination, the instance of the authentication program 107A, 107B executing on the second computing device may extract the user ID and password from the received request and compare them against login credentials (e.g., user IDs and passwords) stored in a database of authorized users of the second computing device. Additionally, the instance of the authentication program 107A, 107B executing on the second computing device may also calculate a hash value of the set of location coordinates identified from the moving window of location coordinates received for the registered device and stored on the second computing device. Both the hashing algorithm (H) utilized by the instance of the authentication program 107A, 107B executing on the second computing device and the number of identified location coordinates to be hashed (L) may be the same H and L utilized by the instance of the authentication program 107A, 107B executing on the registered device. For example, an instance of the authentication program 107A, 107B running on a registered device may utilize the MD5 hashing algorithm to calculate a hash value based on the last three identified location coordinates within its locally stored moving window. Similarly, an instance of the authentication program 107A, 107B running on a second computing device may also utilize the MD5 hashing algorithm to calculate a hash value based on the last three identified location coordinates within its locally stored moving window for the registered device.

[0040] Continuing with step 208, authentication of the received user request for access to the second computing device may be determined to be successful if there is both a match between the login credentials (i.e., user ID and password) received in 206 and the login credentials stored in the second computing device's database of authorized users, and a match (i.e., equal values) between the hash values ​​calculated in 206 by the instance of the authentication program 107A, 107B executing on the registered device and the hash values ​​calculated by the instance of the authentication program 107A, 107B executing on the second computing device. Note that any difference between the respective location coordinates used by the instances of the authentication program 107A, 107B executing on the registered device and the second computing device to calculate their respective hash values ​​may result in the respective hash values ​​not being equal. Authentication of the received user request for access to the second computing device may not be determined to be successful if there is no match between the hash value calculated by the instance of the authentication program 107A, 107B executing on the registered device and the hash value calculated by the instance of the authentication program 107A, 107B executing on the second computing device. In response to determining that authentication of the received user request for access to the second computing device is successful (step 208, "Y" branch), the location sampling multi-factor authentication process 200 may proceed to step 210. In response to determining that authentication of the received user request for access to the second computing device is not successful (step 208, "N" branch), the location sampling multi-factor authentication process 200 may proceed to step 212.

[0041] According to at least one other embodiment, determining whether authentication of the received user request for access to the second computing device is successful may be based on a comparison of stored identified location coordinates for the registered device. In such an embodiment, the authentication program 107A, 107B may compare the last n identified location coordinates of a moving window stored on the registered device with the last n identified location coordinates of a moving window stored on the second computing device. For example, authentication of the received user request for access to the second computing device may be determined to be successful if there is a match between the login credentials (i.e., user ID and password) received in 206 and the login credentials stored in the second computing device's authorized user database, and if the respective moving windows stored on the registered device and the second computing device are the same (i.e., the last n identified location coordinates for the registered device stored therein match the last n identified location coordinates for the registered device stored on the second computing device). Authentication of the received user request for access to the second computing device may be determined to have failed if the respective moving windows stored on the registered device and the second computing device are different. In response to determining that the authentication of the received user request for access to the second computing device was successful (step 208, "Y" branch), the location sampling multi-factor authentication process 200 may proceed to step 210. In response to determining that the authentication of the received user request for access to the second computing device was not successful (step 208, "N" branch), the location sampling multi-factor authentication process 200 may proceed to step 212.

[0042] According to further embodiments, if there are no changes among two or more identified location coordinates within a moving window of location coordinates received for a registered device and stored at the second computing device, the authentication program 107A, 107B may additionally utilize or revert to an OTP during determination of whether authentication of a received user request for access to the second computing device is successful. For example, if the last two or more of the last n identified location coordinates received for a registered device and stored within a moving window of the second computing device are the same (i.e., there have been no changes), the instance of the authentication program 107A, 107B running at the second computing device may additionally utilize an OTP procedure as part of determining whether authentication of a received user request for access to the second computing device is successful.

[0043] At 210, in response to determining that the received user request for access to the second computing device has been successfully authenticated, the instance of authentication program 107A, 107B executing on the second computing device grants the user access to the second computing device and / or applications on the second computing device via the registered device. Accordingly, through use of location sampling / identification multi-factor authentication process 200, the user has gained access to the second computing device after one round-trip of communication between the registered device and the second computing device, despite the implementation of multi-factor authentication.

[0044] According to at least one other embodiment, in response to determining that the received user request for access to the second computing device has been successfully authenticated, the instance of the authentication program 107A, 107B executing on the second computing device may also determine whether updates are needed to one or more of the location coordinate identification frequency (F), the size of the moving window (N) maintained on the registered device and on the second computing device, the hashing algorithm (H) utilized by the registered device and the second computing device, and the number of identified location coordinates to be hashed (L) using H. As noted above, the values ​​of F, N, H, and L may be initially configured by the user during a setup phase and implemented uniformly across the instances of the authentication program 107A, 107B executing on the registered device and on the second computing device. After setup, the instance of the authentication program 107A, 107B running on the second computing device, while currently or previously granting user access to the second computing device and / or applications on the second computing device, may unilaterally determine that an update is needed for one or more of F, N, H, and L and send an update message to the instance of the authentication program 107A, 107B running on the registered device. The update message may include information specifying new values ​​of one or more of F, N, H, and L to be implemented uniformly across all running instances of the authentication program 107A, 107B. The instance of the authentication program 107A, 107B running on the second computing device may update one or more of F, N, H, and L when sending the update message, and the instance of the authentication program 107A, 107B running on the registered device may update one or more of F, N, H, and L when receiving the update message.

[0045] For example, a needed change to the location coordinate identification frequency (F) may be determined if the location coordinates of a registered device are identified frequently (e.g., every 30 minutes), but the user's second computing device access requests (i.e., logins) are infrequent (e.g., once every three days). In such a scenario, an instance of the authentication program 107A, 107B running on the second computing device may determine that a reduction to the location coordinate identification frequency is needed. As another example, a needed change to the hashing algorithm (H) utilized by the registered device and the second computing device may be determined if H has been used for more than a threshold amount of time (e.g., hours or days). As yet another example, a needed change to the number of identified location coordinates to be hashed (L) using H may be determined as a result of the user's mobility behavior. For example, in a scenario where a user does not travel frequently and the current value of L results in invariant location coordinates being hashed, an instance of the authentication program 107A, 107B running on the second computing device may determine that an increase to L is needed.

[0046] In response to determining that authentication of the received user request for access to the second computing device was not successful, the instance of the authentication program 107A, 107B executing on the second computing device denies the user access to the second computing device and / or applications on the second computing device via the registered device at 212. The instance of the authentication program 107A, 107B executing on the second computing device may also send a message to the registered device indicating the reason for the denial of access.

[0047] It can be appreciated that Figure 2 provides only an illustration of one implementation and is not intended to suggest any limitations on how different embodiments may be implemented. Many modifications to the depicted environment may be made based on design and implementation requirements.

[0048] The description of various embodiments of the present invention has been presented for illustrative purposes and is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the disclosed embodiments. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the described embodiments. The terminology used herein has been selected to best explain the principles of the embodiments, practical applications, or technical improvements over technologies found in the market, or to enable others skilled in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.

Claims

1. 1. A computer-implemented method, the method comprising: receiving, from a first device, a plurality of location coordinates of the first device; storing, at the second device, a second moving window comprising the last n position coordinates of the plurality of position coordinates; receiving a request for access to the second device from the first device, wherein the request comprises user login credentials and a first hash value; calculating, at the second device, a second hash value based on the set of last n location coordinates of the second moving window; verifying the login credentials of the user; comparing the first hash value and the second hash value; and and granting access to the second device via the first device in response to the first hash value and the second hash value being equal and the login credentials being verified. A method comprising:

2. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: storing, at the first device, a first moving window comprising the last n location coordinates of the plurality of location coordinates, wherein the location coordinates of the plurality of location coordinates are identified and transmitted to the second device according to a location coordinate identification frequency.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the first hash value is calculated at the first device and is based on the set of last n location coordinates of the first moving window.

4. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first hash value and the second hash value are calculated using the same hashing algorithm, and the set of the last n location coordinates of the first moving window and the set of the last n location coordinates of the second moving window have the same set size, the set size comprising a number of location coordinates.

5. Verifying the login credentials of the user comprises: extracting a user ID and password from the login credentials; comparing the user ID and the password against user IDs and passwords stored in a database of authorized users of the second device; and determining whether the user ID and the password match; 10. The method of any preceding claim, further comprising:

6. 10. The method of any preceding claim, wherein the first device is co-located with the user.

7. 10. The method of any preceding claim, wherein the plurality of location coordinates comprises Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates.

8. 1. A computer system, comprising: a computer system comprising one or more processors, one or more computer-readable memories, one or more computer-readable tangible storage media, and program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more tangible storage media for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, the computer system comprising: receiving, from a first device, a plurality of location coordinates of the first device; storing, at the second device, a second moving window comprising the last n position coordinates of the plurality of position coordinates; receiving a request for access to the second device from the first device, wherein the request comprises user login credentials and a first hash value; calculating, at the second device, a second hash value based on the set of last n location coordinates of the second moving window; verifying the login credentials of the user; comparing the first hash value and the second hash value; and and granting access to the second device via the first device in response to the first hash value and the second hash value being equal and the login credentials being verified. A computer system capable of performing a method comprising:

9. 9. The computer system of claim 8, further comprising: storing, at the first device, a first moving window comprising the last n location coordinates of the plurality of location coordinates, wherein the location coordinates of the plurality of location coordinates are identified and transmitted to the second device according to a location coordinate identification frequency.

10. 10. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the first hash value is calculated at the first device and is based on the set of last n location coordinates of the first moving window.

11. 11. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the first hash value and the second hash value are calculated using the same hashing algorithm, and the set of the last n location coordinates of the first moving window and the set of the last n location coordinates of the second moving window have the same set size, the set size including the number of location coordinates.

12. Verifying the login credentials of the user comprises: extracting a user ID and password from the login credentials; comparing the user ID and the password against user IDs and passwords stored in a database of authorized users of the second device; and determining whether the user ID and the password match; 12. The computer system of claim 8, further comprising:

13. The computer system of claim 8 , wherein the first device is co-located with the user.

14. 14. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the plurality of location coordinates comprises Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates.

15. 1. A computer program product, comprising: One or more computer-readable tangible storage media and program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more tangible storage media, the program instructions executable by a processor capable of performing a method, the method comprising: receiving, from a first device, a plurality of location coordinates of the first device; storing, at the second device, a second moving window comprising the last n position coordinates of the plurality of position coordinates; receiving a request for access to the second device from the first device, wherein the request comprises user login credentials and a first hash value; calculating, at the second device, a second hash value based on the set of last n location coordinates of the second moving window; verifying the login credentials of the user; comparing the first hash value and the second hash value; and and granting access to the second device via the first device in response to the first hash value and the second hash value being equal and the login credentials being verified.

1. A computer program product comprising:

16. 16. The computer program product of claim 15, further comprising: storing, at the first device, a first moving window comprising the last n location coordinates of the plurality of location coordinates, wherein location coordinates of the plurality of location coordinates are identified and transmitted to the second device according to a location coordinate identification frequency.

17. 17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the first hash value is calculated at the first device and is based on the set of last n location coordinates of the first moving window.

18. 18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the first hash value and the second hash value are calculated using the same hashing algorithm, and the set of the last n location coordinates of the first moving window and the set of the last n location coordinates of the second moving window have the same set size, the set size comprising a number of location coordinates.

19. Verifying the login credentials of the user comprises: extracting a user ID and password from the login credentials; comparing the user ID and the password against user IDs and passwords stored in a database of authorized users of the second device; and determining whether the user ID and the password match; 19. A computer program product according to any of claims 15 to 18, further comprising:

20. 20. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the first device is co-located with the user.

21. A computer program comprising computer program code means adapted to perform the method according to any of claims 1 to 7 when said program is run on a computer.

Images