5656 results about "Authentication server" patented technology

In a network user authentication system, a network user is identified for authentication purposes using the unique identifier for a dedicated physical communication line associated with the building in which the network user is located or a digital certificate which is associated with a secure component or communication line physically attached to a building. An authentication server initially verifies the identification of the dedicated communication line to be associated with a network service subscriber or issues a unique digital certificate to be associated with the dedicated communication line for authentication purposes. The digital certificate may be stored in a building gateway or in an edge site module which is connected to the secure components of a plurality of buildings and stores unique digital certificates for each building.

Techniques for simplifying an authentication process from the viewpoint of a user while providing improved security to the many users currently employing no or weak security techniques. In logging into a web site hosted by a web server, a session begins by a user connecting and logging in with a device, such as a personal computer. Rather than a user name and password approach which is presently typical, the personal computer communicates with another user device, such as a smart phone. In one approach, an encoded acoustic signal is employed for this communication. The smart phone securely communicates with an authentication server which informs the web server whether the user has been authenticated or not.

The system and method for intelligent workload management described herein may include a computing environment having a model-driven, service-oriented architecture for creating collaborative threads to manage workloads, wherein the management threads may converge information for managing identities and access credentials, enforcing policies, providing compliance assurances, managing provisioned and requested services, and managing physical and virtual infrastructure resources. In one implementation, an authentication server may generate authentication tokens defining access credentials for managed entities across a plurality of authentication domains, wherein the authentication tokens may control access to resources in an information technology infrastructure. For example, a management infrastructure may create service distributions for the managed entities, which may include virtual machine images hosted on physical resources. Further, the authentication tokens may be embedded in the service distributions, whereby the embedded authentication tokens may control access to the resources in the information technology infrastructure.

The present invention can be used to facilitate the integration of wireless capability provided by wireless access points into an enterprise computer network. A gateway server is interposed between wireless access points and protected networks to provide security and integration functions, for example, authentication, access control, link privacy, link integrity, and bandwidth metering in various embodiments. Use of such a gateway server allows substantial control to be gained over network access even with the use of relatively simple access points. In general, such a gateway server receives a request to access the protected network. An authentication subsystem of the gateway server authenticates the user, preferably by accessing an external authentication server and returns a role to the authenticated user. An access controller in the gateway server provides differential access to the protected network based on the user's assigned role. A multiple gateway servers can be connected together to form a mesh network architecture.

A method is described of automatically locating and connecting a mobile wireless communications device to a packet-switched network such as the Internet. An Internet Protocol (IP) packet from a terminal on the network, destined for receipt by the mobile device, is received at a home agent acting as a gateway or router linking the packet switched network to a second network, such as LAN, coupled to a wireless communications network. The home agent transmits an access-request message to an authentication server. The access-request message includes a destination IP address associated with the mobile device found in the IP packet. The authentication server responsively issues an access-accept message to the home agent if the mobile device is authorized to receive the IP packet. The access-accept message comprises (a) information uniquely identifying said device, such as the IMSI/ESN number for the device, and (b) information identifying a network to use to locate said device. The home agent issues a message containing the information uniquely identifying the device to a mobile node location server. The mobile node location server maintains a table mapping IP addresses for a plurality of mobile communication devices to information uniquely identifying the devices. In the event that the mobile node location server does not find an IP address for the device in the table, the device is paged via the wireless communications network. In response to the page, the mobile device dials into the wireless communications network and second network and initiates a connection to the packet switched network whereby the IP packet is transmitted to the device.

The present invention relates to communications, and in particular though not exclusively to forming a secure connection between two untrusted devices. The present invention provides a method of securely connecting a first device (A) to a second device (B) using a third party authentication server (AS) coupled to the second device, the first device and the authentication server both having first device shared secret data (SSDa) and the second device and the authentication server both having second device shared secret data (SSDb). The method comprises receiving a request from the first device at the authentication server; the authentication server and the first device both generating a first device key (K_A) using the first device shared secret data in response to a first device random number (RANDa) sent from the authentication server to the first device; the authentication server and the second device both generating a second device key (K_B) using the second device shared secret data in response to a second device random number (RANDb) sent from the authentication server to the second device; and the authentication server securely forwarding to the second device (B) and the first device (A) a common key (K_AB) using the second and first device keys (K_B, K_A).

A method and system is provided for improved electronic voting. The system optionally allows paper type ballots to be utilized. A plurality of cryptographic routines are utilized in a distributed data processing system to maximize the privacy of both the voter's identity and the content of completed ballots. An authentication server is utilized to interact with a voter to issue electronic ballots and receive completed electronic ballots in a manner which determines the authenticity of the identification of the voter, while maintaining the content of the completed ballot confidential. The distributed data processing system further includes a results server which tabulates the content of completed ballots in a manner which maintains the identity of the voters associated with the particular ballots confidential. The distributed data processing system may further include a journal server which records completed ballots, in a manner which facilitates the challenge of ineligible votes and the correction of erroneous votes.

Methods and systems for adapting existing service provider servers to support two-factor authentication by leveraging an authentication server, which may be operated by a third party. Where a user desires to access content or services offered by a service provider server, the user may employ a client agent (for example, a web browser) in order to authenticate with the service provider server. Service provider server can redirect client agent to an authentication server to process at least a second factor or derived credential.

The secure wireless local area network of the present invention includes a single wired network that supports both wired and wireless devices. The network addresses security concerns by including an authentication server that services a plurality of access points. Each access point includes a first authentication device that generates and transmits a first authentication message to the corresponding wireless device over an air channel. The first authentication message includes encrypted validating information about the access point including an access point key that uniquely identifies the access point. Each wireless device includes a second authentication device. The wireless device receives the first authentication message and determines whether the access point is authorized to connect to the wired network. If the access point is valid, the second authentication device responds to the first authentication message by generating and transmitting a second authentication message to the access point. The second authentication message includes encrypted validating information about the wireless device and operator, e.g., a device key and the operator's logon name and password. The access point determines the authenticity of the wireless device by decrypting the portion of the second authentication message that includes the device key. If the wireless device is valid, the AP opens a control channel with the authentication server. The AP transmits the first and second authentication messages to the authentication server. If the authentication server validates the access point and the operator's logon name and password, it will authorize access to the wired network.

A network based mechanism for real time verification and authentication of data and user identities. The present invention enables a method whereby biometric elements, such as voice prints, are utilized to enhance the Public Key Infrastructure as a means to decrypt data and verify data authenticity, such that the user's private key is authenticated remotely on a one-time basis. The present invention comprises an authentication server (25) with various software modules that enable authentication of user identity, secure user access to data, digital signatures, secure messaging and secure online transactions.

A fast authentication and access control method of authenticating a network access device to a communications network having an access point communicating with a remote authentication (home AAA) server for the network access device. The method includes the step of receiving an access request having an authentication credential from the network access device at the access point. The authentication credential includes a security certificate having a public key for the network access device and an expiration time. The security certificate is signed with a private key for the remote authentication server. The access point locally validates the authentication credential by accessing the public key of the remote authentication server from a local database, and checking the signature and expiration time of the security certificate. If the authentication credential is validated at the access point, the access point grants the network access device conditional access to the network by sending an access granted message to the network access device. The access granted message includes a session key encrypted with a public key for the network access device. The session key is stored in a database associated with the access point. The access point contacts the remote authentication server to check a revocation status of the security certificate for the network access device. If the access point receives a message from the remote authentication server that the authentication credential for the network access device has been revoked, it suspends network access for the network access device.

A client is authenticated to a network resource wherein the client is coupled to a biometric sensor. The client signals a request to the network resource (e.g., by connecting to an access point). The network resource initiates a point-to-point LAN authentication protocol between the network resource and the client. The network resource requests biometric data from the client via the LAN authentication protocol (optionally either before or after authenticating with other credentials). The client captures biometric data of an attendant user of the client. The client transmits the captured biometric data to the network resource via the LAN authentication protocol. The network resource encapsulates the biometric data in the LAN authentication protocol into an authentication server protocol and forwards the encapsulated biometric data to an authentication server. The authentication server compares the biometric data to a biometric template stored in conjunction with the authentication server for making a determination whether the attendant user should be granted access to the network resource. The authentication server sends either an access-accept message or an access-deny message in the authentication server protocol to the network resource in response to the determination. The network resource grants access to the client only after receiving an access-accept message.

The invention relates to an arrangement and a method for reliably identifying a user in a computer system. The method utilizes a mobile station for communicating with the system. The method comprises generating a first one-time password in the mobile station by utilizing a known algorithm on the basis of the identification number of the user, subscriber-specific identifier, device-specific identifier of the mobile station, and time. The password obtained and the subscriber-specific identifier of the user are encoded and transmitted to an authentication server of the computer system, comprising identifying the user on the basis of the subscriber-specific identifier, searching a database for the personal identifier number of the user and the device-specific identifier of the mobile station associated with the user, generating a second password at the authentication server by utilizing the same predetermined algorithm on the basis of the personal identification number of the user, subscriber-specific identifier, device-specific identifier of the mobile station and time, comparing the first and the second passwords with each other at the authentication server, and if the passwords match, enabling the telecommunication connection between the mobile station and the computer system.

A method is disclosed for authorizing a prepaid network service in a data network. A network end station issues a request for a prepaid network service. At a network node, such as a router serving as a gateway for selecting services, a determination is made about whether a user associated with the end station is authorized to access the prepaid network service. Network traffic from the end station is forwarded to a service provider only when the user is authorized to use the prepaid network service. Specific embodiments provide message flows among a mobile station, gateway support node, router, and authentication server that support providing prepaid services in a packet-switched network for mobile communication. In certain embodiments, a connection is held open for an end station while a prepaid quota value is refreshed at a portal, thereby reducing overhead and precluding the need to repeat user logon steps. Further, unused quota amounts can be returned to the authentication server for use in association with multiple concurrent connections of the same device.

A method of finding a mobile wireless communications device when an Internet Protocol (IP) packet from a remote user is sent to the device over an IP network. The mobile device does not have to register with the IP network in order to receive the IP. The method comprises the steps of receiving the IP packet at a home agent associated with a wireless communications network. The IP packet includes an IP address assigned to the device. If there is no current mobility binding record for the mobile device, instead of dropping the packet the home agent sends an access-request packet, containing the IP address, to an authentication server. The authentication server, e.g., a RADIUS server, maintains a table mapping the IP address for the device to an identification number uniquely associated with the device, such as the device's International Mobile Subscriber Identity number. The authentication server sends an access-accept packet to the home agent in the event that the device is authorized to receive the IP packet, in which case the access-accept packet includes the identification information. The home agent uses the identification number to locate, page and automatically connect the wireless device to the IP network via an InterWorking Unit (IWU) configured as a IP network access server.

A system for detecting and preventing replay attacks includes a plurality of interconnected authentication servers, and one or more tokens for generating a one-time passcode and providing the one-time passcode to one of the authentication servers for authentication. The system includes an adjudicator function associated with each authentication server. The adjudicator evaluates a high water mark value associated with a token seeking authentication, allows authentication to proceed for the token if the high water mark evaluation indicates that the one-time passcode was not used in a previous authentication, and prevents authentication if the high water mark evaluation indicates that the one-time passcode was used in a previous authentication. The token is associated with a home authentication server that maintains a current high water mark of the token. The home authentication server validates the current high water mark on behalf of the adjudicator function evaluating the token for authentication.

A user gains access to a private network by connecting to a network, either through a hardwired or wireless connection, and then initiates an Internet access request targeting any website. If the user is not already authorized for Internet access, then the user is sent to a first predetermined website that points the user to an authentication server accessible via the Internet. The authentication server sends the user an HTTP form pages requesting authentication information. When the user responds, a network monitoring device within the private network alters the form page to include the user's hardware address and an encoded ID based on the network's location. The authentication server forwards this data to a gate keeper server, which authenticates the new user and transmits an unblock message along with another encoded ID based on the network's location and the user's hardware address.