The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for remotely verifying the identity of a person, such as over an intranet, internet or for similar circumstances in which the identity of an individual must be verified.
There are many methods and techniques used to verify the identity of a person during a face-to-face transaction. One method is to compare the person""s facial characteristics with an authenticated picture on a validated document. For instance, many businesses require the identity of a patron presenting a check to by validated by a driver""s license which includes a photograph of the individual. Similarly, passports and identification cards issued by state or federal agencies are used for verification of the identity of the individual.
Another popular method of verifying the identity of an individual during a face-to-face transaction is through written signature comparison. Many of the previously mentioned documents such as driver""s licenses, passports and identification cards also include a written signature of the holder. By comparing the signature on these identifying documents with a written signature signed in the authenticator""s presence, the identity of the person may be verified as represented by the document. Other methods of verifying a person""s identity are through other biometrics such as fingerprints, distinctive patterns in the retina of the eye, identifying characteristics of hands, and the manner in which an individual grasps a writing instrument. Each of these methods requires specialized hardware or that the authenticator possesses specialized knowledge. While each of these methods can be used to authenticate the identity of a person for a face-to-face transaction, other methods are required to verify a person""s identity for remote transactions. Remote transactions for this purpose are defined to be those transactions in which the individuals conducting the transactions are not face-to-face. Examples of remote transactions include transactions over the telephone, computer transactions over an internet or intranet, and similar transactions.
Authentication of an individual in remote transactions typically relies on information purportedly unknown to anyone besides the individual whose identity is being authenticated, e.g., a secret. Information used to authenticate the identity of an individual may include the maiden name of the mother of the individual, social security number, address, zip code, account information such as an AMERICAN EXPRESS(copyright), MASTERCARD(copyright), or VISA(copyright), home telephone number, or unique personal identification number (PIN). With the advent of the Internet and the information available over the Internet, many of these previously acceptable methods of identification are becoming obsolete. Once public information such as the maiden name of the mother of the individual, social security numbers, addresses, zip codes, telephone numbers, and similar information may be accessed over the Internet, this information can no longer be used to verify the identity of an individual.
Two methods of determining an individual""s identity without relying on the use of publicly available information for remote transactions include electronic signatures and PINs. For instance, if an individual wanted to access their bank account information via the Internet, the bank may require an electronic signature be sent to the bank to be used to authenticate the identity of the person performing the transaction. Heretofore signatures for remote transactions required specialized hardware on the computer system at which the user performs the transaction; i.e., attempts by users to provide repeatable signature using a mouse or similar pointing device have been unsuccessful. Instead, an electronic pen and a tablet or similar specialized hardware have seen required at the computer terminal being used for the transaction by the individual. Even this method of verification of the identity of a user is not foolproof because electronic signatures may be stored and sent when requested by an individual trying to impersonate another individual. The storage of the electronic signature may be performed on the computer used by the individual for the transaction or by other machines or computers which intercept the electronic signature as it is communicated from the user to, in this example, the bank or other financial institution.
Validating the identity of an individual by using PINs suffer similar drawbacks. When individuals choose personal identification numbers they typically use small number of predictable numbers correspondence to, for example, their birth date, portions of their Social Security number, a loved one""s birth date, an anniversary date, a date of a significant event to that individual, or some other easily remembered number. While the selection of these numbers or groups of numbers allow the individual to recall the PIN easily, the association of the numbers with the individual reduces the associated security. Many systems requiring authentication attempt to minimize access by impersonators by limiting the number of attempts accepted from an individual. Many automatic teller machines (ATM) are programmed to confiscate bank cards after three attempts to access the information with incorrect PINs have been attempted. Additional problems with PINs are present when PINs are retained in computer systems. Electronically transmitted PINs may also be obtained by unauthorized individuals and used for later access attempts.
For many transaction over an internet or intranet authenticating an individual""s identity is also important. Examples of instances in which the identity of an individual should be authenticated include online banking, purchases via the Internet or an intranet, access to non-public databases or information, access to medical records, remote access to computer systems, e-commerce, e-banking, business-to-business (B2B) transactions, business-to-consumer (B2C) transactions, e-learning, e-training and similar circumstances. In an effort to minimize the amount of hardware require at the computer system used by the individual to access the secured information, many of these sites required the individual being authenticated to enter a PIN as their access code.
One method to alleviate concerns with PINs includes the generation of a random number for the PIN used to authenticate the individual. Random numbers assigned to individuals create other problems in that individuals typically have a difficult time remembering these random PINs. To allow access to these protected systems these individuals may write these PINs down, and store them in their daily planners, on their calendars, in their wallets or purses, or similar locations. By writing these randomly generated PINs down the security of the overall system may be compromised and another individual may gain access to these protected systems by obtaining the recorded PINs.
With increasing computer power, methods incorporating electronic signature or digital signature recognition and authentication systems have been advanced. Such systems typically include an input device such as a digitizing pad or tablet to capture and digitally sample the written signature image and/or a biometric feature of the written signature in various ways to compare the new signature to a previously-stored xe2x80x9cauthenticxe2x80x9d exemplar signature. Currently, written signature authentication solutions fail to provide an effective and particularly reliable signature authentication/verification system which may be readily commercially implemented. Furthermore, with the increasing use of the Internet for a myriad of applications and transactions, accurately and reliably verifying a signature on-line is particularly desirable.
An object of the present invention is to provide a system and method of validating the identity of a user over an intranet or the Internet which does not require specialized hardware at the computer system used by the individual whose identity is to be validated.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus that preferably employs a simple method of creating a user unique, i.e., signature using a pointing device, such as a mouse and a Virtual Pad at an End-User/Remote User PC (Personal Computer).
The invention is directed to a system and method of authenticating a user by sensing information about the user (biometrics) and eliciting information from the user (a secret). While applicable to the e-commerce environment, the invention is equally usable in a wide range of applications wherein a manually manipulated pointer device such as a computer mouse is available. Using the pointer or pointing device (hereinafter, xe2x80x9cPDxe2x80x9d), the user draws lines and drags (repositions) and/or clicks on icons positioned on a background image to create a user PD signature. The combination of lines, icon repositioning and specifically placed and timed series of clicks are used to identify the user by comparison with a stored PD signature. In addition to the xe2x80x9csecretxe2x80x9d information representing the series of actions using the PD, biometric data is also extracted. The biometric data includes, for example, PD manipulation kinetics (e.g., positioning speed, acceleration, shake, etc.), user click duration, etc. Other biometrics may be added including, for example, a thumbprint reader integral to the PD. Preferably, user profile information, including user identification information, is stored in an encrypted format to protect such information from unauthorized access and disclosure.
The invention may use a variety of methods to learn, store and update PD signature profile information to authenticate a user. A preferred method periodically stores sampled PD positional information as vectors including a pair of position coordinate values (e.g., xe2x80x9cxxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cyxe2x80x9d values), a sample time (xe2x80x9ctxe2x80x9d) and a PD mode. The PD mode may be in the form of a numeric code representing such conditions as, for example, a normal mode (e.g., no button depressed), a click mode (e.g., a left mouse or equivalent button depressed), and a xe2x80x9cdrag and drop modexe2x80x9d (identifying a particular draggable icon has been captured in response to a mouse click). This stored sampled PD positional information may also be updated with information contained in later authenticated PD signatures.
Analysis of the vectors may include identification of nodes or xe2x80x9cagentsxe2x80x9d at predetermined distances along a signature trail of a sampled signature to be learned. Once initially identified and located, the agents are repositioned using an energy or cost minimization technique such as Adaptive Resonance Theory-Fuzzy Cluster Means (ART-FCM.) The repositioned agents then form the starting point for future signature analysis. Thus, in a verification mode, the geometry of the agents of a signature under examination after agent energy or cost minimization is compared with the geometry of the agents for the learned or authenticated exemplar PD signature, the comparison being indicative of a degree of similarity between the two PD signatures. The degree of similarity may be represented by some standard metric, such as a sum of squares of the deviations between geometry parameters. Of course, other matching techniques may be used including, for example, wavelet analysis of the PD signature.
Use of the invention in the context of e-commerce is particularly advantageous to authenticate a purchaser in an open network environment. For example, the identity of a purchaser may be verified by redirecting a web client from a vendor""s web site to a PD signature server. The server identifies the user (this information being automatically sent by the vendor web site or provided by the client machine) and downloads to the client a predefined virtual pad consisting of a background image and prepositioned draggable (and/or fixed) icons. The prospective purchaser uses a pointing device, such as a standard computer mouse, to draw one or more lines, and click on and/or drag icons to predetermined positions on the background. The series of actions are captured as the vectors including mouse x and y coordinates (with reference to the background image), time and PD (or mouse) mode. The server uses the vectors (together with other global information and security checks) to verify the purchaser""s identity and send a corresponding message to the e-commerce web site so as to authorize (or deny) some action such as a purchase.