RU2424554C2 - Anti-peep user authentication method - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: information technology.

SUBSTANCE: anti-peep user authentication method involves preliminary generation of a set of small graphic characters and enabling the user to choose from the generated set in order to store a group of secret small graphic characters.

EFFECT: fewer successive steps for entering user authentication information to pass an authentication procedure.

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Description

The invention relates to methods for authenticating users and can be used to create terminals with anti-spy protection, designed to control access to the protected premises, to remotely carry out commercial, managerial and other activities through public networks such as the Internet.

A known method of user authentication with protection from spying [1]. The method consists in preliminarily forming a set of N small graphic symbols, providing the user with a selection from the generated set for storing group S of secret small graphic symbols s _k , wherein k = 1 ... K, where K is the secret number of graphic symbols in group S moreover, K << N, carry out the i-th step of entering authentication information, with i = 1 ... I, where I is the total number of steps, by displaying N _i graphic characters selected from a set at random, with K << N _i << N, among which in arbitrary K _i secret characters are selected in the place, randomly selected from the group S of secret characters, with 3≤K _i <K, form an invisible secret area A _i bounded by a polygon with vertices at the centers of the secret characters displayed on the screen K _i , fix the impact point d _i the user to the screen, they form a positive result of the i-th stage of entering authentication information when the conditions for belonging to a fixed point of influence of the invisible secret area d _i ∈ А _{i are} met and negative - against In this case, they form a positive authentication decision after receiving positive results of all I stages of user input of authentication information and a negative one otherwise.

A significant drawback of this method for authenticating users is the need for a large number of consecutive steps for entering authentication information by users (according to [2], at least 10), which takes a considerable amount of time (several minutes) for the user. The reason for the presence of the indicated significant drawback in this method is that when fewer consecutive checks are carried out, there is a greater likelihood of an attacker accidentally selecting a password.

The problem to which this invention is directed, is to increase resistance to attacks on the authentication system with a constant number of consecutive checks for the user to go through the authentication procedure.

The technical result of the claimed invention is to reduce the number of consecutive steps for entering authentication information by users to go through the authentication procedure at a level of protection of the authentication system from various attacks not less than in the prototype.

The specified technical result is achieved by the fact that in the known method of user authentication with anti-spying protection, which consists in pre-forming a set of N small graphic symbols, providing the user with a choice from the generated set for storing group S of secret small graphic symbols s _k , with k = 1 ... K, where K is the secret number of graphic characters in group S, with K << N, during the i-th stage of entering authentication information, with i = 1 ... I, where I is the total number of steps, put m deducing the screen selected from the set arbitrarily N _i graphic symbols, wherein K << N _i << N, among which are located at an arbitrary position K _i secret characters selected from group of characters secret S arbitrarily, and 3≤K _i < K, the formation of an invisible secret region A _i bounded by a polygon with vertices at the centers of the secret symbols displayed on the screen K _i , fixing the user influence point d _i on the screen, forming a positive result of the i-th step of entering the authentication info when fulfilling the condition of belonging to a fixed point of influence of an invisible secret area d _i ∈ А _i and negative, otherwise, forming a positive authentication decision after receiving positive results of all I stages of user input of authentication information and negative otherwise, according to the invention provide the user with a choice of C _k secret ranges of background coloring colors for storing for the k-th secret graphic symbol s _k , during the i-th step of entering authentication information, the background color of the graphic symbol s _{j is} dynamically changed randomly, while j = 1 ... N _i , simultaneously with fixing the point d _i of the user’s impact on the screen, the background color b _{m of} each secret screen displayed is fixed symbol of the graphic symbol s _m , where m = 1 ... K _i , form a positive result of the i-th stage of entering authentication information when the conditions for belonging to a fixed point of influence of an invisible secret area d _i ∈A _i and belonging of the fixed background color of the graphic symbol to its secret color ranges b _m ∈ С _m and negative otherwise.

These distinctive features in comparison with the prototype allow us to conclude that the proposed technical solution meets the criterion of "novelty."

The invention consists in the following.

The proposed method of user authentication is a graphical password input scheme that is resistant to interception by methods of "spying", filming, as well as electronic interception. The user does not need to indicate secret graphic symbols unknown to the attacker on the screen. Icons (program icons), images of animals, birds, plants, photographs, letters, numbers can be used as graphic symbols. In this case, unlike the prototype method, each symbol is displayed on a background selected graphically, changing in time, and the color, speed, range and color change scheme for different symbols can be different.

When creating an account in the identification / authentication system, the user is prompted to select and remember a certain number of characters, which will be his secret authentication information. Additionally, in contrast to the prototype method, the user is prompted for each secret character (or for all characters) to select and remember one or more ranges of background colors, which will also make up its secret authentication information.

In the process of entering authentication information, the user must recognize a certain minimum number of secret characters among a larger number of characters randomly located on the screen. At the next stage of authentication, the user attempts to enter authentication information by narrowly targeting the screen, for example, by clicking with the help of a mouse-type manipulator into an area whose borders are a rectangle with vertices at the centers of graphic symbols displayed on the screen. Moreover, in contrast to the prototype method, the user must influence the screen at a time when the backgrounds of secret characters fall into one of the secret color ranges.

In the process of system authentication, the user makes several such attempts to enter authentication information and, if correctly executes them, then gains access to the system.

The listed set of essential features in this order provides higher resistance to attacks through a direct visual channel (by “peeping” or recording on a video camera), and also, if necessary, reduces the minimum required number of attempts to enter authentication information by using a two-factor authentication scheme with significantly greater the number of options for entering authentication information than in the prototype.

The security of the prototype system and the proposed system, their resistance to various kinds of attacks can be estimated by calculating the probability of selecting (guessing) the user's secret password. In this case, you can always choose the parameters of the secret color ranges in the proposed system so that the number of consecutive authentication steps in the proposed system is less than in the prototype, and the security of the prototype system and the proposed system, all other things being equal, is the same. Potentially, for any parameters of the prototype system, it is possible to select such parameters of the user's secret color ranges in order to reduce the number of authentication cycles to one with the same security.

It is a new property of the set of features that lead to a significant increase in resistance to attacks on the authentication system with a low number of consecutive checks for the user to go through the authentication procedure, which makes it possible to conclude that the proposed technical solution meets the criterion of "inventive step". The proposed method of user authentication with anti-spying protection can be used, including when accessing various systems (Internet banking, ordering through online stores, etc.) through a public network such as the Internet.

The proposed method for monitoring the integrity of the source code of the software can be implemented in software using a computer or computing device, the structure of which is shown in figure 1, where it is indicated:

1 - block storage control authentication information of users;

2 - unit for reading identification information;

3 - block comparing read identification information with control;

4 - block read coordinates of the point of impact;

5 is a block comparing the read authentication information with the control;

6 - decision block on the success of authentication;

7 - block storage of control identification information of users;

8 - storage unit of the passed number of authentication steps;

9 is a block comparing the values of the passed number of authentication steps with the necessary;

10 - block storage of the required number of authentication steps,

17 - block background illumination of secret characters.

The purpose of the blocks is clear from their names.

From input 13 to the input of block 2, a request for identification / authentication is received. Using block 2, the user identification information is read, after which the read identification information is fed to the input of block 3, where the user-submitted identification information is compared with the control identification information received from block 7. In case of successful identification, the second and fourth outputs of block 3 arrive a request to enter, respectively, blocks 4 and 17 for authentication, from the third output - to the first input of block 8 to reset the number of passed the number of authentication steps, otherwise from the first unit 3 outputs to the first input unit 6 receives the result of user authentication. Using block 4 from input 12, the coordinates of the user’s point of influence on the screen are read out, and using block 17, when a signal arrives from input 12 on the occurrence of the user acting on the screen, the background color of secret characters is read. Then, the read authentication information is received at the input of block 5, where the authentication information submitted by the user is compared with the verification authentication information received from block 1. If the authentication step is successfully completed, the second input of block 5 receives a request for the first input of block 9 to determine the number of passed steps authentication, otherwise, from the first output of block 5 to the second input of block 6, the result of user authentication is received. When a request is received from block 5 to determine the number of passed authentication steps in block 9, a comparison is made of the number of passed authentication steps coming from block 8 with the number of required number of authentication steps coming from block 10. If the number of passed authentication steps is less than the number of required the number of authentication steps, from the second output of block 9, the second input of block 8 receives a request for a single increase in the number of passed authentication steps, otherwise from the first output The ode of block 9 to the third input of block 6 receives the result of user authentication. After that, in block 6, a decision is taken from the output of block 6 to output 16 on the successful passage of the authentication procedure by the user.

Pre-control identification information of all users of the information system comes from input 14 to input of block 7, and also, through input 15, block 10 places the required number of authentication steps.

The implementation of the proposed method does not cause difficulties, since all the blocks and nodes included in the device that implements the method are well known and widely described in the technical literature. Blocks 1-10 can be implemented as described in the prototype [1]. Block 17 can be implemented, for example, using an LED matrix with the ability to select the color of the glow of individual LEDs located behind the screen to illuminate it. The image when entering authentication information may look, for example, as in figure 2.

Information sources

1. US Patent Application 20070277224 - Methods and Systems for Graphical Image Authentication. Application Published on November 29, 2007.

2. Susan Wiedenbeck, Jim Waters, Leonardo Sobrado, Jean-Camille Birget. "Design and Evaluation of a Shoulder-Surfing Resistant Graphical Password Scheme." - Proceedings of the working conference on Advanced visual interfaces, Venezia, Italy, 2006, p. 177-184.

Claims (1)

A way to authenticate a user with anti-spying protection, which consists in pre-forming a set of N small graphic characters, providing the user with a choice from the generated set to remember the group S of secret small graphic characters s _k , with k = 1 ... K, where K is the secret number of graphic characters in the group S, with K << N, carrying out the i-th step of entering authentication information, with i = 1 ... I, where I is the total number of steps, by displaying N _i selected from a set at random; graphic symbols, moreover, K << N _i << N, among which K _i secret symbols are selected in an arbitrary place, chosen from the group S of secret symbols in an arbitrary way, 3≤K _i <K, forming an invisible secret region A _i bounded by a polygon with vertices in the centers of the displayed on the screen K _i , secret characters, fixing the point d _i , user exposure to the screen, forming a positive result of the i-th stage of entering authentication information when the membership condition is fixed the impact points of the invisible secret area d _i ∈ А _i , and negative - otherwise, the formation of a positive authentication decision after receiving positive results of all I stages of the user entering authentication information, and negative - otherwise, which is further provided to the user selection of C _k secret ranges of background color for storing for the k-th secret graphic symbol s _k , during the first step of entering authentication information and dynamically randomly changing the background color of the graphic symbol s _j , with j = 1 ... N _i , simultaneously with fixing the point d _{i the} user’s exposure to the screen determines the background color b _{m of} each displayed graphic symbol secret symbol s _m , where m = 1 ... K _i, forming a positive result of the i-th stage of the input of the authentication information under the conditions of affiliation a fixed point of impact of the invisible secret area ∈A d _{i i,} and supplies the fixed color graphic background si ox secret color ranges b _m ∈C _m, and negative - otherwise.

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