Patent ID: 9424410
Filing Date: 2016-08-23
CPC Classification: G06F,G06Q,H04L

Claim Text:
1. A computer-implemented method for authenticating a candidate user to facilitate accessing a host computing device as an authentic user, the host computing device in communication with an authenticating computing device, said method comprising: receiving from the host computing device, by the authenticating computing device, an authentication request to authenticate the candidate user as the authentic user, the host computing device associated with a service provider of secure data, the host computing device operating separately from the authenticating computing device, wherein the authentication request is received independent from a payment transaction, the authentication request includes a user identifier and at least one of a media access control (MAC) address and an Internet protocol (IP) address of a user computing device associated with the candidate user; retrieving, by the authenticating computing device from a database associated with the authenticating computing device, transaction data including a plurality of payment transactions associated with the authentic user based on the user identifier and the at least one of the MAC address and the IP address of the user computing device, wherein the transaction data includes user-specific data indicative of a location where the authentic user made the plurality of payment transactions and an amount of the plurality of payment transactions and at least one of: (i) a merchant with whom the authentic user performed the payment transactions, (ii) a time period during which the authentic user performed the payment transactions, and (iii) a product type associated with the payment transactions; generating, by the authenticating computing device, a challenge question and a correct answer to the challenge question together with a plurality of incorrect answers based on the transaction data associated with the authentic user, wherein the challenge question is configured to ask at least one of the location and the amount of at least one payment transaction of the plurality of payment transactions in combination with at least one of (i) the merchant, (ii) the time period, and (iii) the product type, and the correct answer is configured to test the candidate user's knowledge of a correct combination of the at least one of the location and the amount of the at least one payment transaction of the plurality of payment transactions associated with one or more of (i) the merchant, (ii) the time period, and (iii) the product, and the incorrect answers are generated using similar parameters to the correct answer including similar merchants and similar products not associated with the payment transaction performed by the authentic user; and transmitting the challenge question to the host computing device when authenticating the candidate user and presenting a multiple-choice question including the challenge question, the correct answer, and the incorrect answers for display to ask the candidate user to respond without exposing the transaction data to the host computing device.