Patent ID: 7581099
Filing Date: 2009-08-25
Classification: G06F,H04L

Abstract:
1. A method for controlling access to a process to be executed on a data processing system, comprising: providing an interface for coupling a security device to the data processing system, wherein the security device is a separate hardware device from the data processing system; receiving user input of an identifier for accessing the security device; verifying the identifier; accessing the security device, in response to the identifier being verified, to obtain authentication data for the process to be executed on the data processing system; automatically capturing user authentication data input by a user into the data processing system; automatically converting the user authentication data into a stronger form of user authentication data to be presented to a process for accessing the process; and automatically storing the stronger form of user authentication data in the security device; and injecting the stronger form of authentication data into a login process associated with the process to be executed to automatically authenticate a user to the process to be executed, wherein the automatic capturing, converting and storing operations are performed by an access agent executing on the data processing system, and wherein the access agent is configured to periodically change the user authentication data for accessing a process automatically without the user being aware of the change.