Network authentication method for secure user identity verification

In a network authentication method, a content-provider server redirects a user terminal to an identity verification server for acquiring therefrom an encrypted web address signed with an asymmetrical private key and downloaded from a downloading unit. The user terminal transmits hardware scan data associated therewith to the identity verification server upon determining, based on the encrypted web address and an asymmetrical public key from the downloading unit, that the identity verification server is currently valid to perform identity verification. The identity verification server verifies the identity of the user terminal based on relationship between the hardware scan data and pre-stored reference hardware scan data.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to network identity authentication, and more particularly to a network authentication method for secure verification of identity of a user.

2. Description of the Related Art

Currently, a variety of web services, such as cloud services, have become increasingly popular. In order to secure the web services, user identity verification is absolutely necessary.

However, due to increasing numbers of web users and web crimes, and continuous progress of criminal techniques, for example, an Internet content provider (ICP) needs to provide to each user an identity verification device, e.g., a USB device loaded with a public key infrastructure (PKI) certificate, an integrated circuit (IC) electronic card or a dynamic token. Thus, the cost of customer service for personalization, distribution and troubleshooting is considerable. Further, it is quite inconvenient that the user needs to remember the user ID and the password for each of different ICPs and to have different identity verification devices for the different ICPs. Moreover, for the different ICPs, duplication of investment in user identity authentication may occur.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a network authentication method for secure verification of the identity of a user that can overcome the aforesaid drawbacks of the prior art.

According to the present invention, there is provided a network authentication method to be implemented using a user terminal, a downloading unit, a content-provider server and a plurality of identity verification servers for secure verification of the identity of a user of the user terminal. The network authentication method of this invention comprises the following steps of:

a) the user terminal downloading a scan program and an asymmetrical public key from the downloading unit;

b) each of the identity verification server downloading from the downloading unit a respective set of encrypted information that is signed with an asymmetrical private key and that includes an encrypted web address of the identity verification server, and storing reference hardware scan data that is associated with the user terminal and that corresponds uniquely to a user identifier of the user;

c) in response to a user login request from the user terminal for accessing the content-provider server through a first communication link, the content-provider server transmitting to one of the identity verification servers a verification notification that the identity of the user needs to be verified, and redirecting the user terminal for connecting with said one of the identity verification servers through a second communication link;

d) said one of the identity verification servers transmitting to the user terminal the respective set of encrypted information downloaded in step b) through the second communication link;

e) the user terminal determining, based on the respective set of encrypted information transmitted in step d) and the asymmetrical public key downloaded in step a), whether said one of the identity verification servers is currently valid to perform identity verification;

f) upon determining that said one of the identity verification servers is currently valid to perform identity verification, the user terminal executing the scan program downloaded in step a) to obtain hardware scan data associated with the user terminal, and transmitting the hardware scan data thus obtained to said one of the identity verification servers through the second communication link; and

g) said one of the identity verification servers verifying the identity of the user based on relationship between the hardware scan data received from the user terminal in step f) and the reference hardware scan data stored in step b), and notifying the content-provider server of a verification result.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring toFIG. 1, a network authentication system is used to implement a network authentication method for secure verification of the identity of a user5according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. The network authentication system includes a downloading unit1, a user terminal2owned by the user5, a content-provider server3(e.g., an internet content provider or ICP), and a plurality of identity verification servers4. For exemplary purposes, the user terminal2is owned by the user5, and may be an electronic device capable of Internet browsing or data communication, such as a notebook computer, a smart phone, a personal digital assistant, etc. The user terminal2includes a plurality of hardware components (not shown), such as a central processing unit, a basic input/output system (BIOS) unit, a storage device, a network interface, a motherboard, etc., each of which has a unique identification code. The content-provider server3may be, but is not limited to, a web bank server, an online game server, or any other server that provides a network service requiring identity verification, such as a portal website. The identity verification servers4are ideally authorized by the downloading unit1to perform third-party identity verification, and may be, but are not limited to, social networking websites, such as Google, Yahoo, Facebook, etc. The downloading unit1includes a database unit (not shown) for storing at least one scan program, at least one pair of asymmetrical public and private keys, and a plurality of sets of encrypted information corresponding respectively to the identity verification servers4. Each set of encrypted information is signed with the asymmetrical private key, and includes an encrypted web address of a respective one of the identity verification servers4. In particular, each set of encrypted information has been processed with the asymmetrical private key to create a digital signature, and the asymmetrical public key is used to verify the digital signature. The downloading unit1, the user terminal2, the content-provider server3and the identity verification servers4are connected to a communication network100.

Referring toFIGS. 1 and 2, the downloading unit1cooperates with the user terminal2and the content-provider server3to implement a registration procedure of the network authentication method of the preferred embodiment according to the present invention. The registration procedure of the network authentication method of the preferred embodiment includes the following steps. It is noted that, prior to the registration procedure, each of the identity verification servers4is connected to the downloading unit1through the communication network100for downloading a respective set of encrypted information from the downloading unit1.

In step S21, the user5inputs a user identification (ID) serving as a user identifier, and a password using a user input interface (not shown) of the user terminal2at a website provided by the content-provider server3. The user ID and the password are then transmitted from the user terminal2to the content-provider server3via the communication network100.

In step S22, in response to receipt of the user ID and the password, the content-provider server3is operable to check whether the user ID and the password are correct. If the result is affirmative, the flow proceeds to step S23. Otherwise, the content-provider server3is operable to send an error message to the user terminal2for displaying on a display device (not shown) of the user terminal2(step S20).

In step S23, the content-provider server3is operable to redirect the user terminal2for connection with the downloading unit1.

In step S24, the downloading unit1is operable to enable the user terminal2to download the scan program and the asymmetrical public key therefrom.

In step S25, after the user terminal2stores the scan program and the asymmetrical public key, the user terminal2is operable to execute the scan program for scanning the hardware components of the user terminal2to obtain the identification codes of the hardware components, and for establishing reference hardware scan data according to the identification codes of the hardware components thus obtained. The reference hardware scan data is associated with the user terminal2, and corresponds uniquely to the user identifier of the user5.

In step S26, the user terminal2is operable to transmit the reference hardware scan data to each of the identity verification servers4via the communication network100, so that each of the identity verification servers4stores the reference hardware scan data received from the user terminal2.

Referring toFIGS. 1 and 3, the network authentication system implements a login procedure of the network authentication method of the preferred embodiment. The login procedure of the network authentication method of the preferred embodiment includes the following steps.

In step S31, the user5inputs the user ID and the password using the user input interface of the user terminal2at the service website provided by the content-provider server3, and the user terminal2is operable to transmit the user ID and the password to the content-provider server3through a first communication link over the communication network100.

In step S32, in response to receipt of the user ID and the password from the user terminal2, the content-provider server3is operable to check whether the user ID and the password are correct. If the result is affirmative, the flow proceeds to step S33. Otherwise, the content-provider server3is operable to send an error message to the user terminal2for displaying on the display device of the user terminal2(step S30).

In step S33, the content-provider server3is operable to transmit to one of the identity verification servers4a verification notification that the identity of the user5needs to be verified. The content-provider server3is further operable to redirect the user terminal2for connecting with said one of the identity verification servers4through a second communication link that is separate from the first communication link. It is noted that, in one embodiment, said one of the identity verification servers4is determined by the content-provider server3. In another embodiment, said one of the identity verification servers4may be determined by the user5. Referring further toFIG. 4, a procedure is shown to illustrate how one of the identity verification servers4for performing identity verification is determined by the user5. In sub-step S41, the content-provider server3is operable to send to the user terminal2a selection request that includes a list of option items, which represent respectively the identity verification servers4. In response to the selection request from the content-provider server3, the user terminal2is operable to send to the content-provider server3a selection reply that indicates a desired one of the option items representing a corresponding one of the identity verification servers4(sub-step S42). Therefore, the content-provider server3is operable to determine the corresponding one of the identity verification servers4for performing identity verification in accordance with the selection reply (sub-step S43).

In step S34, in response to receipt of the verification notification from the content-provider server3, said one of the identity verification servers4is operable to transmit the respective set of encrypted information stored therein to the user terminal2through the second communication link.

In step S35, upon receipt of the respective set of encrypted information from said one of the identity verification servers4, the user terminal2is operable to determine, based on the respective set of encrypted information and the asymmetrical public key stored in step S24of the registration procedure, whether said one of the identity verification servers4is currently valid to perform identity verification.

In one embodiment, the user terminal2is operable to decrypt the encrypted web address of the respective set of encrypted information using the asymmetrical public key. Upon successful decryption of the encrypted web address, the user terminal2determines that said one of the identity verification servers4is currently valid to perform identity verification. Then, the flow proceeds to step S36. On the other hand, upon failed decryption of the encrypted web address of the encrypted information, it is determined by the user terminal2that said one of the identity verification servers4is currently invalid to perform identity verification. Then, the user terminal2is operable to send to the content-provider server3an invalid notification that said one of the identity verification servers4is invalid to perform identity verification (step S40).

In another embodiment, each set of encrypted information, which is stored in the database unit of the downloading unit1and corresponds to one of the identity verification servers4, further includes an encrypted authorization period associated with the identity verification server4. Referring further toFIG. 5, a procedure is shown to illustrate how the user terminal2determines, in step S35, whether said one of the identity verification servers4is currently valid to perform identity verification. In sub-step S51, the user terminal2is operable to determine whether the encrypted web address and the encrypted authorization period (i.e., the set of encrypted information) of said one of the identity verification servers4are successfully decrypted using the asymmetrical public key. If the result is negative, the flow goes to step S40ofFIG. 3. On the other hand, upon successful decryption of the encrypted web address and the encrypted authorization period associated with said one of the identity verification servers4, the user terminal2is operable to determine whether the current date is within the decrypted authorization period associated with said one of the identity verification servers4(sub-step S52). If the result is affirmative, the user terminal2determines that said one of the identity verification servers4is currently valid to perform identity verification (step S53). Then, the flow goes to step36ofFIG. 3. On the other hand, when the user terminal2determines that the current date is not within the decrypted authorization period associated with said one of the identity verification servers4, the user terminal2is operable to send to the downloading unit1an expiration notification that the authorization period associated with said one of the identity verification servers4has expired (step S54). Then, the flow goes to step S40ofFIG. 3.

In step S36, the user terminal2is operable to execute the scan program for scanning the hardware components of the user terminal2to obtain the identification codes of the hardware components that serve as hardware scan data associated with the user terminal2, and to transmit the hardware scan data thus obtained to said one of the identity verification servers4.

In step S37, upon receipt of the hardware scan data from the user terminal2, said one of the identity verification servers4is operable to compare the hardware scan data with the reference hardware scan data stored therein during the registration procedure of the user5for verifying the identity of the user5associated with the user terminal2, and to send a verification result to the content-provider server3. When the hardware scan data obtained in step S36does not conform with the reference hardware scan data stored in said one of the identity verification servers4, the verification result indicates that the verification of the identity of the user5has failed. On the other hand, when the hardware scan data obtained in step S36conforms with the reference hardware scan data stored in said one of the identity verification servers4, the verification result indicates that the verification of the identity of the user5is successful.

In step S38, the content-provider server3is operable to determine, based on the verification result from said one of the identity verification servers4, whether the identity of the user5is authenticated. When the verification result indicates that the verification of the identity of the user5has failed, it is determined by the content-provider server3that the identity of the user5is not authenticated. Thus, the flow goes to step S30. In this case, the user terminal2is denied access to the service website provided by the content-provider server3. On the other hand, when the verification result indicates that the verification of the identity of the user5is successful, it is determined by the content-provider server3that the identity of the user5is authenticated. Then, the content-provider server3is operable to redirect the user terminal2for connecting with the service website provided by the content-provider server3(step S39). Therefore, the user terminal2is authorized to access the service website.

In sum, the network authentication method according to this invention has the following advantages:

1. Since the user terminal2is dynamically directed to one of the identify verification servers4for further identity verification (i.e., the user terminal2may be directed to a different identify verification server4every time), and since the respective set of encrypted information stored in each identity verification server4and the asymmetrical public key stored in the user terminal2may be randomly updated in response to notification from the downloading unit1as required, multi-authentication for user identity can be achieved using the downloading unit1that provides the respective set of encrypted information to each identity verification server4, and the asymmetrical public key and the scan program to the user terminal2.

2. Every time the user terminal2implements step S36of the login procedure of the network authentication method, the user terminal2may execute the scan program for scanning the hardware components of the user terminal2to obtain the hardware scan data according to the identification codes of the hardware components, and the hardware scan data thus obtained for subsequent use in authenticating the identity of the user by said one of the identity verification servers4is dynamic data. Thus, a network content provider does not need to purchase additional equipment for identity authentication, and does not need to provide the user with a dynamic token, an IC electronic card, or a USB device with a PKI certificate. Also, the user5does not need to have additional authentication devices for different service websites.

3. Since the user terminal2is connected to the content-provider server3through the first communication link and is connected to said one of the identity verification servers4through the second communication link, it is relatively difficult to attack the first and second communication links simultaneously for stealing and/or tampering the data sent by the user terminal2.