Abstract:
A system and method thereof for authentication control are provided. A display device displays a password input screen. The password input screen comprises multiple display characters being displayed at a coordinate location individually. A storage device stores at least one password configuration record individually comprising a detection character and coordinate data thereof. A processing unit compares the display characters determine an access status when each detection character is the same as one of the display characters and the corresponding coordinate data corresponds to the corresponding coordinate location.

Description:
BACKGROUND  
       [0001]     The present invention relates to authentication management technology, and more particularly, to a system and method thereof for authentication control.  
         [0002]     Various methods, such as password, digital certification, IP address restriction, and the like, are utilized in conventional authentication control systems. These methods verify whether users or remote computer systems have rights to access hardware devices, e.g., projectors, mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), hard drives, digital cameras, computers, or others, or software systems. In password verification, it is determined whether an input character string matches a correct password, if so, permission is granted to access hardware devices or software systems. When a password is input, the mask symbols, e.g., “*”, “#”, and the like, are displayed to prevent unauthorized acquisition of the password by others.  
         [0003]      FIG. 1  is a diagram of a conventional password input screen. A password input screen  21  contains a user identity input field  21   a , a password input field  21   b  and a confirmation button  221   c . Ten “*” characters displayed in the password input field  21   b  are used to hide a correct password. Although the solution is adequate, in most situations, the correct password can be guessed by monitoring the password input screen and user keystrokes. In view of these limitations, a need exists for a system and method of authentication control reducing the risk of password theft.  
       SUMMARY  
       [0004]     An embodiment of an authentication control system comprises a display device, a storage device and a processing unit. The display device displays a password input screen. The password input screen comprises multiple display characters displayed individually at coordinate locations. The storage device stores at least one password configuration record individually comprising a detection character and coordinate data thereof. The processing unit compares the display characters to verify that each detection character is the same as one of the display characters and that the corresponding coordinate data corresponds to the corresponding coordinate location.  
         [0005]     Preferably, the processing unit directs the display device to generate an initial password input screen. The initial password input screen comprises multiple horizontal/vertical rotatable fields individually comprising the display characters. Each coordinate location of the display character is randomly generated. The processing unit directs the display device to select a predetermined field. The processing unit receives a field selection-signal with a field identity and directs the display device to select field corresponding to the field identity. The processing unit additionally receives a rotation signal with a direction and directs the display device to rotate all the display characters in the selected field to the selected position.  
         [0006]     An embodiment of an authentication control method comprises acquiring a password input screen with multiple display characters displayed at a coordinate location individually, acquiring at least one password configuration record having a detection character and coordinate data thereof, and disabling the password input screen if each of the display characters corresponding to the detection characters is displayed at the coordinate location corresponding to the coordinate data.  
         [0007]     Preferably, an embodiment of an authentication control method further comprises generating an initial password input screen with multiple horizontal/vertical rotatable fields comprise the display characters individually, each coordinate location of the display characters being randomly generated, selecting one of the fields, receiving a field selected signal with a field identity, selecting one of the fields corresponding to the field identity, receiving a rotation signal with a direction, and rotating all the display characters in the selected field to the selected position.  
         [0008]     Computer-readable storage media for storing computer programs also are disclosed for performing an embodiment of a method of authentication control.  
         [0009]     Preferably, when the field is selected, a rectangle is displayed around the field, an arrow image or the like points to the field, colors of the characters and background in the field alternate, and colors or fonts of characters in the field change.  
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]     Embodiments of invention can be more fully understood by reading the subsequent detailed description and examples of embodiments thereof with reference made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:  
         [0011]      FIG. 1  is a diagram of a conventional password input screen;  
         [0012]      FIG. 2  is a diagram of an embodiment of a hardware environment;  
         [0013]      FIG. 3  is a diagram of exemplary password configuration records;  
         [0014]      FIG. 4  shows an embodiment of a method of authentication control;  
         [0015]      FIG. 5  is an exemplary initial password input screen;  
         [0016]      FIGS. 6   a  to  6   h  are exemplary password input screens in various aspects;  
         [0017]      FIG. 7  is a diagram of an embodiment of a storage medium for a computer program providing a method of authentication control. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0018]      FIG. 2  is a diagram of an embodiment of a hardware environment. A brief, general description of suitable computer hardware and a suitable computing environment in conjunction with which at least some embodiments may be implemented is given in  FIG. 2 . The hardware environment of  FIG. 2  includes a processing unit  11 , a memory  12 , a storage device  13 , an input device  14 , a display device  15  and a communication device  16 . The processing unit  11  is connected by buses  17  to the memory  12 , storage device  13 , input device  14 , display device  15  and communication device  16  based on Von Neumann architecture. The processing unit  11  comprises a single central processing unit (CPU), a micro processing unit (MPU) or multiple processing units, commonly referred to as a parallel processing environment. The memory  12  is preferably a random access memory (RAM), but may also include read-only memory (ROM) or flash ROM. The memory  12  preferably stores program modules executed by the processing unit  11  to perform authentication control functions. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, or others, that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Moreover, those skilled in the art should understand that at least some embodiments may be practiced with other computer system configurations, including hand-held devices, multiprocessor-based, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, network PC&#39;s, minicomputers, mainframe computers, projectors, and the like. Some embodiments may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices linked through a communication network. In a distributed computing environment, program modules may be located in both local and remote memory storage devices. The storage device  13  may be a hard drive, magnetic drive, optical drive, a portable drive, or nonvolatile memory drive. The drives and their associated computer-readable media (if required) provide nonvolatile storage of computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules and password configuration records.  
         [0019]     The processing unit  11 , controlled by program modules received from the memory  12  and from an operator through the input device, directs authentication control functions. The storage device  13  may comprise a database system, a file, or the like, for storing multiple password configuration records.  FIG. 3  is a diagram of exemplary password configuration records, and includes four records  331  to  334 . Each password configuration record stores information regarding which character must be displayed by the display device  15  at a particular coordinate, and preferably comprises two fields, a character  31  and coordinate data  32 . The coordinate data  32  may be a two-dimensional coordinate or a multi-dimensional coordinate. The implementation of the password configuration records described above is not limited to a single table/file, but also to multiple related tables/files. Referring to records  331  to  334 , characters “d”, “4”, “%” and “ε” respectively correspond to two-dimensional coordinates (0,3), (1,3), (2,3) and (3,3).  
         [0020]     The memory  12  comprises program modules for performing an authentication control method.  FIG. 4  shows an embodiment of a method of authentication control. In step S 411 , an initial password input screen is displayed. The password input screen may comprise multiple horizontally or vertically rotatable fields. Each field comprises multiple randomly generated characters, and each character can be an alphanumeric character, symbol, or image icon. A predetermined field is selected for character rotation. When the field is selected a rectangle is displayed around the field, an arrow image or the like points to the field, colors of the characters and background in the field alternate, and colors or fonts of characters in the field change. In addition, the identity of the selected field is stored in a temporary variable.  
         [0021]     In step S 421 , an input signal is received from the input device  14 . In step S 422 , a signal type of the input signal is determined. If the signal type is a field selection signal, a rotation signal and a submit signal, the process respectively proceeds to step S 431 , S 441  and S 451 . In step S 431 , a target field identity is acquired, thereafter, in step S 432 , a field corresponding to the target field identity is selected, and finally, in step S 433 , the target field identity is stored in the temporary variable. In step S 441 , a direction is acquired. In step S 442 , a selected identity is acquired from the temporary variable, and finally, in step S 443 , characters in the field corresponding to the selected identity are rotated to the selected position. In step S 451 , the password configuration records are acquired. In step S 452 , the method determines whether all characters in the password configuration records are individually displayed at a position corresponding to the coordinate data, if so, the process proceeds to step S 453  to disable the password input screen, otherwise, to step S 421  to receive another signal.  
         [0022]     A method of an embodiment of the invention can be more fully understood by reading the subsequent detailed examples.  FIG. 5  is an exemplary initial password input screen. First, referring to step S 411 , an initial password input screen as shown in  FIG. 5  is generated. The password input screen  50  contains four horizontally rotatable fields, a 1 , b 1 , c 1  and d 1 , and a submit button  51 . The field a 1  contains alphanumeric characters, “b”, “c”, “d”, “e”, “f”, “g”, “f” and “a” in sequence. The field b 1  contains alphanumeric characters, “2”, “3”, “4”, “5”, “6”, “7”, “8” and “1” in sequence. The field c 1  contains symbols, “?”, “?”, “*”, “*”, “%”, “@”, “@” and “%” in sequence. The field d contains alphanumeric characters, “μ”, “α”, “β”, “γ”, “δ”, “ε”, “θ” and “λ” in sequence. The field a 1  in the initial password input screen  50  is selected by displaying a rectangle surrounding the field. In addition, the identity of field a 1  is stored in a temporary variable.  
         [0023]     In order to move specific characters in the fields, a 1 , b 1 , c 1  and d 1 , to the relevant positions corresponding to the password configuration records as shown in  FIG. 3 , a series of operations are performed.  FIGS. 6   a  to  6   h  are exemplary password input screens in various aspects.  
         [0024]     The method first receives a rotation signal to rotate characters in a selected field to the right. Thereafter, steps S 422 , S 441 , S 442  and S 443  are sequentially performed to rotate characters in the field a 1  to the right one position, and the resulting screen is shown as  FIG. 6   a.    
         [0025]     Thereafter, the method receives a selection signal to select a field next to the previous selected field. Steps S 422 , S 431 , S 432  and S 433  are sequentially performed to display a rectangle surrounding the field b 1 , as shown in  FIG. 6   b . The method further receives a rotation signal to rotate characters in the selected field to the right. Steps S 422 , S 441 , S 442  and S 443  are sequentially performed to rotate characters in the field b 1  to the right one position, and the resulting screen is shown as  FIG. 6   c.    
         [0026]     The method receives a selection signal to select a field next to the previous selected field. Steps S 422 , S 431 , S 432  and S 433  are sequentially performed to display a rectangle surrounding the field c 1 , as shown in  FIG. 6   d . The method subsequently receives a rotation signal to rotate characters in the selected field to the left. Steps S 422 , S 441 , S 442  and S 443  are sequentially performed to rotate characters in the field c 1  to the left two positions, and the resulting screen is shown as  FIG. 6   e.    
         [0027]     The method receives a selection signal to select a field under the previous selected field. Steps S 422 , S 431 , S 432  and S 433  are sequentially performed to display a rectangle surrounding the field d 1 , as shown in  FIG. 6   f . The method further receives two rotation signals to rotate characters in the selected field to the left. Steps S 422 , S 441 , S 442  and S 443  are sequentially and repeatedly performed twice to rotate characters in the field d 1  to the left two positions, and the resulting screens are shown as  FIGS. 6   g  and  6   h.    
         [0028]     Finally, the method receives a submit signal from the button  51 . Step S 451  is performed to acquire the password configuration records as shown in  FIG. 3 . Step S 452  is then performed to verify that all characters in the password configuration records are displayed at relevant positions. Step S 453  is performed to disable the password input screen  50 , thereby allowing access to a hardware device or a software system.  
         [0029]     An exemplary storage medium for storing a computer program  720  that provides a computer-implemented method of authentication control is shown in  FIG. 7 . The storage medium  70  comprises computer readable program code embodied in the medium for use in a computer system, the computer readable program code comprising at least computer readable program code  721  for generating an initial password input screen, computer readable program code  722  for receiving an input signal, computer readable program code  723  for determining an input signal type, computer readable program code  724  for selecting a field, computer readable program code  725  for rotating a selected field, and computer readable program code  726  for detecting a password input screen with password configuration records.  
         [0030]     Embodiments of methods and systems, or certain aspects or portions thereof, may take the form of program code (i.e., instructions) embodied in tangible media, such as floppy diskettes, CD-ROMS, hard drives, or any other machine-readable storage medium, wherein, when the program code is loaded into and executed by a machine, such as a computer, the machine becomes an apparatus for practicing the invention. Embodiments of methods and apparatus of the present invention may also be embodied in the form of program code transmitted over some transmission medium, such as electrical wiring or cabling, through fiber optics, or via any other form of transmission, wherein, when the program code is received and loaded into and executed by a machine, such as a computer, the machine becomes an apparatus for practicing the invention. When implemented on a general-purpose processor, the program code combines with the processor to provide a unique apparatus that operates analogously to specific logic circuits.  
         [0031]     Although the present invention has been described in preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit the invention to the precise embodiments disclosed herein. Those who are skilled in this technology can still make various alterations and modifications without departing from the scope and spirit of this invention. Therefore, the scope of the present invention shall be defined and protected by the following claims and their equivalents.