Patent ID: 8171298

Claim:
Apparatus for use in performing user authentication, comprising: at least one processor operative to: obtain user input, wherein at least a portion of the user input is associated with two or more verification objects; verify the user based on the two or more verification objects in accordance with at least one verification policy operating on a context shared across the two or more verification objects; and update the shared context based at least in part on at least one of the two or more verification objects, wherein updating the shared context comprises updating a history pertaining to the two or more verification objects invoked during the user verification operation and updating outcomes associated with invocation of each of the two or more verification objects, wherein the context comprises a finite state machine defining state transitions for the user input associated with two or more verification objects and the results associated with the user verification operation in accordance with the at least one verification policy; and memory, coupled to the at least one processor, for storing at least one of the user input and results associated with the user verification operation.