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  Biometric authentication system for enhancing network securityUSPTO Application #: 20070245152Title: Biometric authentication system for enhancing network security Abstract: A network-based biometric authentication system includes a client computer (10), a third party server (24), and a biometric authentication server (26). A user requests access to a web site hosted by the third party server via the client computer, wherein the third party server communicates a deployable object to the client computer. The client computer executes the deployable object, wherein the object enables the client computer to receive a user name, password, and biometric data from the user and to communicate the user name, password, and biometric data to the biometric authentication server in a secure fashion. The biometric authentication server authenticates the user name, password, and biometric data, and communicates the user name and password to the third party server, which attempts to verify the user name and password in a conventional manner and grants access to the user if the user name and password are verified. (end of abstract) Agent: Hovey Williams LLP - Kansas City, MO, US Inventors: Erix Pizano, Kass Aiken USPTO Applicaton #: 20070245152 - Class: 713186000 (USPTO) Related Patent Categories: Electrical Computers And Digital Processing Systems: Support, System Access Control Based On User Identification By Cryptography, Using Record Or Token, Biometric Acquisition The Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070245152. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to the field of computer security. More particularly, the present invention involves a system for transparently enhancing secure access to a network node by validating a user's identity using biometric data, wherein biometric authentication occurs on a biometric authentication server and the network node to which access is sought initiates the biometric authentication process. [0003] 2. Description of Prior Art [0004] Providing secure Internet transactions has become increasingly important as use of the Internet for business, financial, and other sensitive transactions has become ubiquitous. Traditionally, network servers hosted by businesses have been programmed to require a user to submit identification information, such as a user name and a password, before allowing the user to access files managed by the server. [0005] Use of such identification information renders the server susceptible to access by unauthorized users who obtain a valid user's identification information by, for example, intercepting network communications. Requiring a user's biometric data, such as a fingerprint, before granting the user access is known in the art and benefits from the added measure of security inherent in biometric authentication systems. For example, fingerprint data and other biometric data cannot be "stolen" as easily as a user name and password, and, even if stolen, cannot be used to circumvent security if the system requires the user to submit fresh biometric data via a biometric sensor. [0006] While use of biometric data increases the security of computer networks, it also requires special hardware and software to implement. For example, fingerprint-based biometric authentication requires use of a fingerprint scanner, driver software for the scanner, and software for authenticating fingerprint data received via the fingerprint scanner. Authenticating the fingerprint data may include, for example, comparing the data with fingerprint data stored in a database to determine whether the received data matches the stored data. Thus, implementing a biometric authentication system can require significant hardware and software resources that, in some circumstances, render it impractical or even impossible to implement. [0007] Accordingly, there is a need for an improved network security system that does not suffer from the problems and limitations of the prior art. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0008] The present invention provides an improved biometric authentication system for network transactions. Particularly, the present invention provides a system for transparently enhancing secure access to a network node by validating a user's identity using biometric data, wherein biometric authentication occurs on a biometric authentication server and the network node to which access is sought initiates the biometric authentication process. [0009] A first embodiment of the invention is a computer program for enabling a biometric authentication system, wherein at least a portion of the program is stored on a computer-usable medium. The computer program enables a first computer to receive biometric data and identification information from a user and to communicate the biometric data and the identification information to a second computer. The second computer creates a first transaction identifier, and verifies the identification information by confirming that the biometric data corresponds to at least a portion of the identification information. [0010] The program further enables a third computer to communicate to the second computer a request for at least a portion of the identification information, wherein the request includes a second transaction identifier. The second computer communicates at least a portion of the identification information to the third computer if the first transaction identifier corresponds to the second transaction identifier and if the biometric data corresponds to at least a portion of the identification information. [0011] According to a second embodiment of the invention, the program enables a first computer to communicate a deployable object to a second computer via a network communications medium, wherein the deployable object enables the second computer to generate a first token, to receive identification information and biometric data from a user, to bundle the biometric data with the token and secure the bundle, and to communicate the first token to the first computer and the bundle to a third computer. [0012] The program enables the third computer to create a second token and to verify the first token received from the second computer by determining whether the first token corresponds to the second token, and enables the third computer to verify the biometric data received from the second computer by comparing the received data to biometric data stored in a database. [0013] The third computer communicates the identification information received from the second computer to the first computer if the second token corresponds to the first token, if the received biometric data matches biometric data stored in the database, and if the biometric data corresponds to at least a portion of the identification information. [0014] According to a third embodiment of the invention, the program enables a network server computer to communicate an ActiveX control to a network client computer via a network communications medium, wherein the ActiveX control enables the client computer to generate a first token, to receive a user name and password from the user, to control a biometric sensor and receive biometric data from the user via the sensor, to combine and encrypt the biometric data and password, to combine the user name with the encrypted biometric data and password to form a bundle and encrypt the bundle, and to communicate the first token to the network server computer and the bundle to the biometric authentication server. [0015] The biometric authentication server creates a second token and determines whether the first token corresponds to the second token, determines whether the biometric data received from the client matches biometric data stored in a database, and determines whether the biometric data received from the client corresponds to the user name or the password. [0016] The biometric authentication server communicates the user name and password received from the client computer to the network server computer if the first token corresponds to the second token, if the biometric data received from the client matches biometric data stored in a database, and if the biometric data received from the client corresponds to the user name or the password. [0017] These and other important aspects of the present invention are described more fully in the detailed description below. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0018] An embodiment of the present invention is described in detail below with reference to the attached drawing figures, wherein: [0019] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary system for implementing a computer program in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; [0020] FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of certain steps performed by the computer program for providing transparent biometric authentication for network-based transactions; [0021] FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of certain steps performed by the computer program for bundling and securing identification and biometric information for communication in a network-based transaction; and Continue reading... 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