System and Method for the Secure, Transparent and Continuous Synchronization of Access Credentials in an Arbitrary Third Party System

1 . A method, comprising:

receiving forwarded authenticated user provided access credentials by an add-on authentication client associated with at least one third party component operable to protect one or more portions of a client system;

making a first attempt to authenticate the forwarded authenticated user provided access credentials with the add-on authentication client's locally stored third-party credentials by hashing the forwarded authenticated user provided access credentials to obtain a hash result;

decrypting a root key using the has result;

comparing a hash value to ensure the root key was properly decrypted; and

unlocking one or more portions of the client system protected by the third party component in response to authentication of the forwarded authenticated user access credentials using the locally stored third-party credentials.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising, in response to a failure to authenticate the forwarded authenticated user access credentials in the first attempt to authenticate, synchronizing add-on authentication credentials with the forwarded authenticated user access credentials, without user notification or additional user input, through communication with the add-on authentication server by the add-on authentication client.

3 . The method claim 2 , further comprising:

sending a credential challenge to the add-on authentication server;

generating from the credential challenge a credential response;

sending the credential response to the add-on authentication client;

attempting to verify the credential response at the add-on authentication client; and

unlocking one or more portions of the client system protected by the third party component through the add-on authentication client in response to verification of the credential response by the add-on authentication client.

4 . The method of claim 3 , further comprising creating, at the add-on authentication client, the credential challenge from a root key associated with one or more of a device identification and user identification.

5 . The method of claim 3 , further comprising:

retrieving, at the add-on authentication server, a root key associated with at least one of a device identification or user identification provided by the add-on authentication client; and

generating the credential response from the retrieved root key and a challenge code provided by the add-on authentication client.

6 . The method of claim 3 , further comprising generating and storing a challenge code at initialization of the add-on authentication client and following at least a first usage of the credential challenge or credential response.

7 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising establishing a shared secret between the add-on authentication server and at least one add-on authentication client associated one or more third party components operable to protect at least a portion of the client system.

8 . The method of claim 3 , further comprising:

in response to a failure to authenticate the forwarded authenticated user provided access credentials in the first attempt to authenticate, assuming the forwarded authenticated user provided access credentials include updated user access credentials; and

in response to successful verification of the credential response, storing the updated user access credentials for use by the add-on authentication client during subsequent user access attempts.

9 . A system, comprising:

at least one microprocessor;

at least one memory operably associated with the at least one processor;

a communications interface operably associated with the at least one processor and operable to exchange information through one or more communications media; and an add-on authentication client storable in the memory and executable in the processor, the add-on authentication client operable to receive user access credentials authenticated by an existing authentication client, attempt to authenticate the received user access credentials with at least one of an add-on authentication server or cached user accessed credentials, unlock one or more portions of the system protected by an associated third party component, in response to authentication of the user access credentials with at least one of the add-on authentication server or the cached credentials, send a credential challenge to the add-on authentication server in response to a failure to authenticate the received user access credentials, receive a credential response, attempt to authenticate the credential response, and unlock a portion of the system protected by the associated third party component upon authentication of the credential response.

10 . The system of claim 9 , further comprising the add-on authentication client operable to update one or more user access credentials maintained by the add-on authentication client.

11 . The system of claim 9 , further comprising the add-on authentication client operable to:

assume the user access credentials authenticated by the existing authentication client but which cannot be authenticated by the add-on authentication client without sending a credential challenge to the add-on authentication server are updated user access credentials; and

update one or more user access credentials accessible by the add-on authentication client in response to authentication of the credential response.

12 . The system of claim 9 , further comprising the add-on authentication client operable to:

receive a user access credential update notification from the existing authentication client;

receive updated user access credentials;

challenge the received updated user access credentials with the existing authentication server; and

update one or more user access credentials accessible by the add-on authentication client upon completing a successful challenge.

13 . A method for secure transparent continuously synchronized credentials in an arbitrary third party system, comprising:

receiving a credential update notification;

retrieving a challenge code and a device identification;

sending the challenge code and device identification to a credential and authentication manager;

retrieving an encrypted root key associated with the device identification;

generating a response code using the challenge code and root key;

transmitting the response code to a client credential and authentication manager;

verifying correctness of the response code by successfully decrypting the root key associated with the device identification; and

updating the one or more access credentials.

14 . A method for maintaining synchronization between user access credentials required by an existing authentication client and an add-on authentication client without user intervention or notification, comprising:

receiving at the add-on authentication client one or more user access credentials authenticated by at least one of an existing authentication client or an existing authentication server;

attempting to authenticate the user access credentials at the add-on authentication client;

conducting a challenge with an add-on authentication server communicatively associated with the add-on authentication client in response to a failure to authenticate the user access credentials by the add-on authentication client; and

updating one or more user access credentials accessible by the add-on authentication client upon successfully completing the challenge with the add-on authentication server.