Method of providing transactions employing advertising based verification
View Patent ↗A method of improving electronic security establishes a secure trusted path between a user and an institution seeking an electronic signature to verify a transaction before any request for signature and completing electronic transaction activities occurs. The secure trusted path providing the user with a first predetermined portion of a branded watermark, for instance an advertisement, provided from the institution in conjunction with the request, and a second predetermined portion of the branded watermark being provided upon a personalized device that cannot be intercepted or manipulated by malware, allowing the user to verify that the request as displayed upon the user's primary computing device is valid.
1. A method comprising:
selecting, by a transactor server, a watermark from a group of advertisements, wherein the watermark is an advertisement;
generating a watermarked document by embedding, by the transactor server, the watermark in a document;
transmitting, by the transactor server, the watermarked document in a first validation request to a user computer;
displaying, by the user computer, the first validation request;
embedding into a second validation request, by the transactor server, an indication of the advertisement that is embedded in the watermarked document;
transmitting, by the transactor server, the second validation request to the secure module;
displaying, by the secure module, the second validation request;
prior to completing a transaction, requesting, by the user computer, a digital signature;
in response to the digital signature request and the displaying of the first and second validation requests receiving, by the secure module, a fingerprint; and
completing, by the secure module, the transaction by authorizing a digital signature based on the received fingerprint.
2. A method according to claim 1 wherein at least some of the data is transmitted via a secure communication path.
3. A method according to claim 1 wherein the indication comprises an index indicative of the watermark selected from the group of advertisements.
4. A method according to claim 1 wherein the advertisement comprises first image data and wherein displaying the first validation request comprises providing, by the user computer, the first image data in human intelligible form.
5. A method according to claim 4 wherein the indication of the advertisement comprises second image data and wherein displaying the second validation request comprises providing, by the secure module, the second image data in human intelligible form.
6. A method according to claim 1 wherein the advertisement comprises first audio data and wherein displaying the first validation request comprises providing, by the user computer, the first audio data in human intelligible form.
7. A method according to claim 6 wherein the indication of the advertisement comprises second audio data and wherein displaying the second validation request comprises providing, by the secure module, the second audio data in human intelligible form.
8. A method according to claim 1 wherein the first validation request comprises a time signature, the time signature for use in detecting delays, the delays potentially indicative of tampering.
9. A method according to claim 1 wherein the second validation request comprises data for use by a known user of the secure module in determining a content of the advertisement, the data other than a direct indication of the advertisement.
10. A computer implemented system comprising:
a transactor server comprising a processor and
a memory, the memory having stored thereon computer executable instructions, which when executed by the transactor server cause the transactor server to perform the steps of:
selecting a watermark from a group of advertisements, wherein the watermark is an advertisement;
generating a watermarked document by embedding the watermark in a document;
transmitting the watermarked document in a first validation request to a user computer;
embedding into a second validation request an indication of the advertisement that is embedded in the watermarked document; and,
transmitting the second validation request to a secure module;
a user computer comprising a processor and a memory, the memory having stored thereon computer executable instructions, which when executed by the user computer cause the user computer to perform the steps of:
displaying the first validation request and
prior to completing a transaction, requesting a digital signature;
a secure module comprising a processor and a memory, the memory having stored thereon computer executable instructions, which when executed by the secure module cause the secure module to perform the steps of:
displaying the second validation request;
in response to the digital signature request and the displaying of the first and second validation requests receiving a fingerprint; and
completing the transaction by authorizing a digital signature based on the received fingerprint.