Methods, apparatus and systems for securing user-associated passwords used for identity authentication

1. A method of encrypting authentication information, comprising:

receiving a request for a user-associated password at a user computing device from a requesting device;

receiving the user-associated password at the user computing device from a user, the user-associated password having a format that comprises a number of characters, wherein the user-associated password is a password that authenticates an identity of the user, thereby being authentication information;

generating a temporary password, by the user computing device;

generating, by the user computing device, a key from the temporary password;

encrypting, by the user computing device, the received user-associated password using at least the key resulting in an encrypted user-associated password having the same format and the same number of characters as the received user-associated password; and

communicating the encrypted user-associated password from the user computing device to the requesting device in place of the received user-associated password in response to the request for the user-associated password.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein encrypting the user-associated password comprises:

generating the key for a block encryption algorithm from the temporary password;

padding the received user-associated password resulting in a padded user-associated password; and

encrypting the padded user-associated password using the generated key.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the temporary password is a One Time Password (OTP), the block encryption algorithm is the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), and the user-associated password is in decimal form.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the temporary password is the same length as or has a greater length than the user-associated password, and encrypting the user-associated password comprises changing an element of the user-associated password based on a corresponding element of the temporary password.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising generating a cryptogram wherein the temporary password is part of or all of the cryptogram, the encrypting the received user-associated password using at least the temporary password is based on the cryptogram.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

adding synchronization information to the encrypted user-associated password; and

communicating the synchronization information from the user computing device to the requesting device together with the encrypted user-associated password in place of the user-associated password.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the synchronization information comprises data from an Application Transaction Counter (ATC), a timestamp, or a received unique code.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the format of the received user-associated password comprises a number of decimal digits, wherein the encrypted user-associated password has the same number of decimal digits as the received user-associated password.

9. A method of decrypting authentication information, comprising:

receiving a user-associated password from a user, the user-associated password having a format that comprises a number of characters;

storing the user-associated password in association with the user;

sending a request to a user computing device for the user-associated password;

receiving an encrypted user-associated password having the same format and the same number of characters from the user computing device in place of the requested user-associated password, wherein the encrypted user-associated password, when decrypted, authenticates an identity of the user by matching the stored user-associated password;

generating a temporary password, at a decryption server as would have been done using the user computing device;

decrypting the encrypted user-associated password using at least the temporary password, resulting in a user-associated password, the user-associated password being authentication information; and

comparing the decrypted user-associated password to the stored user associated password.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising:

receiving synchronization information together with the encrypted user-associated password, wherein the temporary password is generated using at least the received synchronization information.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

converting the received synchronization information and user-associated password to binary form; and

extracting select bits from the binary form, the select bits representing synchronization information;

wherein the temporary password is generated using at least the select bits.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the select bits are from an Application Transaction Counter (ATC).

13. A method of encrypting authentication information, comprising:

receiving a request for a user-associated password at a user computing device from a requesting device;

receiving the user-associated password at the user computing device from a user, the user-associated password having a decimal form, wherein the user-associated password is a password that authenticates an identity of the user, thereby being authentication information;

generating a temporary password, by the user computing device;

converting, by the user computing device, the user-associated password into a binary form;

performing, by the user computing device, a bitwise XOR of the binary form of the user-associated password with at least a portion of the temporary password as represented in a binary form resulting in a binary and encrypted form of the user-associated password;

converting, by the user computing device, the binary form of the encrypted user-associated password into decimal form; and

communicating the decimal form of the encrypted user-associated password from the user computing device to the requesting device in place of the received user-associated password in response to the request for the user-associated password.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the temporary password is a cryptogram.

15. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:

adding bits from an Application Transaction Counter (ATC) to the binary form of the encrypted user-associated password before converting the binary form of the encrypted user-associated password into decimal form.

16. A device for encrypting authentication information, comprising:

a communication interface operable to receive a request from a requesting device for a user-associated password and to receive the user-associated password having a format that comprises a number of characters from a user, the user-associated password authenticates an identity of the user, thereby being authentication information; and

a processor operable to generate a temporary password, generate a key from the temporary password, and encrypt the received user-associated password using at least the key resulting in an encrypted user-associated password having the same format and the same number of characters as the received user-associated password, the processor operable to transmit the encrypted user-associated password via the communication interface to the requesting device in place of the received user-associated password in response to the request for the user-associated password.

17. The device of claim 16 , a wherein the communication interface is operable to display the encrypted user-associated password to the user.

18. The device of claim 16 , wherein the processor is further operable to generate a cryptogram, wherein the temporary password is part of or all of the cryptogram.

19. The device of claim 16 , wherein the processor is further operable to add synchronization information to the encrypted user-associated password.