Application security system and method

1. A computing device, comprising:

a processor;

a computer readable memory;

a display screen;

a touch sensitive panel overlying the display screen;

an angle sensor; and

computing device application instructions coded in the computer readable memory and executed by the processor to:

display a user-selectable photograph on the display screen, the user-selectable photograph including a group of fiducials,

generate captured trace stroke pattern data, wherein:

the captured trace stroke pattern data comprises multiple coordinate values along one or more trace strokes between a pair of fiducials from the group of fiducials on the touch sensitive panel where touched by a user,

a measured angle value measured by the angle sensor and representing the angle of the touch sensitive panel when the captured trace pattern data was captured,

initiate comparison of the captured trace stroke pattern data and associated measured angle value with trace pattern verification data and associated angle value, wherein:

the trace pattern verification data comprises coordinate data values representing coordinate values along one or more trace strokes on the touch sensitive panel and the associated angle value, and

provide for authentication of the user based on the comparison of the captured trace stroke pattern data and the trace pattern verification data, wherein the user is only authenticated if the measured angle value associated with the captured trace stroke pattern data matches, within a threshold, the angle value associated with the trace pattern verification data.

2. The computing device according to claim 1 , wherein the measured angle value associated with the captured trace stroke pattern data and the angle value associated with the trace pattern data identify the touch sensitive panel as being in portrait mode or landscape mode and the user is authenticated only if the measured angle value and the angle value match.

3. The computing device according to claim 1 , wherein:

the measured angle value comprises a measured angle associated with each coordinate value of the captured trace pattern data;

the angle value associated with the trace pattern verification data includes an angle associated with each coordinate data value of the trace pattern verification data.

4. The computing device according to claim 1 , wherein the coordinate data values represent coordinate values along a plurality of trace strokes on the touch sensitive panel.

5. The computing device according to claim 4 , wherein the plurality of trace strokes have a particular order as part of the comparison.

6. The computing device according to claim 1 , wherein the computing device application instructions are executed by the processor to initiate comparison of the captured trace stroke pattern data with static coordinate data representing a specific location on the touch sensitive panel.

7. The computing device according to claim 1 , wherein the measured angle value represents the angle of the touch sensitive panel along three orthogonal axes when the captured trace pattern data was captured.

8. The computing device according to claim 1 , wherein the angle sensor includes at least one of a gyroscope and an accelerometer.

9. The computing device according to claim 1 , further comprising a location sensor, wherein:

a measured geolocation value received from the location sensor is associated with the captured trace pattern data,

the measured geolocation value represents the location of the touch sensitive panel when the captured trace pattern data was captured,

the trace pattern verification data includes an associated geolocation value, and

the user is only authenticated if the measured geolocation value of the captured trace stroke pattern data matches, within a threshold, the geolocation value of the trace pattern verification data.

10. A computing device, comprising:

a processor;

a computer readable memory;

a display screen;

a touch sensitive panel overlying the display screen;

an angle sensor;

a location sensor; and

computing device application instructions coded in the computer readable memory and executed by the processor to:

display a user-selectable photograph on the display screen, the user-selectable photograph including a group of fiducials,

generate captured trace stroke pattern data, wherein:

the captured trace stroke pattern data comprises multiple coordinate values along one or more trace strokes between a pair of fiducials from the group of fiducials on the touch sensitive panel where touched by a user,

a measured geolocation value received from the location sensor is associated with the captured trace pattern data, and

the measured geolocation value represents the location of the touch sensitive panel when the captured trace pattern data was captured,

initiate comparison of the captured trace stroke pattern data and associated geolocation value with trace pattern verification data and associated geolocation value, wherein:

the trace pattern verification data comprises coordinate data values representing coordinate values along one or more trace strokes on the touch sensitive panel and the trace pattern verification data is associated with a geolocation value, and

a measured angle value measured by the angle sensor and representing the angle of the touch sensitive panel when the captured trace pattern data was captured is associated with the captured trace stroke pattern data,

the trace pattern verification data is associated with an angle value, and

provide for authentication of the user based on the comparison of the captured trace stroke pattern data and the trace pattern verification data, wherein the user is only authenticated:

if the measured geolocation value of the captured trace stroke pattern data matches, within a threshold, the geolocation value of the trace pattern verification data, and

if the measured angle value associated with the captured trace stroke pattern data matches, within a threshold, the angle value associated with the trace pattern verification data.

11. The computing device according to claim 10 , wherein the location sensor determines the measured geolocation value using at least one of a global positioning system (GPS) receiver, an IP address of the computing device, cellular triangulation, or WIFI triangulation.

12. The computing device according to claim 10 , wherein:

the geolocation value associated with the trace pattern verification data includes multiple locations, and

the user is only authenticated if the measured geolocation value of the captured trace stroke pattern data matches, within the threshold, at least one of the multiple locations of the geolocation value of the trace pattern verification data.

13. A method for authenticating a user of a computing device, the computing device including a processor; a computer readable memory; a display screen; a touch sensitive panel overlying the display screen; an angle sensor; and computing device application instructions coded in the computer readable memory and executed by the processor, the method comprising:

displaying a user-selectable photograph on the display screen, the user-selectable photograph including a group of fiducials,

generating captured pattern data, wherein:

the captured trace stroke pattern data comprises multiple coordinate values along one or more trace strokes between a pair of fiducials from the group of fiducials on the touch sensitive panel where touched by the user, and

a measured angle value measured by the angle sensor and representing the angle of the touch sensitive panel when the captured trace pattern data was captured,

initiate comparison of the captured trace stroke pattern data and associated measured angle value with trace pattern verification data and associated angle value, wherein:

the trace pattern verification data comprises coordinate data values representing coordinate values along one or more trace strokes on the touch sensitive panel and the associated angle value, and

authenticating the user based on the comparison of the captured trace stroke pattern data and the trace pattern verification data, wherein the user is only authenticated if the measured angle value associated with the captured trace stroke pattern data matches, within a threshold, the angle value associated with the trace pattern verification data.

14. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the measured angle value associated with the captured trace stroke pattern data and the angle value associated with the trace pattern data identify the touch sensitive panel as being in portrait mode or landscape mode and the user is authenticated only if the measured angle value and the angle value match.

15. The method according to claim 13 , wherein:

the measured angle value comprises a measured angle associated with each coordinate value of the captured trace pattern data;

the angle value associated with the trace pattern verification data includes an angle associated with each coordinate data value of the trace pattern verification data.

16. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the coordinate data values represent coordinate values along a plurality of trace strokes on the touch sensitive panel.

17. The method according to claim 16 , wherein the plurality of trace strokes have a particular order as part of the comparison.

18. The method according to claim 13 , wherein the measured angle value represents the angle of the touch sensitive panel along three orthogonal axes when the captured trace pattern data was captured.

19. The method according to claim 13 , wherein:

the computing device additionally includes a location sensor,

a measured geolocation value received from the location sensor is associated with the captured trace pattern data,

the measured geolocation value represents the location of the touch sensitive panel when the captured trace pattern data was captured,

the trace pattern verification data includes an associated geolocation value, and

the user is only authenticated if the measured geolocation value of the captured trace stroke pattern data matches, within a threshold, the geolocation value of the trace pattern verification data.

20. A method for authenticating a user of a computing device, the computing device including an angle sensor, a processor; a computer readable memory; a display screen; a touch sensitive panel overlying the display screen; a location sensor; and computing device application instructions coded in the computer readable memory and executed by the processor, the method comprising:

displaying a user-selectable photograph on the display screen, the user-selectable photograph including a group of fiducials,

generating captured pattern data, wherein:

the captured trace stroke pattern data comprises multiple coordinate values along one or more trace strokes between a pair of fiducials from the group of fiducials on the touch sensitive panel where touched by the user, and

a measured geolocation value received from the location sensor is associated with the captured trace pattern data and the measured geolocation value represents the location of the touch sensitive panel when the captured trace pattern data was captured,

a measured angle value measured by the angle sensor and representing the angle of the touch sensitive panel when the captured trace pattern data was captured is associated with the captured trace stroke pattern data,

initiate comparison of the captured trace stroke pattern data and associated measured geolocation value with trace pattern verification data and associated geolocation value, wherein:

the trace pattern verification data comprises coordinate data values representing coordinate values along one or more trace strokes on the touch sensitive panel and the trace pattern verification data is associated with a geolocation value and an angle value, and

authenticating the user based on the comparison of the captured trace stroke pattern data and the trace pattern verification data, wherein the user is only authenticated:

if the measured geolocation value of the captured trace stroke pattern data matches, within a threshold, the geolocation value of the trace pattern verification data, and

if the measured angle value associated with the captured trace stroke pattern data matches, within a threshold, the angle value associated with the trace pattern verification data.

21. The method according to claim 20 , wherein:

the geolocation value associated with the trace pattern verification data includes multiple locations, and

the user is only authenticated if the measured geolocation value of the captured trace stroke pattern data matches, within the threshold, at least one of the multiple locations of the geolocation value of the trace pattern verification data.