System and method of notifying mobile devices to complete transactions after additional agent verification

1. A method of multi-factor authentication of a digital transaction, the method comprising:

at a service provider:

receiving a transaction request from an initiator using an initiating user device for initiating the digital transaction, the transaction request comprising user authentication credentials for performing a first factor authentication at the service provider, the initiating user device being distinct from an authority user device registered to authenticate or authorize transactions;

authenticating the initiator based on the user authentication credentials;

at an authentication process:

receiving a request from the service provider, the request comprising an authentication request and transaction request data associated with the transaction request to the service provider, wherein the transaction request data comprises (i) details of the transaction request and (ii) multi-factor authentication account identification data;

identifying a multi-factor authentication account maintained by the authentication process based on the request;

using the multi-factor authentication account to identify a multi-factor authentication application of the authority user device that is registered in association with the multi-factor authentication account;

in response to identifying the multi-factor authentication application of the authority user device, providing an authentication message to the multi-factor authentication application on the authority user device, the authentication message directing a user of the authority user device to perform a biometric scan at a biometric scanner of the authority user device;

at the multi-factor authentication application, performing a second factor of authentication by verifying, locally and with an operating system of the authority user device, that biometric scan data is associated with an authorized user of the authority user device;

returning to the service provider, an authentication response comprising authentication response data relating to the authentication response; and

completing the digital transaction or denying the digital transaction based on the authentication response data.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the authentication message includes a selectable option that allows an additional authentication to be performed by verifying, locally and with the operating system of the authority user device, a passcode submitted by the user of the authority user device;

selecting the selectable option; and

performing an additional authentication based on a receipt of the passcode.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the authentication message directs the user of the authority user device to perform the biometric scan only after the multi-factor authentication application hosted on the authority user device receives a preliminary approval of the transaction request from the user of the authority user device.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

prompting the user to approve or not to approve the transaction request by providing via the multi-factor authentication application hosted on the authority user device an input to approve or an input not to approve the transaction request after performing the biometric scan.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

detecting by the authentication process that the service provider is associated with a security-sensitive application, wherein the security-sensitive application is an application designated by the service provider as requiring additional authentication for an associated transaction; and

in response to detecting that the service provider is associated with the security-sensitive application, automatically implementing an authentication policy that specifies that the performing of the biometric scan must be performed to complete the transaction.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein detecting that the service provider is associated with the security-sensitive application comprises analyzing an identifier of the service provider with regard to a list of security-sensitive applications.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

detecting, at the authentication process, that the user of the authority user device comprises a security-sensitive user; and

in response to detecting that the user of the authority user device comprises the security-sensitive user, automatically implementing an authentication policy that specifies that the performance of the biometric scan is to be performed to complete the transaction, wherein a security-sensitive user relates to any user that the authentication process designates as needing additional user authentication for completing transactions.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining a likelihood that the transaction request comprises a suspicious transaction based on the data associated with the transaction request; and

detecting, at the authentication process, that the transaction request comprises a suspicious transaction request, wherein detecting that the transaction request comprises the suspicious transaction includes determining a likelihood that the transaction request was not initiated by the user of the authority user device associated with the authority user device;

wherein directing the user of the authority user device to perform the biometric scan comprises directing the user of the authority user device to perform the biometric scan only in response to detecting suspicious transaction requests.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein detecting that the transaction request comprises the suspicious transaction request comprises receiving indication from the service provider that the transaction request is suspicious.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein detecting that the transaction request comprises the suspicious transaction request comprises detecting that the transaction request is suspicious based on historical transaction request data stored at the authentication process.

11. The method of claim 1 , upon receipt of the transaction request at the service provider, performing by the service provider an initial authentication of the initiator of the transaction request and only a subsequent authentication of the transaction request is performed by the authentication process, the subsequent authentication comprising a biometric authentication for receiving the biometric scan.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

preventing the authentication process from inspecting one or more features of the transaction request from the service provider, wherein the preventing includes encrypting at least part of the transaction request at the service provider prior to transmitting the transaction request to the authentication process; and

decrypting the transaction request only at the multi-factor authentication application hosted on the authority user device.

13. A method performed by a user device to enable multi-factor authentication of a digital transaction, the method comprising:

receiving a request from a service provider, the request comprising an authentication request and transaction request data associated with a transaction request provided to the service provider, wherein the transaction request data comprises (i) details of the transaction request and (ii) multi-factor authentication account identification data, the transaction request having been provided to the service provider by an initiator using an initiating user device distinct from an authority user device registered to authenticate or authorize transactions, the transaction request including user authentication credentials for performing a first factor authentication at the service provider and wherein the initiator is authenticated by the service provider based on the user authentication credentials;

identifying a multi-factor authentication account based on the request;

using the multi-factor authentication account to identify a multi-factor authentication application of the authority user device that is registered in association with the multi-factor authentication account;

in response to identifying the multi-factor authentication application of the authority user device, providing an authentication message to the multi-factor authentication application on the authority user device, the authentication message directing a user of the authority user device to perform a biometric scan at a biometric scanner of the authority user device;

at the multi-factor authentication application, performing a second factor of authentication by verifying, locally and with an operating system of the authority user device, that biometric scan data is associated with an authorized user of the authority user device;

returning to the service provider, an authentication response comprising authentication response data relating to the authentication response so that the digital transaction can be completed or denied based on the authentication response data.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the authentication message includes a selectable option that allows an additional authentication to be performed by verifying, locally and with the operating system of the authority user device, a passcode submitted by the user of the authority user device;

selecting the selectable option; and

performing an additional authentication based on a receipt of the passcode.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the authentication message directs the user of the authority user device to perform the biometric scan only after the multi-factor authentication application hosted on the authority user device receives a preliminary approval of the transaction request from the user of the authority user device.

16. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:

prompting the user of the authority user device to approve or not to approve the transaction request by providing via the multi-factor authentication application hosted on the authority user device an input to approve or an input not to approve the transaction request after performing the biometric scan.

17. A system comprising:

a service provider configured to:

receive a transaction request from an initiator using an initiating user device ice for initiating a digital transaction, the transaction request comprising user authentication credentials for performing a first factor authentication at the service provider, the initiating user device being distinct from an authority user device registered to authenticate or authorize transactions;

authenticate the initiator based on the user authentication credentials;

an authentication service configured to:

receive a request from the service provider, the request comprising an authentication request and transaction request data associated with the transaction request to the service provider, wherein the transaction request data comprises (i) details of the transaction request and (ii) multi-factor authentication account identification data;

identify a multi-factor authentication account maintained by the authentication service based on the request;

using the multi-factor authentication account to identify a multi-factor authentication application of the authority user device that is registered in association with the multi-factor authentication account;

in response to identifying the multi-factor authentication application of the authority user device, provide an authentication message to the multi-factor authentication application on the authority user device, the authentication message directing a user of the authority user device to perform a biometric scan at a biometric scanner of the authority user device;

at the multi-factor authentication application, perform a second factor of authentication by verifying, locally and with an operating system of the authority user device, that biometric scan data is associated with an authorized user of the authority user device;

return to the service provider, an authentication response comprising authentication response data relating to the authentication response so that the digital transaction is completed or denied based on the authentication response data.

18. The system of claim 17 , wherein the authentication message directs the user of the authority user device to perform the biometric scan only after the multi-factor authentication application hosted on the authority user device receives a preliminary approval of the transaction request from the user of the authority user device.

19. The system of claim 17 , wherein the authentication service is configured to:

detect that the service provider is associated with a security-sensitive application, wherein the security-sensitive application is an application designated by the service provider as requiring additional authentication for an associated transaction; and

in response to detecting that the service provider is associated with the security-sensitive application, automatically implement an authentication policy that specifies that the performing of the biometric scan must be performed to complete the transaction.

20. The system of claim 17 , wherein the authentication service is configured to:

detect that the user of the authority user device comprises a security-sensitive user; and

in response to detecting that the user of the authority user device comprises the security-sensitive user, automatically implement an authentication policy that specifies that the performance of the biometric scan is to be performed to complete the transaction, wherein a security-sensitive user relates to any user that the authentication service designates as needing additional user authentication for completing transactions.