User authentication based on device identifier further identifying software agent
Provided is a method for authenticating a user communicating with an enterprise via a network. The method includes receiving, via the network, authenticators for a user from a first user device associated with the user, and storing the received authenticators. A first authenticator from the stored authenticators is selected to be used for authenticating the user based on an authentication policy received from the enterprise. An authentication request is transmitted to a user device requesting the first authenticator and the user is authentication by comparing the received authenticator with the stored first authenticator.
1. A method comprising:
obtaining, at a communications device, a software agent provided by an authentication service;
activating the software agent on the communications device;
generating, at least in part via the software agent executed at the communications device, a device ID to identify the communications device and the software agent to the authentication service, wherein the device ID:
is bound to specific hardware of the communications device, and
identifies the software agent;
receiving, at the communications device, a one-time code (OTC) from a communications network; and
transmitting, at least in part via the communications device, the OTC and the device ID from the communications device to the authentication service.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
following receiving, at the communications device, the OTC, displaying the OTC; and
receiving, from a user interface of the communications device, a code input.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the OTC is received via a short message service (SMS) message.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the communications device comprises a smartphone and wherein the OTC is received over a mobile communications network.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the device ID is not clone-able.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein a portion of the device ID that is bound to the specific hardware of the communications device is immutable.
7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, from a user interface of the communications device, a response to a challenge received via a communications network.
8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, from a user interface of the communications device, a biometric input of one or more of the user's voice, the user's face, the user's hand, the user's finger, and the user's eye.
9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising capturing, via a camera or a scanner of the communications device, a device-readable code for transmitting to the communications network.
10. An article comprising a non-transitory computer readable media having instructions encoded thereon which, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to:
obtain, at a communications device, a software agent provided by an authentication service;
activate the software agent on the communications device;
generate, at least in part via the software agent executed at the communications device, a device ID to identify the communications device and the software agent to the authentication service, wherein the device ID:
is bound to specific hardware of the communications device and
identifies the software agent;
receive, at the communications device, a one-time code (OTC) from a communications network; and
transmit, at least in part via the communications device, the OTC and the device ID from the communications device to the authentication service.
11. The article of claim 10 , wherein the encoded instructions are additionally to:
display the received OTC on a display of the communications device; and
receive a code input from a user interface of the communications device.
12. The article of claim 10 , wherein the OTC is received via a short message service (SMS) message.
13. The article of claim 10 , wherein the communications device comprises a smart phone and wherein the OTC is received over a mobile communications network.
14. The article of claim 10 , wherein the device ID is not clone-able.
15. The article of claim 10 , wherein a portion of the device ID that is bound to the specific hardware of the communications device is immutable.
16. The article of claim 10 , wherein the encoded instructions are additionally to:
capture, via a camera or a scanner of the communications device, a device-readable code to transmit to the communications network.