Providing user authentication

摘要

In particular embodiments, a user associated with a user account wishes to utilize their computing device to facilitate authentication of their identity. The user may provide a device key to an online system hosting the user account, wherein the device key uniquely identifies their computing device. The device key may be based on a device identifier encoded in hardware of the computing device. The online system may then store the device key in association with the user account. Subsequently, if an action related to the online system requires authentication, the user may be asked to provide authentication using their computing device. The user generates an authentication code using their device, which can be entered by the user into a user interface for comparison against an authentication code generated using the device key stored by the online system.

主权项

1. A method comprising:
by a computing server of an online system, receiving a device key uniquely identifying a client device associated with a user, wherein:
the device key is a derivative of a device identifier encoded in hardware of the client device; andthe device key is stored in a data store associated with the client device and in a data store associated with the computing server; by the computing server, receiving a request from the client device comprising a user action on the online system; by the computing server, determining that the request requires user authentication at the online system; by the computing server, sending information to a user to request authentication based on the device key; by the computing server, receiving a first authentication code generated using a first cryptographic hash algorithm executed by the client-device based on the device key; and by the computing server, determining whether the user is authenticated based on the first authentication code and a second authentication code generated using a second cryptographic hash algorithm executed by the computing server based on the device key, wherein the second cryptographic hash algorithm is identical to the first cryptographic hash algorithm.