Authentication and verification services for third party vendors using mobile devices

摘要

A method to provide authentication services to third party vendors by a service provider hosting an authentication, authorization and accounting (AAA) server or a similar device that can authenticate users for some other service. This method enables easy and substantially error-free end-user authentication, which forms the basis for enabling electronic transactions (e.g., web-based) that are less vulnerable to fraud.

主权项

1. An apparatus for authenticating a user transaction with a vendor, a user having a mobile device, the apparatus comprising:
a memory; and a processor communicatively connected to the memory and configured to execute instructions received from the memory, the processor configured to:
receive, at a mobile service provider, identification information associated with said user and an identifier associated with said mobile device, wherein the received mobile device identifier comprises at least one of a cell phone number, a subscriber identity module (SIM) card number, and an electronic serial number (ESN), and the user identification information comprises one or more of a name and an address of a registered user;determine, at the mobile service provider, that the received mobile device identifier and user identification information are associated with a mobile device and a corresponding registered user of the mobile service provider, said registered user being associated with a randomized key string adapted to enable the vendor to authenticate said user after receiving said randomized key string from the mobile device;generate and transmit said randomized key string toward the mobile device according to a periodic schedule; andtransmit said randomized key string toward the vendor in response to receiving from the vendor said mobile device identifier and said user identification information of the registered user of the mobile service provider, said randomized key string transmitted toward said vendor being adapted to enable automatic authentication of said user transaction.