Device and method for authenticating a transaction with a data processing apparatus

摘要

A device or “dongle” (30) is provided for controlling communications between a Subscriber Identity Module (for SIM) (12), such as of the type used in a GSM cellular telephone system, and a computer, such as a WINDOWS® operating system-based PC (10). The SIM (12) can be authenticated by the telephone network, in the same way as for authenticating SIMs of telephone handset users in the network, and can in this way authenticate the user of the PC (10) or the PC (10) itself. Such authentication can, for example, permit the use of the PC (10) for a time-limited session in relation to a particular application, which is released to the PC (10), after the authentication is satisfactorily completed. The application may be released to the PC (10) by a third party after and in response to the satisfactory completion of the authentication process. A charge for the session can be debited to the user by the telecommunications network and then passed on to the third party. The dongle (30) provides additional security for the authentication data stored on the SIM by requiring a PIN to be entered and/or by only being responsive to requests received from the PC (10) which are encrypted using a key, which requests are generated by a special PC interface driver (38).

主权项

1. A device for connection to a data processing apparatus, the device comprising:
a first interface operatively coupled to an authentication storage means, the authentication storage means being registered with a telecommunications system and storing predetermined authentication information that is respectively associated with a subscription of a user with the telecommunications system, the predetermined authentication information corresponding to information used for authenticating a telecommunications terminal that is respectively used in association with the subscription of the user with the telecommunications system for conducting communications in the telecommunications system, the telecommunications system including an authenticating means that maintains a correspondence between the information used for authenticating the telecommunications terminal and the subscription of the user with the telecommunications system; a second interface configured to connect to the data processing apparatus; and an interface driver that, upon the first interface operatively coupling to the authentication storage means and the second interface connecting to the data processing apparatus, controls access to the predetermined authentication information and, in response to an input message transmitted in a communication session established between the data processing apparatus and the authenticating means included within the telecommunications system requesting a response that is based on the input message and the predetermined authentication information, enables the authenticating means, via the communication session between the data processing apparatus and the authenticating means included within the telecommunications system, to execute an authentication process for authenticating a transaction by the user with the data processing apparatus, and wherein the authentication process for authenticating the transaction by the user with the data processing apparatus involves use of the predetermined authentication information stored by the authentication storage means, does not require use of the telecommunications terminal that is respectively associated with the subscription of the user with the telecommunications system, and does not require the telecommunications terminal to be authenticated for conducting communications in the telecommunications system using the information used for authenticating the telecommunications terminal that corresponds to the predetermined authentication information that is respectively associated with the subscription of the user.