Patents Assigned to Arcot Systems, Inc.
  • Publication number: 20050210286
    Abstract: In a cryptographic system, the unlocking of secret keys on a user system is audited and correlated with other events that typically occur after the secret key is used to perform a cryptographic operation. Audit evidence of secret key cryptographic operations is recorded for later review and/or analysis, for use as stored evidence of unauthorized activity and/or for use in refuting false claims of repudiation of authorized activity. Some systems might also provide users with user activity reports that can alert a user to suspicious or unauthorized activity using that user's access.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 17, 2004
    Publication date: September 22, 2005
    Applicant: Arcot Systems, Inc., a California corporation
    Inventor: Robert Jerdonek
  • Patent number: 6928427
    Abstract: In an authorization system, access is defined by rules, roles and active rules. These definitions are preprocessed to form a bit array for each of a plurality of roles representing the rules that apply to that role. Once a bit array is calculated or generated for a given user based on that user's roles, the user bit array can be cached so that it need not be regenerated for each time the user requests access to resources. The rules used can either be role-based rules or active rules.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 9, 2005
    Assignee: Arcot Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Sanguthevar Rajasekaran, Rajendra A. Gopalakrishna
  • Publication number: 20050172229
    Abstract: A user interface through which a user at a client device interacts, via a network, with one or more resource sources includes a display window that displays resources sent to the client device from the one or more resource sources and a control area having one or more applications that allow the user to manipulate interaction with the one or more resource sources. The one or more applications include a security application that includes at least one data field for receiving input from the user to be sent to a specific resource source and an icon that provides a visual indication of whether the specific source is a trusted resource source.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 28, 2005
    Publication date: August 4, 2005
    Applicant: Arcot Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: James Reno, Thomas Wu, John Wang
  • Publication number: 20050160298
    Abstract: A method for authenticating a user at a service requester is provided. A request for a secure transaction is received from the user at the service requester. The user then generates a token using a token generator. The token is generated using secure information associated with the user. The token is received at the service requester and the service requester can then provide the token to a service provider for authentication. The service provider is capable of authenticating the token and generating a result for the authentication. The result is then sent to the service requester, which then processes the transaction based on the authentication result. Accordingly, the user may be authenticated by the service provider without the secure information associated with the user being accessible to the service requester and the service provider does not need to generate the token received from the user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 17, 2004
    Publication date: July 21, 2005
    Applicant: Arcot Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: James Reno
  • Publication number: 20050160043
    Abstract: A first account number and a second account number are created for an account. The first and second account numbers are associated with the account and can be used for transactions with the account. A first subset of operations is associated with the first account number and a second subset of operations is associated with the second account number. A subset of operations includes operations that are restricted to a party that has access to the account number. Accordingly, the first party that has access to the first account number is restricted to the operations found in the first subset of operations when transacting with the account. Also, a second party that has access to the second account number is restricted to the second subset of operations when transacting with the account.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 13, 2004
    Publication date: July 21, 2005
    Applicant: Arcot Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: James Reno
  • Patent number: 6908030
    Abstract: An online transaction is effected between a user system, a merchant system and an issuer system. The user system generates a one-time number (OTN) to use as a card number for a transaction with the merchant. The user system generates the OTN as a function of various parameters and sends the OTN to the issuer and to the merchant. With the issuer communication, the user is first authenticated, so the issuer can associate the received OTN with the user even if the user's identity cannot be fully discerned from the OTN alone. In authenticating the user with the issuer, and possibly other authentications, the user sends the issuer a signed challenge where the challenge is a sequential challenge or a function of a prior challenge provided by the issuer. The issuer responds with an approval/denial message and, in the latter case, includes the next challenge to be used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2005
    Assignee: Arcot Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Sanguthevar Rajasekaran, Rammohan Varadarajan
  • Patent number: 6895391
    Abstract: A simple, secure and easy-to-deploy method and system for authenticating credit and debit cardholders at the point-of-sale on a computer network (e.g. the Internet) is disclosed. Cardholders are authenticated using digital signatures on a sales draft, in a manner that does not necessarily require any changes in the transaction flow of the participating financial institutions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2005
    Assignee: Arcot Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Balas N. Kausik
  • Publication number: 20050010751
    Abstract: A user can securely enter a shared secret such as a pass code code, pass code or combination of symbols, in a generic computing environment, and deliver it securely to the recipient via an arbitrary network. As an example of such environment, pass code codes protecting an ATM card often need to be communicated to a bank's validation system. The pass code can be entered via a Web interface and delivered over the Internet via third-party network operators while never being exposed to intermediaries.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 10, 2004
    Publication date: January 13, 2005
    Applicant: Arcot Systems, Inc. (a California corporation)
    Inventors: Mats Nahlinder, Thomas Wu, Geoffrey Hird
  • Publication number: 20020174355
    Abstract: Techniques for efficiently searching encrypted searchable spaces. For example, embodiments of the present invention provide techniques for searching a plurality of files that are stored in encrypted (or ciphertext) form. According to embodiments of the present invention, the search can usually be performed by decrypting only a portion of the encrypted searchable space. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the search techniques determine a set of files comprising one or more files from the plurality of encrypted files that contain a user-specified query element. The set of files is usually determined by decrypting only a subset of the plurality of encrypted files.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2002
    Publication date: November 21, 2002
    Applicant: Arcot Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Sanguthevar Rajasekaran, Rammohan Varadarajan
  • Publication number: 20020143766
    Abstract: In an authorization system, access is defined by rules, roles and active rules. These definitions are preprocessed to form a bit array for each of a plurality of roles representing the rules that apply to that role. Once a bit array is calculated or generated for a given user based on that user's roles, the user bit array can be cached so that it need not be regenerated for each time the user requests access to resources. The rules used can either be role-based rules or active rules.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 8, 2002
    Publication date: October 3, 2002
    Applicant: Arcot Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Sanguthevar Rajasekaran, Rajendra A. Gopalakrishna
  • Publication number: 20020126850
    Abstract: A key management system includes secured data stored on a first system secured by a control key stored securely on a key server. The secured data is secured against attacks such as unauthorized use, modification or access, where authorization to access the secured data is determined by knowledge of an access private key of an access key pair. When an authorized user is to access the secured data, the first system generates a request to the key server, signed with the access private key, wherein the request is for a decryption control key and the request includes a one-time public key of a key pair generated by the first system for the request. The first system can decrypt the decryption control key from the response, using a one-time private key. The first system can then decrypt the secured data with the decryption control key remaining secured in transport.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 8, 2002
    Publication date: September 12, 2002
    Applicant: Arcot Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert Allen, Robert A. Jerdonek, John Wang, Tom Wu
  • Publication number: 20010034837
    Abstract: A roaming user needing an his authentication credential (e.g., private key) to access a computer server to perform an electronic transaction may obtain the authentication credential in an on-demand fashion from a credential server accessible to the user over a computer network. In this way, the user is free to roam on the network without having to physically carry his authentication credential. Access to the credential may be protected by one or more challenge- response protocols involving simple shared secrets, shared secrets with one-to-one hashing, or biometric methods such as fingerprint recognition. If camouflaging is used to protect the authentication credential, decamouflaging may be performed either at the credential server or at the user's computer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 26, 2001
    Publication date: October 25, 2001
    Applicant: Arcot Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Balas Natarajan Kausik, Rammohan Varadarajan
  • Patent number: 6263446
    Abstract: A roaming user needing an his authentication credential (e.g., private key) to access a computer server to perform an electronic transaction may obtain the authentication credential in an on-demand fashion from a credential server accessible to the user over a computer network. In this way, the user is free to roam on the network without having to physically carry his authentication credential. Access to the credential may be protected by one or more challenge-response protocols involving simple shared secrets, shared secrets with one-to-one hashing, or biometric methods such as fingerprint recognition. If camouflaging is used to protect the authentication credential, decamouflaging may be performed either at the credential server or at the user's computer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2001
    Assignee: Arcot Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Balas Natarajan Kausik, Rammohan Varadarajan
  • Publication number: 20010008012
    Abstract: A digital wallet stores an cryptographically camouflaged access-controlled datum, e.g., a private key encrypted under the user's PIN. Entry of the correct PIN will correctly decrypt the stored key. Entry of certain pseudo-valid PINs will also decrypt the stored key, but improperly so, resulting in a candidate key indistinguishable from the correct key. Such pseudo-valid PINs are spread thinly over the space of PINs, so that the user is unlikely to realize a pseudo-valid PIN via a typographical error in entering the correct PIN. In existing wallet technologies, which lack pseudo-valid PINs, only the correct PIN produces a decrypted key; thus, hackers can find the correct PIN by entering all possible PINs until a key is produced. The present invention's plurality of candidate keys prevent a hacker from knowing when he has found the correct key. In addition, hacker detection may be moved off-line into devices accepting messages signed with candidate keys, and/or the lockout threshold may be increased.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 27, 2000
    Publication date: July 12, 2001
    Applicant: Arcot Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Balas Natarajan Kausik
  • Patent number: 6209102
    Abstract: A user inputting his access code (e.g., PIN or password) into an computing environment to access a transaction is at risk of losing the access code to an attacker who has physical or electronic access to the computing environment. To minimize this risk, the access code can be entered via a plurality of user-selectable fields, each of which takes on a series of values, the initially displayed values of which are established in a random or otherwise unpredictable manner. The user then uses a mouse, keyboard, or other input device to increment each of the selectable fields until the access code is correctly entered. Because of the randomization of the initial state, an attacker tracking the locations or number of mouse clicks or other navigation actions can not determine the finally entered access code by, e.g., computing an offset from a known initial state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2001
    Assignee: Arcot Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Douglas Hoover
  • Patent number: 6170058
    Abstract: A digital wallet stores an cryptographically camouflaged access-controlled datum, e.g., a private key encrypted under the user's PIN. Entry of the correct PIN will correctly decrypt the stored key. Entry of certain pseudo-valid PINs will also decrypt the stored key, but improperly so, resulting in a candidate key indistinguishable from the correct key. Such pseudo-valid PINs are spread thinly over the space of PINs, so that the user is unlikely to realize a pseudo-valid PIN via a typographical error in entering the correct PIN. In existing wallet technologies, which lack pseudo-valid PINs, only the correct PIN produces a decrypted key; thus, hackers can find the correct PIN by entering all possible PINs until a key is produced. The present invention's plurality of candidate keys prevent a hacker from knowing when he has found the correct key. In addition, hacker detection may be moved off-line into devices accepting messages signed with candidate keys, and/or the lockout threshold may be increased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 1997
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2001
    Assignee: Arcot Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Balas Natarajan Kausik