Online Banking Through a Gaming Console

Abstract

Online banking using a gaming console may provide added security due to the hardened nature of gaming consoles. Additionally, console specific credentials may be used to verify that a user or console is authorized to access a requested financial account. The console specific credentials may be hardcoded in one or more hardware components of the gaming console so that the risks of exposure through tampering or hacking is reduced. User specific credentials and/or other information may also be used to further verify that a user or console is authorized to access a financial account. An integrity of the console may also be validated using console specific information. In one example, console integrity may be verified by a gaming service provider.

1 . A method comprising:
 establishing, by a special-purpose gaming console, a network connection to a remote financial institution;   transmitting an authorization request to access a financial account to the remote financial institution through the network connection, the request including one or more credentials specific to the gaming console; and   in response to the authorization request, receiving, from the remote financial institution, authorization to access the financial account through the gaming console, the authorization indicating that the one or more credentials specific to the gaming console was verified.   
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the authorization request further includes one or more credentials specific to a user and wherein the authorization further indicates that the one or more credentials specific to the user was verified. 
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the one or more user specific credentials are determined from a user profile. 
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the one or more credentials specific to the gaming console is hardcoded into at least one hardware component of the gaming console. 
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 4 , further comprising verifying an integrity of the gaming console based on the one or more credentials specific to the gaming console. 
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the integrity of the gaming console is verified by an online banking application running on the gaming console. 
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein verifying the integrity of the gaming console includes sending a verification request to a remote gaming service provider. 
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the authorization request is transmitted to the financial institution through a remote gaming service provider. 
   
   
       9 . A method comprising:
 receiving, at a financial institution, a request to access a financial account of a user from a special-purpose gaming console, wherein the request includes one or more credentials specific to the gaming console;   verifying the one or more credentials specific to the gaming console; and   granting access to the financial account in response to verifying the one or more credentials specific to the gaming console are valid.   
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the one or more credentials specific to the gaming console is hardcoded into at least one hardware component of the gaming console. 
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising:
 receiving one or more credentials specific to the user as part of the request; and   determining whether the user is authorized to access the financial account based on the one or more credentials specific to the user.   
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the one or more credentials specific to the user includes a game account identifier. 
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the one or more user specific credentials includes a passcode comprising input corresponding to depression of a directional key of a game controller. 
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein verifying the one or more credentials specific to the gaming console includes querying a remote server to verify an integrity of the gaming console based on the one or more credentials specific to the gaming console. 
   
   
       15 . A method comprising:
 receiving, at a special-purpose gaming console, a request to access a financial account;   verifying an integrity of the gaming console by querying a remote gaming server;   establishing a network connection with a remote financial institution associated with the financial account in response to verifying the integrity of the gaming console;   transmitting an authorization request to access the financial account to the remote financial institution through the network connection, the request including one or more credentials hardcoded in the gaming console; and   in response to the authorization request, receiving, from the remote financial institution, authorization to access the financial account through the gaming console, the authorization indicating that the one or more credentials hardcoded in the gaming console were verified.   
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the one or more credentials hardcoded in the gaming console includes a console identifier unique to the gaming console. 
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the authorization request further includes one or more user specific credentials and wherein the authorization to access the financial account further indicates that the one or more user specific credentials were verified. 
   
   
       18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein the one or more user specific credentials include a password comprising a motion. 
   
   
       19 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein verifying the integrity of the gaming console includes receiving a confirmation from the remote gaming server that the gaming console has not been compromised. 
   
   
       20 . The method of  claim 15 , wherein the network connection is established over a gaming network.