Automatically generating challenge questions inferred from user history data for user authentication

Abstract

User authentication is provided. At least one of a social network and a business network of each user in a plurality of users is accessed. User history data of each user in the plurality of users is monitored in the at least one of the social network and the business network. Challenge questions requiring a user response are generated based on monitoring the user history data of the users. The user response to a generated challenge question is evaluated. A set of events is triggered based on evaluating the user response.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A computer system for user authentication, the computer system comprising:
 a bus system;   a storage device connected to the bus system, wherein the storage device stores computer readable program code; and   a processor unit connected to the bus system, wherein the processor unit executes the computer readable program code to access at least one of a social network and a business network of each user in a plurality of users; monitor user history data of each user in the plurality of users in the at least one of the social network and the business network; generate challenge questions requiring a user response based on the monitoring of the user history data of the users; evaluate the user response to a generated challenge question; and trigger a set of events based on the evaluating of the user response.   
     
     
         2 . The computer system of  claim 1 , wherein the processor unit further executes the computer readable program code to delete generated challenge questions that have information corresponding to answers of the generated challenge questions posted on the at least one of the social network and the business network. 
     
     
         3 . The computer system of  claim 1 , wherein the processor unit further executes the computer readable program code to receive a request from a client device to access a secure resource; and select a challenge question personalized to a user of the client device to authenticate the user. 
     
     
         4 . The computer system of  claim 3 , wherein the processor unit further executes the computer readable program code to select a set of candidate answers to be included with the selected challenge question personalized to the user of the client device in response to determining that the set of candidate answers is to be included with the selected challenge question personalized to the user of the client device; and send the selected challenge question personalized to the user and the selected set of candidate answers to the client device. 
     
     
         5 . The computer system of  claim 4 , wherein the processor unit further executes the computer readable program code to receive an answer to the selected challenge question personalized to the user of the client device, wherein the answer was selected from the set of candidate answers included with the selected challenge question; authenticate the user of the client device based on the received answer matching a stored answer in response to determining that the received answer to the selected challenge question does match the stored answer that is determined to be correct for the selected challenge question personalized to the user; and grant access to the secure resource based on the authenticating of the user. 
     
     
         6 . The computer system of  claim 4 , wherein the processor unit further executes the computer readable program code to determine that an incorrect answer to the selected challenge question was received a predetermined number of times in response to determining that the received answer to the selected challenge question does not match the stored answer that is determined to be correct for the selected challenge question personalized to the user; and deny the access to the secure resource in response to determining that an incorrect answer to the selected challenge question was received the predetermined number of times. 
     
     
         7 . The computer system of  claim 1 , wherein the processor unit further executes the computer readable program code to extract features personalized to a user of a client device from received history data associated with the user in response to receiving the history data associated with the user; and generate challenge question templates based on the extracted features personalized to the user. 
     
     
         8 . The computer system of  claim 7 , wherein the processor unit further executes the computer readable program code to determine that a predetermined period of time expired for the generated challenge question templates; and request new history data associated with the user from the client device in response to determining that the predetermined period of time expired for the generated challenge question templates. 
     
     
         9 . The computer system of  claim 7 , wherein the processor unit further executes the computer readable program code to receive location data corresponding to movement of a client device; cluster the received location data corresponding to the movement of the client device to form clusters of location data corresponding to the movement of the client device; and associate the clusters of location data corresponding to the movement of the client device to known landmarks associated with a set of maps. 
     
     
         10 . The computer system of  claim 7 , wherein the processor unit further executes the computer readable program code to determine new landmarks not previously listed in a user model based on the associating of the clusters of location data corresponding to the movement of the client device to the known landmarks; and add the new landmarks to the user model. 
     
     
         11 . A computer program product stored on a computer readable storage device having computer readable program code encoded thereon that is executable by a computer for user authentication, the computer program product comprising:
 computer readable program code for accessing at least one of a social network and a business network of each user in a plurality of users;   computer readable program code for monitoring user history data of each user in the plurality of users in the at least one of the social network and the business network;   computer readable program code for generating challenge questions requiring a user response based on the monitoring of the user history data of the users;   computer readable program code for evaluating the user response to a generated challenge question; and   computer readable program code for triggering a set of events based on the evaluating of the user response.   
     
     
         12 . The computer program product of  claim 11  further comprising:
 computer readable program code for deleting generated challenge questions that have information corresponding to answers of the generated challenge questions posted on the at least one of the social network and the business network. 
 
     
     
         13 . The computer program product of  claim 11  further comprising:
 computer readable program code for receiving a request from a client device to access a secure resource; and 
 computer readable program code for selecting a challenge question personalized to a user of the client device to authenticate the user. 
 
     
     
         14 . The computer program product of  claim 13  further comprising:
 computer readable program code, responsive to determining that a set of candidate answers is to be included with the selected challenge question personalized to the user of the client device, for selecting the set of candidate answers to be included with the selected challenge question personalized to the user of the client device; and 
 computer readable program code for sending the selected challenge question personalized to the user and the selected set of candidate answers to the client device. 
 
     
     
         15 . The computer program product of  claim 14  further comprising:
 computer readable program code for receiving an answer to the selected challenge question personalized to the user of the client device, wherein the answer was selected from the set of candidate answers included with the selected challenge question; 
 computer readable program code, responsive to determining that the received answer to the selected challenge question does match a stored answer that is determined to be correct for the selected challenge question personalized to the user, for authenticating the user of the client device based on the received answer matching the stored answer; and 
 computer readable program code for granting access to the secure resource based on the authenticating of the user. 
 
     
     
         16 . The computer program product of  claim 15  further comprising:
 computer readable program code, responsive to determining that the received answer to the selected challenge question does not match the stored answer that is determined to be correct for the selected challenge question personalized to the user, for determining that an incorrect answer to the selected challenge question was received a predetermined number of times; and 
 computer readable program code, responsive to determining that an incorrect answer to the selected challenge question was received the predetermined number of times, for denying the access to the secure resource. 
 
     
     
         17 . The computer program product of  claim 11  further comprising:
 computer readable program code, responsive to receiving history data associated with a user of a client device, for extracting features personalized to the user from the received history data associated with the user; and 
 computer readable program code for generating challenge question templates based on the extracted features personalized to the user. 
 
     
     
         18 . The computer program product of  claim 17  further comprising:
 computer readable program code for determining that a predetermined period of time expired for the generated challenge question templates; and 
 computer readable program code, responsive to determining that the predetermined period of time expired for the generated challenge question templates, for requesting new history data associated with the user from the client device. 
 
     
     
         19 . The computer program product of  claim 11  further comprising:
 computer readable program code for receiving location data corresponding to movement of a client device; 
 computer readable program code for clustering the received location data corresponding to the movement of the client device to form clusters of location data corresponding to the movement of the client device; and 
 computer readable program code for associating the clusters of location data corresponding to the movement of the client device to known landmarks associated with a set of maps. 
 
     
     
         20 . The computer program product of  claim 19  further comprising:
 computer readable program code for determining new landmarks not previously listed in a user model based on the associating of the clusters of location data corresponding to the movement of the client device to the known landmarks; and 
 computer readable program code for adding the new landmarks to the user model.