Adaptive authentication systems and methods

Abstract

An embodiment includes a method executed by at least one processor comprising: determining a first environmental factor for a mobile communications device; determining a first security authentication level based on the determined first environmental factor; and allowing access to a first module of the mobile communications device based on the first security authentication level. Other embodiments are described herein.

1 . A method executed by at least one processor comprising:
 determining a first environmental factor for a mobile communications device;   determining a first security authentication level based on the determined first environmental factor; and   allowing access to a first module of the mobile communications device based on the first security authentication level.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  comprising disallowing access to a second module of the mobile communications device based on the first security authentication level. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  comprising:
 determining a second security authentication level based on the determined first environmental factor; and 
 allowing access to a second module of the mobile communications device based on the second security authentication level. 
 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein determining the first environmental factor includes determining a location of the mobile communications device. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4  comprising determining whether the location is included in a predetermined group of locations. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein determining the first environmental factor includes determining whether the communications device is communicatively coupled to a wireless communications network. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein determining the first environmental factor includes detecting transmissions from another computing node. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1  comprising:
 receiving a communication from an additional computing node; 
 determining a first characteristic for the communication; 
 determining a second security authentication level based on the determined first characteristic; and 
 allowing access to the communication based on the first and second security authentication levels. 
 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1  comprising:
 receiving a communication from an additional computing node; 
 determining a first characteristic for the communication; and 
 allowing access to the communication based on the first characteristic and the first security authentication level. 
 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first environmental factor is selected from one or more of the group comprising location of the communication device, whether the communications device is communicatively coupled to a wireless communications network, whether the communications device detects transmissions from another computing node, time of day, audible noise sensed by the communications device, and altitude sensed by the communications device. 
     
     
         11 - 14 . (canceled) 
     
     
         15 . At least one storage medium having instructions stored thereon for causing a system to:
 receive a communication from a computing node;   determine a first characteristic for the communication;   determine a first security authentication level based on the determined first characteristic; and   allow access to the communication based on the first characteristic and the first security authentication level.   
     
     
         16 . The at least one medium of  claim 15 , wherein determining the first security authentication level includes selecting the first security authentication level but not selecting second or third security authentication levels, the first, second, and third security authentication levels being included in a plurality of security authentication levels. 
     
     
         17 . The at least one medium of  claim 15  comprising instructions to:
 determine a first environmental factor for a mobile communications device, the mobile computing device including the at least one processor; 
 determine a second security authentication level based on the determined first environmental factor; and 
 allow access to the communication based on the first and second security authentication levels. 
 
     
     
         18 . The at least one medium of  claim 17 , wherein determining the first environmental factor includes detecting transmissions from another computing node. 
     
     
         19 . The at least one medium of  claim 17 , wherein determining the first environmental factor includes determining a location of the mobile communications device, the method further comprising determining whether the location is included in a predetermined group of locations. 
     
     
         20 - 21 . (canceled) 
     
     
         22 . An apparatus comprising:
 at least one memory and at least one processor, coupled to the at least one memory, to perform operations comprising:   determining a first environmental factor for a mobile communications device;   determining a first security authentication level based on the determined first environmental factor; and   allowing access to a first module of the mobile communications device based on the first security authentication level.   
     
     
         23 . (canceled) 
     
     
         24 . The apparatus of  claim 22 , wherein determining the first environmental factor includes determining a location of the mobile communications device and the at least one processor is to perform operations comprising determining whether the location is included in a predetermined group of locations. 
     
     
         25 . (canceled) 
     
     
         26 . The at least one medium of  claim 1 , wherein determining the first security authentication level includes selecting the first security authentication level but not selecting second or third security authentication levels, the first, second, and third security authentication levels being included in a plurality of security authentication levels. 
     
     
         27 . The at least one medium of  claim 26 , wherein:
 the first security authentication level corresponds to first authentication module, the second security authentication level corresponds to a second authentication module, and the third security authentication level corresponds to a third authentication module;   the first, second, and third security authentication modules are each selected from the group comprising retinal scanning, iris scanning, facial recognition, a password having a first length, a password having a second length longer than the first length, fingerprint recognition, voice recognition, a personal identification number (PIN), a radio frequency identification (RFID), a security token, and a biometric.   
     
     
         28 . The at least one medium of  claim 17  comprising instructions to allow access to a first module of the mobile communications device based on the second security authentication level and disallow access to a second module of the mobile communications device based on the second security authentication level. 
     
     
         29 . The apparatus of  claim 22 , wherein the at least one processor is to perform operations comprising disallowing access to a second module of the mobile communications device based on the first security authentication level.