GB2362489A

GB2362489A - Secure communication

Info

Publication number: GB2362489A
Application number: GB0011673A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Carl Chang; Sandroff Ma; Leo Hau
Original assignee: TOM COM ENTPR Ltd
Current assignee: TOM COM ENTPR Ltd
Priority date: 2000-05-15
Filing date: 2000-05-15
Publication date: 2001-11-21
Also published as: AU4384000A; CA2313832A1; GB0011673D0; CN1324051A; HK1034416A2

Abstract

A method is presented for validating a purchase instruction which a user transmits to a server by internet. The server accesses a database to obtain contact information for the user, e.g. a phone number, and transmits a validation code to the user using the contact information. The user returns the validation code to the server by internet, and so validates the purchase.

Description

2362489 1 Secure runication

Field of the invention

The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for securely transferring instructions over a telecommunications network, such as the intemet. The invention is especiaRy useU for instructing commercial transactions online.

BackRround of the invention Internet commerce is presently growing rapidly, and encompasses the purchase by users of goods, services and even information (e.g. it is now possible to pay to download music).

To make a purchase, a user communicates purchase instructions via the internet to a website operated by a retafler- The instructions often include details of a credit card account held by the user. Typically, this data is printed on the credit card itself. The retailer accepts the purchase (e.g. the retailer may dispatch the purchased goods), and debits the user's credit card accordingly.

The above system is subject to a security problem that the data on the credit card is accessible to any third party who gains access to the card. Such a person can remember the credit card data printed on the card, and make purchases on his own account at any later time.

Often a single user will make multiple purchases from the same website over 2 an extended period of time. To avoid the. necessity for a given user to transmit the same credit card data repeatedly, it is known for the website to maintain a database of credit card information for many respective users. Each user is supplied with (or chooses) identification data which identifies him. The identification data includes a password and normally also a user name- Whenever a user wishes to make a purchase ftorn the website he supplies the website with his identification data. 71e website uses the identification data to access the database of credit card data, and extracts the credit card information for the user.

This arrangement exacerbates the security problem identified above, since a third pavty who Saing access to the identification data can use the website to rnake purchases. Such a third party may, for example, be an operative of the retailer. Alternatively, the third party may gain access to the identification data because the user has recorded it somewhere (e. g. on paper) to avoid having to remember it. In is fact, the level of crime associated with online purchasing is rising rapidly.

Although, as explained, the problem of internet security is particularly acute in the example of online purchasing, it arises in other cases also. Indeed, there are many instances in which a user wishes to communicate securely with a website.

Summary. of the invention 20 The present invention seeks to provide methods and apparatus for secure internet communication, especially for transmitting purchase instructions to an internet retailer. In general terms the present invention proposes that user supplies a website

3 with data indicating his identity- The website accesses a database of contact data in relation to a second telecommunications network, to find the contact data for the user.

For example, the second telecommunications network may be a telephone network (e.g. a mobile telephone network), and the contact data may be the user's telephone number. The website contacts the user using the second telecommunications network to check the- identity of the user.

for example, the website may send the user a validation code. This may be sent as part of a message to a mobile phone owned by the user. The user reads the validation code, and sends it to the website by internet (e.g. by entering it onto a webpage presented on the user's browser). Thuú, a third party will only he able to make use of the user's account with the website if he has access to the telecommunications device in the second telecommunications network associated with the contact data.

The database may be maintained by the website itself, as a database of its, contacts. Alternatively, the database may be a database maintained by an operator of a the second telecommunications network. In fact, a plurality of telephone operators may maintain respective databases. The user may indicate his telephone number to the website, so that the website can contact the appropriate telephone operator, and thus the correct database.

Having validated the identity of the user, the site may issue the bill in respect of the purchase to a credit card account in the normal manner (e.g. by asking the user to enter credit card details. or by accessing a database of previously entered credit card data). More preferably, bowever, the bill for the purchase may be paid from a 1 4 financial account associated with the second telecommunications network. For example, it may appear on the user's next monthly telephone bill. This obviates the need for any separate credit card account.

Brief descdption of the Fipres An example of the invention will now be explained in detail, for the sake of example only, with reference to the following figures, in which:

Fig= 1 shows the screens presented to the user in a first embodiment of the invention; and Fig. 2 is a block dia of the steps in a second em.1bodiment of the invention.

Detailed description of embodiments

Referring firstly to Fig. 1, the area labelled I represents schematically the display on a user's browser at a certain instant, that is tbLe user's screen. The screen 1 is a display generated by a server which functions as an online retailer- Screen I indicates a list of items (e.g. a user's "shopping basket"). By checking the box (and perhaps clicking on a "purchase" button.), the user indicates that he wants to pay for "item 2".

The display then changes to screen 2, in which the user Is invited to enter identification dala, specifically his user name and password, The server maintains a database of user names and passwords, so that it can verify the result. If he is unsuccessful in doing this, he is directed to screen 3, and is invited to retty.

If he is successfal, the user is directed to screen 4. At this point the server indicates that it is sending a message to a mobile phone (or other message reception device, such as a pager), and gives the number of the mobile phone. This number may be taken from a database which the server has accessed using the identification data, or alternatively the user may enter the telephone number himself into the screen 4. In the latter case, the fact that there is a user associated with the input identification data and the telephone number is verified (e-g- by contacting the operator of the telephone system), The display then changes to screen 5. The message sent to the mobile phone contains a validation code. The user can enter this, reading it from the screen of the mobile phone, and it is verified. If the user has entered the code unsuccessfully, he is directed to screen 6, and invited to retry If the user enters the code successfully, he is directed to screen 7. The purchase is completed, and the server issues a bill to the account associated with the mobile telephone nurnber.

Turning to Fig. 2, a block diagram is shown of the nine payment steps in a second embodiment of the invention At a first instant, the user is presented with a screen 11, inviting him to specify whether the purchase is to be made by visa, in cash (e.g. transmitted to the website operator by post), or by a phone validation (c-g. according to the present invention).

In step 1, the user specifies that he wants a telephone validation. The screen changes to screen 12. The user is invited to input a user ID, password and telephone number (indicating a telephone account which the user wishes to use for the validation). Entering this data is step 2.

6 All this data is verified (step 3) by accessing a database (e.g. maintained by the telephone operator) which contains the details of the user's name, password and ielephone number- The retailer server then sends (step 4) a signal to an SMS (short message servive) server. The SMS server sends (step 5) a message to the telephone number specified by the user, containing a verification code (this may for example be generated by the retailer server using a random number generator, or generaTed by the SMS server itself and transmitted to the retailer server)- In step 6 the user is presented with screen 13, and asked to enter the validation code. which he can read from the screen of his mobile phone. He doe-q this in step 7In step 8 the retailer server validates the validation code, which it has remembered. It then sends a bill to a billing agent, which may be in any industry with a conventional billing system in place, such as a telecommunications, utilities, banking or finance company. For example. it may be the operator of the mobile phone network.

After the action is processed successfully, the user is sent a conf=ation message (step 9).

Although the invention has been explained above in relation to particular embodiment3, many modifications are possibic within the scope of the invCrition as will be clear to a skilled person. For example, although the invention has been explained above in relation to instructing purchases, it is not limited in this respect. Rather the method may be applied in any situation in which it is wished to verify the identity of a user.

7 Furthermore, although the method has been explained above with reference to a user communicating primarily by internet, the invention is applicable also in the case that the user communicates with the retailer by any other telecommunication network- For example, the user may be using a point of sales terminal, and view any 5 of the screens shown in the embodiments on that terminal.

8

Claims

Claims

An internet-based method for validating a purchase instruction, the method comprising:

receiving by internet, from a user, purchase information specifying a purchase, the user vAshes to make; receiving from the user by internet identification information indicating the identity of the user, using the identification information to extract, from a database, contact information for the user over a second telecommunication ne-twork, using the conzact information EO rransmit a validaiion code to the user over the second telecommunications network; receiving a validation code from the user by internet; and verifying that the validation code transmitted to the user corresponds to the validation code received from the user.
2- A method according to claim 1 in which the second telecommunications network is a telephone network, such as a mobile phone network.
3. A method according to claim 1 or claim 2 in which said validation code is sent as a text message.
4. A method according to any preceding claim fluther including debiting a 9 financial account, associated with the user and with the second telecommunication work, in respect of the purchase-
5. A server system for operating internet cornmerce, the server having. interface generation means for generating a user interface to receive from a user purchase inflormation specifying a purchase the user wishes to make, and ideniffication infbnnation indicating the identity of the user; purchase satisfaction means for completing the purchase specified by the purchase information; extraction means for extracting from the database, containing contact information for a plurality of users over a second telecommunicaiion network, said contact information for a specific user based on the identification information; and transmission means for transmitting a validation code to the user over the second telecommunications network based on the extracted contact infbrmation; is the interface means being arranged to receive a validation code from the user by internet; and the server system further comprising means for verifying that the validation code transmitted to the user corresponds to the validation code received from the user, and n that case controlling the pwchasosatisfaction means to satisfy the purchase.
6. A serversystem according to claim 5 in which the trssion means is arranged to transmit the validation code to the user by instructing a messaging service to transmit to the user, using the extracted contact datA, a text message including the validation code.
7. A method of verifying the identity of a user, the method comprising. receiving from the user, via a first telecommunication network, identification inforination indicating the identity of the user, using the identification information to extract from a database, contact information for the user over a second telecormunication network, using the contact infortnaflon to transmit a validation code to the user over the second telecommunication network; receiving a validation code from the user over the first teleconununication nexwork; and verifying that the validation code transmitted to the user corresponds to the validation code received from the user.