Obfuscated Dynamic CAPTCHAs

Case ID:
UA19-196
Invention:

This invention is a new kind of CAPTCHA, something that tests web applications to determine whether the user is a human. The CAPTCHAs can ask a user to solve dynamic puzzles, i.e. something that changes based on user input, but also the code that executes these CAPTCHAs runs on the client, such as the user’s browser. This means that less work must be done on the server side to ensure that the user is in fact human.

 

Background:

CAPTCHA is an acronym for: Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart. A CAPTCHA is a type of challenge-response system designed to differentiate humans from robotic software programs. CAPTCHAs are used as security checks to deter spammers and hackers from using forms on web pages to insert malicious or frivolous code. CAPTCHAs are a kind of Turing test. Quite simply, end users are asked to perform some task that a software bot cannot do. Tests often involve JPEG or GIF images, because while bots can identify the existence of an image by reading source code, they cannot tell what the image depicts. Because some CAPTCHA images are difficult to interpret, users are usually given the option to request a new test. Without them, websites, such as blogs, face immense dangers from spam.

 

Applications:

  • A CAPTCHA for all types of websites
    • Helpful in providing security
    • Also, helpful in distinguishing bots from humans

 

Advantages:

  • This CAPTCHA is easy to generate
    • However, it is hard to break
Patent Information:
Contact For More Information:
Lewis Humphreys
Licensing Manager, Eller College of Mngmt & OTT
The University of Arizona
lewish@tla.arizona.edu
Lead Inventor(s):
Christian Collberg
Jasvir Nagra
Yang Yang Lu
Keywords: