Attribute-Based Encryption Authorization Code Encoding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current authorization protocols, such as OAuth2, lack a secure mechanism to encode and verify access policies within authorization codes and tokens, making it difficult to ensure compliance with custom access rules and regulations across different environments.
Innovation Solution
The use of Attribute-Based Encryption (ABE) to encode environmental attributes within authorization codes and tokens, allowing for decryption-based verification of access policies, ensuring that tokens are issued and authenticated only when specific environmental conditions are met.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional authorization protocols (OAuth2) are used, then authorization flow is simple and widely compatible, but secure encoding and verification of access policies within tokens is lacking
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the authorization code and token structures by encoding environmental attributes directly into them using Attribute-Based Encryption. This parameter change enables the tokens to carry policy verification information natively, improving security without requiring a complete protocol replacement. The ABE scheme allows policies to be embedded as cryptographic parameters within the token structure itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces ABE decryption as an intermediary verification mechanism between the authorization server and the resource server. The ABE scheme acts as a mediator that enables secure policy verification by allowing the resource server to decrypt and verify environmental attributes embedded in the authorization code, ensuring compliance without direct trust relationships between all parties.
2Reliability
If environmental attributes are encoded in authorization codes using ABE, then policy compliance is ensured, but decryption-based verification increases processing complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-encoding the environmental attributes and access policies into the authorization code using ABE encryption during the authorization grant flow. This allows the resource server to perform straightforward decryption and verification later, rather than dealing with complex policy evaluation at token issuance time. The heavy cryptographic work is done upfront when the authorization code is generated.
Solution Approach 2:
The authorization code itself serves as a self-contained verification mechanism through ABE encoding. The environmental attributes are embedded within the authorization code structure, allowing the resource server to verify compliance autonomously by attempting decryption with its ABE key, without requiring continuous interaction with the authorization server for policy verification.
3Reliability
If ABE encoding is implemented in OAuth2 authorization codes, then token issuance security is enhanced, but the authorization code grant flow becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enhances the authorization code's functionality by making it serve multiple purposes: it acts as both the traditional OAuth2 authorization code for token exchange and as a container for encrypted environmental attributes and policies. This multi-functionality allows the same authorization code structure to provide both protocol compatibility and enhanced security without requiring separate verification mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer-implemented method, in accordance with one embodiment, includes receiving, by a token service, an Attribute Based Encryption (ABE) authorization code having environmental attributes encoded therein. At least one test is performed, by the token service, on the ABE authorization code using ABE decryption for determining whether the ABE authorization code satisfies a predefined policy that is based on the environmental attributes. In response to determining that the ABE authorization code satisfies the predefined policy, a token is issued by the token service.