Authentication Agent Scraping for Code-Free Authorization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing client-server based authentication technologies struggle to integrate with new authentication products and methods, lacking standard mechanisms for communication between authentication agents and servers, which limits support for advanced authentication forms and authorization policies, and often rely on cached data that may be stale or insecure.
Innovation Solution
A generic approach is introduced that augments client-server access applications with an authentication mechanism comprising an authentication agent associated with the client-side and an authentication server with necessary logic, using existing challenge-response protocols like RADIUS to facilitate communication and data exchange, enabling seamless integration of various authentication methods and authorization policies without modifying the application itself.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If application vendors integrate with arbitrary authentication products using custom client-server components, then authentication capabilities can be extended, but device complexity and integration difficulty increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal authentication framework where a single authentication server component can work with multiple different authentication products and methods through standardized protocols. The authentication agent provides a common interface that adapts to various authentication technologies without requiring custom integration for each product, thus achieving versatility without proportionally increasing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows dynamic configuration of authentication parameters and methods through policy files and runtime settings. Authentication methods, tokens, and verification processes can be changed without modifying the core application code, enabling flexible adaptation to different authentication products while maintaining a stable integration architecture.
2Ease of operation
If authentication data is cached at the client machine for offline authentication, then user convenience improves, but security and data freshness deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary authentication actions by caching validation results and authentication tokens at the client machine, enabling offline authentication without requiring real-time server connectivity. This preliminary caching provides user convenience while the system later synchronizes with the server to ensure data freshness and security through incremental updates and validity checks.
Solution Approach 2:
The authentication system implements feedback mechanisms where cached authentication data is periodically validated against the authentication server when connectivity is available. The server provides feedback on the validity of cached credentials, and the client adjusts its authentication behavior based on this feedback, balancing offline convenience with online security requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
A generic approach to extending the authentication and authorization capabilities of a client-server application (e.g., a VPN) without any code changes. To this end, the application is augmented with an authentication mechanism comprising a pair of cooperating components: an authentication agent that is associated with (and hooks into) the client-side of the application, and an authentication server that is associated with the server-side. In operation, the authentication server issues commands to the authentication agent to acquire all required data from the user, device or host environment, and the authentication agent (hooked into the VPN client) scrapes requests originating from the authentication server and injects (e.g., by auto-fill) the appropriate responses into the VPN client UI for transmission back through the VPN server and to the authentication server. The commands and responses are communicated using a challenge-response protocol (e.g., RADIUS) implemented by the VPN client-server.