Authentication Manager for Credential Verification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users face difficulties in managing numerous usernames and passwords, leading to security vulnerabilities and high abandonment rates due to the complexity of remembering strong, unique passwords and the risk of phishing attacks.
Innovation Solution
An authentication manager system that automatically generates unique, strong passwords for each network site, separates users from password management, and verifies the identity of sites before providing credentials, thereby reducing phishing risks and simplifying password management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If users manually manage their own usernames and passwords, then they maintain control over their credentials, but they suffer from memory burden and security vulnerabilities
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an authentication manager as an intermediary system between users and network sites. This manager automatically stores, retrieves, and transmits credentials, eliminating the need for users to manually manage passwords while maintaining security through centralized control and automatic verification processes
Solution Approach 2:
The authentication manager enables users to benefit from automated credential management without active participation. The system self-service aspects include automatic password generation, automatic form filling, and automatic verification of network site identities, freeing users from the burden of manual password management
2Reliability
If users create strong unique passwords for each site, then security is improved, but user convenience deteriorates due to the complexity of remembering multiple passwords
Solution Approach 1:
The authentication manager creates and manages copies of user credentials centrally. Instead of users needing to remember multiple unique passwords, the system generates secure password copies for each site and automatically retrieves them during authentication, eliminating the memory burden while maintaining security
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by automatically generating strong unique passwords for each network site before the user needs them. These credentials are pre-stored and prepared in the authentication manager, so when authentication is needed, the process is already complete and requires no user effort
3Ease of operation
If users reuse the same password across multiple sites, then ease of management is improved, but security deteriorates due to phishing attacks and credential compromise
Solution Approach 1:
The authentication manager acts as a security intermediary that verifies the identity of network sites before transmitting credentials. This prevents phishing attacks by ensuring users only provide credentials to legitimate sites, while still allowing simple password management through centralized storage
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms to verify network site identities through multiple factors including domain name matching, certificate validation, and reputation checking. This feedback loop ensures that credentials are only transmitted to legitimate sites, preventing phishing attacks while maintaining ease of use
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are various embodiments for an authentication manager. In one embodiment, the authentication manager performs an identity verification on a network site. The authentication manager determines that a particular portable data store is present in the client computing device, and then reads a security credential from the particular portable data store. The authentication manager automatically sends data encoding the security credential to the network site.