Authentication Token Signing Without Server-Stored Identifiers
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing online identification systems rely on less secure methods such as proprietary camera-based systems, necessitating a more robust and secure enrollment and authentication process.
Innovation Solution
A method and system utilizing a secure server that enrolls individuals using a user device, creates a public key with a private key pair, associates a trusted identifier with a database index, signs an authentication token, and sends it to the user device while deleting the identifier, ensuring high security and resistance to attacks by not storing personal data on the server.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If trusted identifiers are stored on the secure server for authentication, then authentication functionality is enabled, but security is reduced and the system becomes vulnerable to scalable attacks
Solution Approach 1:
The trusted identifier is extracted from the secure server and stored instead on the user device. During enrollment, the server creates an authentication token containing the trusted identifier, signs it with its private key, and sends it to the user device. The server then deletes the trusted identifier from its database. This extraction eliminates the security vulnerability while maintaining authentication functionality, as the signed token can be verified by the server without storing the original identifier.
Solution Approach 2:
The trusted identifier is processed in advance during the enrollment phase. The server signs the authentication token containing the trusted identifier before any authentication attempts occur. This preliminary signing action allows the identifier to be removed from the server beforehand, preventing future security risks while ensuring the token remains valid for subsequent authentication operations.
2Reliability
If personal data is stored on the secure server for identification, then identification capability is provided, but security and resistance to attacks are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
Personal data in the form of trusted identifiers is extracted from the secure server's storage. Instead of maintaining databases of personal information, the system uses public keys as database indexes and stores only signed authentication tokens on user devices. This extraction eliminates the security risk of storing personal data while preserving identification capability through cryptographic verification.
3Reliability
If proprietary camera-based systems are used for identification, then identification function is achieved, but security is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanical/optical camera-based identification system is replaced with a cryptographic system using public key infrastructure. Instead of relying on physical biometric verification through cameras, the system uses mathematical cryptography with public and private keys. This substitution provides stronger security guarantees while maintaining the identification function, as cryptographic verification is inherently more resistant to spoofing and scaling attacks than camera-based methods.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2a
Figure 2b
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a method of enrolling an individual (101) at a secure server (105) and subsequently authenticating and identifying the individual (101) at an authenticating party (104) using an authentication token created during the enrolment and a secure server (105) performing the method. The method comprises engaging (S101), via a user device (102), in an enrolment process with the individual (101), registering (S102) the user device (102) by receiving a public key, the public key being created by the user device (102) along with a private key corresponding to the public key, acquiring (S103) a trusted identifier of the individual (101), associating (S104) the acquired trusted identifier of the individual (101) with at least one database index to create an authentication token, the database index being utilized for look-up at the secure server (105), signing (S105) the authentication token, and sending (S106) the signed authentication token to the user device (102), while deleting (S107) the acquired trusted identifier at the secure server (105).