Authentication Proxy Centralizes Credential Verification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional network architectures require users to repeatedly authenticate with multiple service providers and network appliances, leading to redundant credential entry and increased security risks due to independent authentication mechanisms for each service and appliance.
Innovation Solution
Implementing an authentication proxy that handles client authentication across multiple service providers and network appliances, allowing credentials to be verified once and shared securely to eliminate redundant authentication processes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If each service provider and network appliance uses independent authentication mechanisms, then each service can verify credentials securely, but users must repeatedly enter credentials for each service, increasing time consumption and operational complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple independent authentication mechanisms into a unified authentication system. A central authentication server consolidates the authentication functions of multiple service providers and network appliances, allowing users to authenticate once and access multiple services without repeated credential entry, thereby reducing authentication time while maintaining security through centralized verification
Solution Approach 2:
The authentication server is designed with universal functionality to handle authentication requests from various service providers and network appliances through a common interface. This multi-functional authentication system can verify credentials across different services and devices using standardized protocols, eliminating the need for service-specific authentication processes
2Reliability
If each service provider and network appliance implements separate authentication mechanisms, then each service maintains independent security control, but the overall system complexity increases and user burden increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the authentication function from each individual service provider and network appliance, centralizing it in a dedicated authentication server. This separation allows service providers to focus on their core functions while the authentication server handles all verification processes, reducing the complexity of individual services and the overall system architecture
Solution Approach 2:
The authentication server acts as an intermediary between users and multiple service providers or network appliances. It receives authentication requests from various services, verifies credentials centrally, and returns authentication results, thereby simplifying the interaction between users and multiple services while maintaining independent security controls through standardized communication protocols
3Reliability
If users provide credentials to multiple independent authentication mechanisms, then each service can verify authentication independently, but security risks increase due to multiple credential exposures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple authentication verification processes into a single centralized authentication server. Users provide credentials only once to this central server, which then verifies authentication for multiple services. This eliminates the need for users to expose credentials to multiple independent systems, reducing security risks associated with credential storage and transmission across multiple platforms while maintaining independent verification capabilities through centralized security control
Data Source
AI summary
A first application that is hosted by a first machine receives a login request from a user. The first application requests authentication verification from a second application that is hosted by a second machine. The first application authenticates the user if the user was authenticated by the second application, wherein the user can be authenticated by both the first application and the second application after having provided authentication credentials to one of the first application or the second application.