Biometric Authentication for Secure VPN Tunnels
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Solution Overview
Problem
Service provider networks face security vulnerabilities due to the use of unsecure public networks, where malicious entities can phish or spoof device and user identities, leading to unauthorized access to sensitive information and services.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a VPN server that uses cryptographic protocols, such as WebAuthn, for strong device and user authentication, and collecting posture data to evaluate the client device's state, ensuring only healthy and secure devices can establish secure tunnels to access services, thereby preventing malicious access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If device identifiers are used for authentication, then device identity verification is enabled, but the identifiers can be phished or spoofed by malicious users
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional device identifier-based authentication (which can be phished or spoofed) with biometric authentication using fingerprint sensors. The fingerprint sensor captures unique physiological characteristics of the user's finger, which cannot be replicated or spoofed like device identifiers. This substitution of mechanical/electronic identification with biological identification resolves the vulnerability to phishing and spoofing attacks.
2Reliability
If strong authentication protocols are implemented, then security against phishing attacks is improved, but device compatibility may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a server as an intermediary that manages the authentication process. The server receives biometric data from the client device, performs the authentication verification, and communicates the result back to the device. This intermediary approach allows strong authentication to be implemented without requiring complex authentication protocols to be built into every client device, thereby maintaining high security while preserving broad device compatibility.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If biometric authentication is used, then resistance to spoofing attacks is enhanced, but additional hardware requirements are introduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent leverages the fact that modern mobile devices already contain cameras and image processing capabilities. The fingerprint sensor can utilize the existing camera hardware to capture images of the fingerprint, and the image processing functions can be performed using the device's existing processor and software. This multi-functional approach allows biometric authentication to be implemented without adding significant new hardware, as existing components are repurposed for the authentication function.
Data Source
AI summary
This disclosure describes techniques for utilizing strong authentication of device identities and/or user identities to establish secure network tunnels between client devices and a virtual private network (VPN) server of a service provider network. The service provider network may generate routes from the VPN server to services to establish a connection for the client device to access the services. The service provider network may receive posture data from the client device that indicates a state of the client device, and determine, using a security policy, with which services the client device is permitted to interact or utilize. Further, the techniques described herein include receiving requests from the services to provide cryptographic assertion(s) that were used by the VPN server to authenticate the device identities and/or user identities. In this way, the services may be able to perform strong authentication of the client devices that are attempting to utilize the services.