Captive Portal Dynamic Context-Based Whitelisting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional captive portals with static whitelisting allow unauthorized access to social media sites by allowing general access to domains added to the whitelist, even before user authentication, due to the inability to differentiate between authentication and non-authentication requests.
Innovation Solution
Implementing dynamic, context-based whitelisting through client and domain whitelist tables that are created and managed exclusively for each user device, allowing access only to the login page of whitelisted domains during the authentication process and redirecting other requests to the captive portal login page.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a static whitelist is used to allow access to social media domains before authentication, then users can easily access login pages of whitelisted sites, but unauthorized users can also gain access to these sites before authentication
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the whitelist into multiple context-specific sub-whitelists (e.g., authentication whitelist, browsing whitelist, shopping whitelist) that are dynamically created and assigned to different users based on their context. This allows the system to provide targeted access control - enabling login page access for authenticated users while blocking unauthorized access to the same domains for unauthenticated users, thereby resolving the contradiction between ease of operation and security.
2Device complexity
If a static whitelist applicable to all users is implemented, then the system is simple to manage, but it cannot differentiate between authenticated and unauthenticated user requests
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the static whitelist into a dynamic system where whitelists are created, modified, and deleted in real-time based on user context, authentication state, and requested domains. The system dynamically assigns different whitelist configurations to different users, enabling it to adapt to varying access control requirements while maintaining automated management through context analysis, thus balancing complexity and adaptability.
3Ease of operation
If social media domains are added to the whitelist to facilitate social media login, then users can access the login module, but general access to the social media sites is also permitted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating context-specific whitelist rules that grant different access permissions to different users for the same domain. For example, unauthenticated users receive an authentication-only whitelist that permits access only to login pages of social media domains, while authenticated users receive broader browsing permissions. This localized, context-aware access control enables login functionality while preventing unauthorized general access to protected sites.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, systems and computer readable media for a captive portal having dynamic, context-based whitelisting are described.