Secure Cookie Persistence for Multi-Tenant Authentication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing authentication mechanisms in Internet-hosted environments, particularly for small to medium-sized shared environments, face challenges in providing a secure, user-friendly, and efficient way to manage digital identities and access controls, especially in scenarios where employees, customers, and partners collaborate, as they often rely on insecure password transmission and cumbersome login processes.
Innovation Solution
A secure authentication mechanism is implemented using triple encryption for temporary passwords and a hashed cache table management system, combined with role-based access control and secure cookie persistence, utilizing Business Unit IDs and Role IDs to enhance security and ease of use, while also enabling diagnostic and troubleshooting capabilities across the Internet.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If basic authentication with password transmission over SSL is used, then authentication security is improved, but the system remains vulnerable to hacker attacks and password compromise
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the password from the authentication transmission process entirely. Instead of transmitting passwords over SSL or in clear text, the system uses session tokens that are generated server-side and stored in client cookies. The actual authentication credentials remain on the server in hashed form, eliminating the vulnerability of password transmission over networks.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces session tokens as an intermediary between authentication and resource access. These tokens are generated after successful authentication and are used for subsequent requests. The tokens contain encrypted user identification and role information, serving as a mediator that eliminates the need to repeatedly transmit actual passwords while maintaining security.
2Ease of manufacture
If text files are used to store authentication information, then implementation simplicity is improved, but authentication performance deteriorates due to time-costly lookups
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a cached copy of authentication data in the form of session tokens that are stored in client cookies. Instead of repeatedly querying the authentication database for every request, the system copies essential authentication information (user ID, roles, permissions) into tokens that clients present with each request. This eliminates time-costly database lookups while maintaining data integrity through server-side validation.
3Reliability
If authentication is verified every time content is requested due to HTTP statelessness, then access control accuracy is improved, but system performance deteriorates due to repeated verification overhead
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs authentication verification in advance during the initial login process. After successful authentication, the system generates session tokens containing encrypted user identification and role information. These tokens are stored in client cookies and remain valid for the session duration. Subsequent requests automatically include these tokens, eliminating the need for repeated authentication verification while maintaining access control accuracy through token validation.
4Reliability
If secure authentication mechanisms are implemented, then security is improved, but user experience deteriorates due to cumbersome login processes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements automatic session management where the client browser automatically includes session tokens with each request. After initial authentication, users experience seamless access to protected resources without manual re-authentication. The system handles token generation, storage, and transmission automatically, providing both security and user convenience. Users simply need to log in once per session, and the system manages the rest transparently.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for remote services authentication in an internet hosted environment includes a high level process and functionality for a secure, practical and logically optimized inter-network authentication mechanism by employees, partners and customers of an enterprise into the hosted Internet site. The lightweight authentication and authorization mechanism can be most effectively implemented in Java as part of the application or web server servlet. The method for remote services authentication includes initial secure password establishment, subsequent authentication and authorization, as well as authentication and authorization upon resuming previously run sessions with the hosted server using Internet cookies.