Cookie Bastion Module for Session Hijacking Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Legacy applications lack widespread implementation of security protections against hijacked session cookie exploitation, necessitating a system to harden session cookie security without rewriting the applications.
Innovation Solution
A system that intercepts requests to communicate with an application, caches and removes initial cookies, creates new cookies, and tracks sessions, detecting unauthorized access by monitoring IP and browser fingerprint changes, and requesting additional authentication if necessary, all without modifying the application.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If session cookies are used to maintain user authentication and authorization status, then application functionality is enabled, but security vulnerabilities arise allowing cookie hijacking and unauthorized access
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a cookie bastion module as an intermediary component that sits between the application and the client device. This module intercepts cookies, performs security checks, and manages cookie lifecycle without requiring application modification. The bastion module validates cookies against stored fingerprints and device information, blocking hijacked cookies while allowing legitimate sessions to proceed, thus resolving the security vulnerability while maintaining functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary security actions by caching cookies and their associated fingerprints (device information, IP addresses, user agents) before they can be exploited. When a cookie is received, the bastion module proactively compares it against cached entries and device fingerprints to detect potential hijacking attempts before they can compromise the application, preventing security breaches in advance.
2Reliability
If security protections against hijacked cookies are implemented in legacy applications, then security is improved, but application rewriting is required which increases complexity and cost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the security functionality from the application code by introducing a separate cookie bastion module. This modular approach isolates security logic into an independent component that can be deployed and managed separately from the legacy application. The bastion module handles all security operations (cookie interception, fingerprint validation, device verification) without requiring integration into or modification of the application's core codebase, thus improving security while avoiding the complexity of application rewriting.
3Reliability
If cookies are removed from responses to prevent hijacking, then security is improved, but session tracking capability is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The bastion module creates a secure copy of the session identification information by generating unique session identifiers and storing them in an unforgeable location within the application's data store. Instead of relying on vulnerable client-side cookies for session tracking, the system maintains authoritative session records on the server side, allowing it to track and manage sessions securely without exposing session information to potential hijacking while preserving full session tracking capability.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, methods, and storage media for abstracting session information for an application in an identity infrastructure are disclosed. Exemplary implementations may: intercept, from a first computing device, a request to communicate with the application; send the request to the application from the second computing device; receive a response from the application at the second computing device; cache the one or more first cookies; remove the one or more first cookies from the response; create one or more second cookies; and transmit the response to the first computing device from the second computing device.