Decentralized Identity Verification via Blockchain Credibility Scoring

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current authentication systems require users to remember multiple passwords and are vulnerable to credential harvesting, lacking decentralized and passwordless solutions, especially for enterprises with limited ledger infrastructure.

Innovation Solution

A decentralized authentication system using a blockchain network that stores user credibility authentication entries, allowing users to access secure resources without providing credentials, by calculating a credibility score based on historical interaction data and human/machine responses, validated through consensus among blockchain participants.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If a single repository stores user names and passwords, then access control is simplified, but the system becomes vulnerable to credential harvesting attacks

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveaccess controlVSAvoidsecurity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the centralized credential repository into distributed ledger nodes across multiple enterprises. Each enterprise maintains its own ledger copy, eliminating the single point of failure while enabling decentralized verification of credentials through consensus mechanisms.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces blockchain technology as an intermediary layer between users and service providers. This intermediary enables passwordless authentication through cryptographic proofs and zero-knowledge proofs, allowing verification without exposing actual credentials.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If individual systems have different credential requirements, then system security is tailored, but users must keep track of multiple logon credentials

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesystem securityVSAvoidcredential management
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates a universal credential verification system based on blockchain that works across multiple enterprises and systems. A single decentralized identity can be verified by any participating enterprise through the shared ledger, eliminating the need for users to manage separate credentials for each system while maintaining enterprise-specific security requirements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Reliability

If enterprises lack sufficient ledgers for decentralized authentication, then security is compromised, but coordinating with other enterprises increases infrastructure complexity

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveauthentication securityVSAvoidledger infrastructure
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the ledger infrastructure of multiple enterprises into a shared blockchain network. By combining resources, individual enterprises with limited infrastructure can participate in decentralized authentication by contributing to the collective ledger capacity through consensus mechanisms.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses blockchain technology to create replicated copies of the credential ledger across multiple nodes. Each enterprise receives a synchronized copy of the ledger through distributed consensus, eliminating the need for each enterprise to independently maintain sufficient ledger capacity while ensuring authentication security.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

Data Source

PatentEP3544256B1Passwordless and decentralized identity verification
Publication Date: 2020.08.26 CYBER ARK SOFTWARE LTD
  • EP3544256B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3544256B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3544256B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Techniques include receiving request for verification of an identity, where the request includes no authentication information associated with the identity; determining, based on a ledger shared by a plurality of decentralized verification services, a credibility score for the identity; where the ledger is developed based on receiving information associated with a plurality of different types of credibility-building actions taken by the identity in an environment; determining whether the credibility score for the identity can be validated by consensus by at least a subset of the plurality of decentralized verification services; and determining whether to verify the identity, where the determination of whether to verify the identity is performed without using authentication information associated with the identity.