Distributed Authentication for Ambient Commerce
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Solution Overview
Problem
Ambient commerce systems face challenges in authenticating entities without disrupting the seamless customer experience, particularly in minimizing customer interaction and ensuring robustness against fraud.
Innovation Solution
The system employs a distributed authentication method using multiple independent trusted systems, including financial institution systems and on-premises sensors, to authenticate entities based on various parameters such as facial profiles, voiceprints, fingerprints, and behavioral indications, ensuring robustness and minimizing fraud risks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional authentication methods are used in ambient commerce, then security and fraud prevention are improved, but customer interaction increases and seamless experience deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs authentication automatically without requiring customer action. Sensors detect entities and trigger authentication processes in the background, allowing the system to serve itself by completing security verification without human intervention, thus maintaining both security and seamless experience
Solution Approach 2:
Independent trusted systems act as intermediaries between the ambient commerce system and authentication verification. These mediators handle the complex security checks using multiple authentication parameters, shielding customers from the complexity while ensuring robust fraud prevention
2Reliability
If multiple independent trusted systems are used for authentication, then fraud resistance and reliability are improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The authentication system is divided into separate independent trusted systems, each responsible for specific authentication parameters. This segmentation allows each component to be specialized and manageable, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining high reliability through distributed verification
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple independent trusted systems are designed to perform similar authentication functions using different authentication parameters. This multi-functionality allows the system to maintain flexibility and robustness while using standardized interfaces, preventing complexity from escalating
3Ease of operation
If background authentication is performed without customer notification, then seamless ambient experience is improved, but authentication robustness may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
Authentication is performed in advance as a background process before the customer needs to access services. By completing verification beforehand using multiple parameters, the system ensures robust authentication while maintaining seamless experience during actual service delivery
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors authentication status and adjusts verification processes based on risk assessments. Feedback loops ensure that background authentication maintains robustness by adapting to detected anomalies while preserving the seamless customer experience
Data Source
AI summary
According to an aspect there is provided a system that is configured to: detect, based on an output of at least one of the one or more sensors, an entity at the physical premises; authenticating the detected entity by: receiving, from a first system, an indication that authentication has been performed by the first system using a first authentication parameter; obtaining an indication that authentication has been performed by a system that is not the first system using a second authentication parameter; and determining that the detected entity is an authenticated entity based on the indication that the authentication has been performed by the first system and the indication that authentication has been performed by the system that is not the first system. The system may also be configured to perform an operation for the authenticated entity.