Distributed mPOS Frontend and Edge Cloud Backend
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Solution Overview
Problem
Mobile Point-of-Sales (mPOS) applications on Common Off-the-Shelf (COTS) devices face security concerns and complex setup procedures, leading to user discomfort and reduced acceptance due to high attack surfaces and performance impacts from extensive monitoring systems.
Innovation Solution
A distributed mPOS system where the application frontend is installed on a terminal device and the application backend is on an edge cloud server, ensuring secure processing of sensitive data with the backend handling sensitive steps, reducing security dependencies on the terminal device and enhancing user convenience.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If mPOS application is executed on COTS device with extensive external monitoring system, then security is improved, but device complexity and performance impact worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The mPOS application is segmented into two parts: a lightweight frontend running on the COTS terminal device and a backend running on a remote server. This segmentation moves the complex security-critical operations to the server while keeping the terminal device simple, resolving the contradiction between security and device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
A remote server acts as an intermediary between the terminal device and the payment system. The server handles complex authentication, authorization, and security verification, mediating between the simple terminal device and the secure payment infrastructure, thereby reducing the monitoring system complexity on the terminal device.
2Reliability
If extensive external monitoring system is implemented on COTS device, then security is improved, but performance impact worsens
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the mPOS application into frontend and backend components, computationally intensive security operations are moved to the remote server. This reduces the performance burden on the terminal device while maintaining strong security through server-side monitoring and verification.
Solution Approach 2:
The remote server serves as an intermediary that handles complex security monitoring and verification tasks. This eliminates the need for extensive local monitoring systems on the terminal device, thereby improving transaction performance while maintaining security through centralized server-side processing.
3Reliability
If complex setup and personalization procedure is implemented for merchant verification, then security is improved, but ease of operation worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The remote server acts as an intermediary that handles complex merchant verification and personalization procedures. Merchants can be verified remotely through multiple factors (credentials, device identification, etc.) without requiring complex local setup procedures on the terminal device, thereby improving ease of operation while maintaining verification security.
Solution Approach 2:
Merchant verification and personalization are performed as preliminary actions during the initial setup phase through the remote server. Once verified, merchants can use the system without repeating complex verification procedures, improving ease of operation for subsequent transactions while maintaining security through pre-verification.
4Reliability
If further user operates COTS device for transaction authorization, then transaction security is improved, but user convenience worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The remote server acts as an intermediary that handles transaction authorization. Instead of requiring the customer to directly operate the terminal device, the server mediates the authorization process by receiving transaction requests, verifying customer credentials, and returning authorization decisions, thereby improving user convenience while maintaining authorization security.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for operating a mobile Point-of-Sales (mPOS) application includes: an application frontend of the mPOS application is installed and launched on a terminal device connected to a communication network via a secure connection; an application backend of the mPOS application is installed and launched on an edge cloud server of the communication network; the application frontend, for starting a transaction associated with the mPOS application, transmits a transaction request indicating the transaction to be started and comprising transaction data associated with the indicated transaction to the application backend via the connection; the application backend transmits an authorization request to the application frontend via the connection; the application frontend authorizes the requested transaction and transmits a transaction authorization to the application backend via the connection; and the application backend completes the transaction.