Event-Based Authentication Using Cross-Device User Activity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional user authentication methods, such as username and password combinations and security questions, are vulnerable to compromise when security is breached, failing to provide robust secondary verification.
Innovation Solution
A two-factor authentication process that analyzes user events across multiple applications and devices to generate authentication questions, allowing users to select devices and applications for data collection, with event data parameters limiting privacy concerns and storing data for verification purposes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional username and password authentication is used, then the authentication process is simple and easy to operate, but the security is compromised when the provider's security is breached
Solution Approach 1:
The authentication process is segmented into two independent factors: something the user knows (password) and something the user did (event-based question). This segmentation ensures that compromise of one factor does not necessarily compromise the other, as they are collected and verified separately through different mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
Event data is collected and stored in advance during normal application usage, before authentication is needed. This preliminary action creates a reservoir of authentic user behavior data that can be quickly queried to generate event-based questions during the authentication process, eliminating the need for real-time event generation.
2Reliability
If event data from multiple applications and devices is collected for authentication, then the security verification is enhanced, but the device complexity and data management requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The event verification program implements a universal data collection mechanism that works across multiple applications and devices through standardized event schemas. The system collects events from diverse sources (messaging apps, media players, games, etc.) using a common framework, allowing the same authentication logic to handle heterogeneous data sources without requiring application-specific implementation for each source.
Solution Approach 2:
The event verification program acts as an intermediary layer between various applications/devices and the authentication system. It collects, standardizes, and stores event data from multiple sources, then provides a unified interface for generating authentication questions. This intermediary approach simplifies the overall system architecture by centralizing complex data management tasks.
3Measurement precision
If user event data is collected across multiple applications and devices, then the authentication accuracy is improved, but the privacy concerns and data storage requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts and stores only essential event data characteristics needed for authentication (event type, timestamp, application context) while excluding sensitive personal information. By taking out only the necessary authentication-relevant features from raw event data, the system maintains authentication accuracy while minimizing privacy intrusion and data storage requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transforms raw event data into authentication questions by changing the parameter representation from detailed user behavior logs to simplified yes/no or multiple-choice questions. This parameter transformation reduces the information burden while maintaining the ability to accurately verify user identity through event-based questions.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for a two-factor authentication process includes, responsive to determining a first user authentication was prompted in a first application on a first device associated with a user, identifying a second application on a second device based on a user profile associated with the user. The method identifies a first event from a plurality of events that previously occurred in the second application in a select time frame, wherein the first event relates to a first action performed by the user in the second application. The method generates an authentication question based on the first event, wherein the authentication question is a second user authentication. Responsive to determining an answer provided by the user to the authentication question is correct, the method grants access to the first user authentication prompt.