Federated Credential Provider for IoT Authentication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing communication networks in data centers face challenges in securely and efficiently managing authentication and authorization for client devices, particularly for IoT devices with limited resources, which require robust authentication protocols to ensure secure data exchange without overwhelming network resources.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a messaging broker that uses mutual authentication protocols like TLS and federated identity verification through an authentication service provider to generate and manage access tokens, allowing client devices to authenticate and authorize securely without direct communication, thereby reducing overhead and optimizing network usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If mutual authentication protocols like TLS are implemented for secure communication, then security is improved, but network overhead and processing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs authentication preliminarily by issuing access tokens after initial mutual TLS authentication. These pre-generated tokens enable subsequent connections to bypass repeated full authentication cycles, thus resolving the contradiction by establishing security upfront while reducing time for subsequent interactions
Solution Approach 2:
The messaging broker acts as an intermediary that manages authentication tokens between client devices and services. It mediates the authentication process by validating tokens and managing credential distribution, thereby maintaining security while reducing the time burden on individual authentication exchanges
2Adaptability or versatility
If federated identity verification is implemented across multiple services, then authentication versatility is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements a universal authentication approach where a single mutual TLS authentication and token issuance mechanism serves multiple services and protocols. The access token model provides a unified credential that works across different services, reducing complexity while maintaining multi-service versatility
Solution Approach 2:
The messaging broker serves as a federated identity mediator that coordinates authentication across multiple services. It manages the complex interactions between different services and clients by centralizing token validation and credential management, thus enabling multi-service support without proportionally increasing overall system complexity
3Productivity
If access tokens are generated and managed for each client device, then authentication efficiency is improved, but resource consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
Access tokens are generated preliminarily during the initial authentication phase and cached for subsequent use. This preliminary action enables efficient reuse without regenerating credentials for each connection, improving authentication efficiency while the tokens are designed to be compact to minimize resource consumption
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses token copying where a single authenticated credential (access token) is replicated and reused across multiple subsequent authentication requests. This copying approach improves efficiency by avoiding repeated full authentication while the tokens are kept compact to minimize the resource cost of replication and transmission
Data Source
AI summary
A communication system and method for the utilization of authentication protocols to authenticate computing devices. An authentication service provider can authenticate a computing device after a first authentication by an authentication protocol. Computing devices can use the authentication to receive additional credential to access one or more service providers.