Federated Login Bookmarking with State Parameter Regeneration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users are unable to bookmark federated login pages due to invalid state parameters, leading to authentication failures despite providing valid credentials.
Innovation Solution
Service provider servers generate new state parameters when an invalid state parameter is detected, re-authenticating the user device without requiring modifications to the federated login server.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If users bookmark federated login pages with state parameters, then user convenience is improved, but authentication reliability deteriorates due to expired state parameters
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary validation of the state parameter before proceeding with authentication. If the state parameter is expired or invalid, the system proactively generates a new one and redirects the user, preventing authentication failure before it occurs. This preliminary check and corrective action enables bookmarked pages to function reliably.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes the state parameter when detecting that it has expired or become invalid. Instead of failing authentication, the system generates a new state parameter and continues the authentication flow, allowing users to access services even when using bookmarked login pages with outdated parameters.
2Ease of operation
If the federated login server is modified to handle bookmarked pages, then user convenience is improved, but system complexity and security risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The service provider server acts as an intermediary between the federated login server and the user. It validates the state parameter, generates new parameters when needed, and manages the authentication flow without requiring modifications to the federated login server. This intermediary approach solves the bookmarking problem while keeping the federated login server unchanged.
Solution Approach 2:
The service provider server autonomously handles the validation and regeneration of state parameters without external intervention or modification of the federated login server. It independently detects expired parameters, generates replacements, and manages user redirection, enabling the system to serve bookmarked pages without increasing overall system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems for handling of invalid state parameters during authentication are described herein. A computing device may receive, from a web browser executing on a user device, first data. That data may comprise an indication of authentication of authentication credentials and a first state parameter. Based on that first state parameter being invalid, the computing device may generate a new state parameter and redirect the web browser to a web page associated with an identity provider application. The computing device may then receive, from the web browser, an indication of authentication of a cookie and the new state parameter. The computing device may provide, to the user device, access to one or more services.