Browser Header Order Analysis for Spoofing-Resistant Authentication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Malicious actors employ browser spoofing to impersonate legitimate users by presenting harvested web browser information, bypassing fraud detection systems, leading to potential damage and cost for both users and companies.
Innovation Solution
An authentication system that analyzes the order of HTTP headers and navigator object properties from a user's browser to detect potential browser spoofing, requiring additional fraud prevention measures such as multi-factor authentication when discrepancies are found.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional device fingerprinting is used to identify legitimate users, then user authentication is simplified, but malicious actors can bypass detection by performing browser spoofing with harvested parameters
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the device fingerprint into multiple independent components: HTTP header order, navigator object property order, and screen resolution. By analyzing these segments separately and requiring consistency across all, the system prevents malicious actors from successfully spoofing all components simultaneously, thereby maintaining both ease of authentication and high fraud detection accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary analysis of browser characteristics (HTTP header order, navigator object properties) during the authentication process before granting access. By checking these parameters in advance and comparing them against stored legitimate user profiles, the system proactively identifies spoofing attempts before they can cause damage
2Reliability
If browser spoofing detection is implemented, then security against malicious actors is improved, but the authentication system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary authentication module that acts as a mediator between the user's browser and the web property. This module automatically performs the complex analysis of HTTP header orders and navigator object properties, shielding the main system from complexity while providing robust spoofing detection. The intermediary handles all fingerprinting analysis and comparison operations transparently
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates copies of legitimate user browser fingerprints (HTTP header orders, navigator object properties) and stores them for comparison. By comparing against these pre-collected copies rather than analyzing raw browser data in real-time, the system reduces computational complexity while maintaining high security against spoofing attempts
Data Source
AI summary
An authentication system includes an authentication module and a user history database storing order information that includes, for each of multiple logins of the first user to a web property, at least one of: an indication of an order of hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) headers that were previously received at the authentication module during the login, and an indication of an order of navigator object properties that were previously returned to the authentication module during the login. The authentication module is configured to: receive, from a web browser of a first entity attempting to log in to the web property, credentials of the first user; determine order information of the first entity's web browser; perform a comparison operation based on the order information of the first user and that of the first entity, and determine whether to allow the first entity to log in based on the comparison operation.