ICN Access Control via Challenge-Response Verification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Information Centric Networking (ICN) protocols lack strong content access control, as content is distributed across various content stores, making it difficult for content producers to manage who can access their content and when.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a system where an ICN server receives an anonymous content request, issues a challenge to the client, and verifies authorization using access control information from the content provider, ensuring that only authorized clients receive the requested content while maintaining client anonymity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If content is distributed across multiple content stores in ICN network, then network congestion and latency are reduced, but content access control capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary access control mechanism that operates between clients and content stores. When a client requests content, the system issues a challenge that requires authorization verification before the content store releases the content. This intermediary control layer enables centralized access policy enforcement while maintaining the distributed content delivery architecture, thus resolving the contradiction between fast content retrieval and reliable access control.
2Loss of energy
If content is cached at edge routers across the network, then network congestion is reduced, but centralized control over content access is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the access control function from the content storage function. Edge routers continue to cache and distribute content independently, while a separate access control mechanism handles authorization challenges. This segmentation allows edge routers to maintain their caching operations without becoming complex access control management nodes, thus reducing network congestion while keeping access control management simple and centralized.
3Reliability
If challenge-response authorization mechanism is implemented, then content access security is improved, but communication overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The challenge-response mechanism operates periodically only when needed - specifically when a client first requests protected content or when access tokens expire. During normal content retrieval operations, once authorization is established, the system allows efficient content access without continuous challenge-response exchanges. This periodic activation of the security mechanism provides strong access control while minimizing communication overhead during routine operations.
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure is directed to providing content access control in information centric networking (ICN) networks. Methods and systems include hardware and/or software that perform operations for sending to a content provider of an ICN network an access request for content in response to receiving a first content request from a client. The operations also include receiving from the content provider access control information for the content. The operations further include sending to the client a challenge. Additionally, the operations include receiving from the client an authorization of the content provider that includes information obtained by the client from the content provider based on the challenge. Furthermore, the operations include verifying the authorization received from the client using the access control information received from the content provider. Moreover, the operations include sending to the client the content.