Identity Provider Token Authentication for Secure Content Access
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Communication systems face challenges in securely authenticating external service providers to access content from primary service providers, particularly during shared network events, where unauthorized access to program guide data and metadata needs to be prevented.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that involves receiving a request to access content from a user device, communicating this request to an identity provider with cookie data, generating an authentication request using an identity provider token and external service provider identifier, and granting access upon successful assertion signal communication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If content is made accessible to external service providers during shared network events, then content accessibility is improved, but security against unauthorized access deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an identity provider as an intermediary between the external service provider and the content. The identity provider issues tokens that mediate the access relationship, allowing external providers to access content while maintaining security through token-based authentication and authorization mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary authentication and token issuance before content access is granted. The identity provider authenticates external service providers in advance and issues tokens that encode authorization information, ensuring security checks are completed before content delivery begins.
2Reliability
If authentication mechanisms are implemented for external service providers, then security is improved, but system complexity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The authentication system is segmented into distinct functional components: the identity provider that handles authentication and token issuance, and the service provider that consumes tokens. This segmentation allows each component to specialize in specific tasks, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining security.
Solution Approach 2:
The identity provider acts as an intermediary that centralizes authentication logic, preventing the need for each service provider to implement complex authentication mechanisms independently. This intermediary approach simplifies the overall system architecture by consolidating security functions.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If token-based authentication is used for content access, then unauthorized access prevention is improved, but processing time deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Authentication and token issuance are performed in advance before content access is needed. The identity provider authenticates external service providers and issues tokens containing pre-encoded authorization information, eliminating the need for repeated authentication checks during content delivery and reducing processing time.
Solution Approach 2:
The token system provides feedback mechanisms where the identity provider validates tokens and provides authorization decisions. This structured feedback loop enables efficient verification of access rights without requiring complex real-time authentication processes.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and system for authenticating a user device includes an identity provider reading service and an external service provider receiving a request to access content from a user device and communicating the request to access content from a service provider to the reading service. The request to access content includes cookie data. The external service requests an identity provider token from the cookie data from the reading service based on the request to access. The identity provider reading service communicates the identity provider token to the external service provider. An identity provider communicates with the service provider. The external service generates and communicates an authentication request to the identity provider having the identity provider token and a service provider identifier. The identity provider communicates an assertion signal to the service provider when the cookie data is resolved at the identity provider. The service provider grants access to content to the user device in response to the assertion signal.