Intermediary Authentication System for Man-in-the-Screen Attack Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Users are vulnerable to 'man-in-the-screen' attacks, where malicious webpages mimic legitimate ones, making it difficult to detect and prevent unauthorized access to personal and financial information, as traditional security measures fail to distinguish between genuine and spoofed content.
Innovation Solution
A method that analyzes the content being accessed, generates a list of verified content providers, and requires user confirmation to ensure the selected provider matches the true identity of the website, preventing access if the selection does not align with the analyzed content.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional security measures are used to detect malicious content, then the system is simple to operate, but the detection precision is insufficient to distinguish between genuine and spoofed content
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary authentication system that acts as a mediator between the user and the website. This intermediary analyzes content characteristics, verifies website identity through multiple parameters (IP address, domain name, SSL certificate, content structure), and presents authentication information to the user for confirmation before allowing access. This intermediary layer enhances detection precision without requiring fundamental changes to existing web infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where authentication results are provided to users in real-time. The system analyzes website content, compares it against known legitimate patterns, and provides feedback to the user through authentication prompts and visual indicators. This feedback loop allows users to make informed decisions about website authenticity, significantly improving detection precision.
2Reliability
If content analysis and user confirmation requirements are implemented, then the reliability of access control is improved, but the ease of operation deteriorates due to additional user steps
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary content analysis and website verification before the user completes authentication. By pre-analyzing content characteristics, IP addresses, domain names, and SSL certificates, the system prepares authentication information in advance. This preliminary action reduces the cognitive load on users during the authentication step, as the system has already done the heavy lifting of verification.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates simplified copies or representations of complex authentication information that are easy for users to understand and verify. Instead of requiring users to analyze raw technical parameters, the system presents user-friendly authentication prompts, visual indicators, and simplified website identity information that users can quickly verify without technical expertise.
3Measurement precision
If traditional proxy-based security measures are used, then the device complexity is low, but the measurement precision is insufficient to detect man-in-the-browser attacks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from traditional single-dimension proxy-based security to multi-dimensional content analysis. Instead of relying solely on IP address filtering or basic heuristic analysis, the system analyzes multiple dimensions simultaneously: network layer (IP address, port), application layer (domain_name, SSL certificate, HTTP headers), and content layer (HTML structure, JavaScript patterns, form elements). This dimensional expansion dramatically improves attack detection precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The security system is segmented into distinct functional modules: content analysis module, verification module, authentication module, and user interface module. Each module handles specific aspects of security verification independently. This segmentation allows the system to achieve high detection precision through specialized analysis while maintaining manageable complexity through modular architecture.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for authenticating a user attempting to access content are provided. The method includes requesting a first at least one user credential, determining if the requested first at least one user credential matches a second at least one user credential used when the user accessed previously accessed content, and generating a list of content providers requiring the second at least one user credential for access when the first at least one user credentials matches a second at least one user credential. The method also includes requiring the user to select a content provider from the list of content providers, allowing the user to access the content if the selected content provider corresponds to the content being accessed by the user, and preventing the user from accessing the content if the selected content provider does not correspond to the content being accessed by the user.