Location Verification for Secure Multi-Factor Authentication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Mobile devices face challenges in securely authenticating users to prevent unauthorized access, especially in scenarios where devices are stolen or compromised.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of an authorized locations system that uses historical location data to verify if a user device is at a trusted location, combining this with multi-factor authentication to secure high-security operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multi-factor authentication is implemented, then security against unauthorized access is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an authorized locations system as an intermediary authentication factor between the user and the device. This system uses historical location data and probability calculations to verify device location, adding a security layer without requiring complex hardware modifications. The intermediary system processes location verification and returns authentication results, simplifying the overall authentication architecture while enhancing security.
2Reliability
If location verification is performed to prevent stolen device access, then security is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to additional authentication steps
Solution Approach 1:
The authorized locations system operates autonomously by automatically collecting historical location data, calculating probabilities of device location, and performing verification without user intervention. The system self-manages the entire authentication process, comparing current device location against historical patterns and making authentication decisions based on calculated probabilities, thereby maintaining ease of operation while enhancing security.
3Reliability
If historical location data is analyzed to determine authorized locations, then security against location spoofing is improved, but loss of time increases due to data processing requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by continuously collecting and storing historical location data in advance of authentication events. Historical authorized locations are pre-calculated and stored based on past device locations, so that during actual authentication, the system only needs to compare current location against pre-computed authorized locations and calculate probabilities, significantly reducing authentication time while maintaining security.
Data Source
AI summary
The techniques described herein can be used for secure identification of authorized locations for use in multi-factor authentication. A set of historical time-stamped coordinates corresponding to a historical time period can be used to determine a set of authorized locations. A request can be received to determine whether a current location of the first user device is an authorized location. A service can determine whether the current location of the first user device corresponds to one of the set of authorized locations.