Mobile Device Audio Channel Authentication
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Solution Overview
Problem
The traditional smart card enrollment and management process is cumbersome and error-prone, requiring significant manual effort and hardware components, while users are burdened with carrying multiple smart cards, despite mobile devices having ample computing and storage capacity to perform similar functions.
Innovation Solution
A system that uses mobile devices to store security information typically stored on smart cards, enabling authentication over an audio channel between the mobile device and client device, eliminating the need for smart card readers and hardware, by sending encoded data through speakers and receiving it via microphones, allowing secure authentication without the inconvenience and hardware requirements of smart card-based systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional smart card systems are used for authentication, then security functions are provided, but device complexity and manual effort increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The mobile device is designed to perform multiple functions: it stores security information (replacing smart card), provides authentication (replacing smart card reader), and enables communication through audio channel. This multi-functional approach eliminates the need for separate smart card and reader hardware, reducing system complexity while maintaining security.
Solution Approach 2:
The audio channel acts as an intermediary communication medium between the mobile device and the system requiring authentication. By using the audio channel as a mediator, the patent eliminates the need for direct physical connection via smart card reader, simplifying the hardware requirements while maintaining secure authentication capabilities.
2Reliability
If smart card readers and hardware components are deployed, then authentication capability is provided, but ease of operation deteriorates due to carrying and handling multiple smart cards
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the security information storage, authentication processing, and communication functions into a single mobile device. This merging eliminates the need for users to carry and handle multiple separate smart cards, improving ease of operation while maintaining authentication capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The mobile device serves as a universal authentication tool that can replace multiple smart cards. By consolidating multiple security functions into one device, users experience improved convenience without sacrificing authentication reliability.
3Reliability
If smart card enrollment process is implemented, then security information is stored, but productivity decreases due to significant manual effort required
Solution Approach 1:
The mobile device enables users to perform self-service enrollment and authentication without requiring significant manual intervention from IT administrators. The device autonomously manages security information storage and authentication processes, improving enrollment efficiency while maintaining security information integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
Security information is pre-configured and stored in the mobile device before authentication is needed. This preliminary setup reduces the manual effort required during actual authentication events, improving overall productivity while ensuring security information is readily available when needed.
4Reliability
If hardware components like smart card readers are used, then authentication is enabled, but loss of substance increases due to maintaining physical hardware infrastructure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the authentication function from physical hardware (smart card readers) and relocates it to software-based mobile devices. This extraction eliminates the need to maintain physical hardware infrastructure, reducing loss of substance while preserving authentication functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The authentication capability is copied from hardware-based smart card systems to software-based mobile device implementations. This copying allows the authentication function to be replicated across multiple devices without requiring proportional hardware infrastructure, reducing material consumption and maintenance requirements.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach provides a secure, efficient, and convenient method for authentication, allowing multiple user profiles and reducing the need for hardware, as it leverages the ubiquity of microphones and speakers in devices, offering advantages over other communication protocols like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and NFC.
Implementation Method 1
by sending encoded data through speakers and receiving it via microphones
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method are described for performing authentication on a computing device using a mobile device connected over an audio channel to the computing device, in scenarios where smart card authentication may have been traditionally used. An application executing on the computing device receives a request from a user, which request requires authentication of the user before being allowed by the application. An audio transmission containing encoded data including information authenticating the user is received at the computing device from the user's mobile device via a microphone. The audio transmission is decoded and the information authenticating the user is extracted. The information authenticating the user is verified and the request is allowed in the application.