Off-Host Authentication Segregation for Credential Translation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional authentication techniques require users to enroll multiple authentication methods on every device for each website or application, leading to resource-intensive and non-scalable processes.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of an off-host authentication processing system that segregates authentication from the host processor, allowing users to provide a first authentication factor to retrieve a certificate, which is then transmitted to a web-access management server, enabling multifactor authentication and metadata-based trust for secure access to web resources.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If users enroll multiple authentication methods on every device for each website or application, then authentication security is improved, but system complexity and resource consumption increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The authentication system is segmented into two distinct components: an authentication client that collects and manages multiple authentication factors locally on the user device, and an authentication server that validates these factors and issues credentials. This segmentation allows the client to handle multiple authentication methods without increasing server complexity, while the server maintains simplified credential validation logic.
Solution Approach 2:
The authentication client acts as an intermediary between the user's multiple authentication factors and the authentication server. It aggregates various authentication methods (passwords, biometrics, tokens) and presents them as unified credential requests to the server, thereby reducing the complexity burden from both the user and the server while maintaining security.
2Reliability
If users enroll multiple authentication methods on every device for each website or application, then authentication security is improved, but scalability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The authentication client is designed as a universal component that can handle multiple authentication factors and work across different websites and applications. Once configured on the user device, it serves multiple purposes: collecting authentication factors, managing credentials, and working with different authentication servers, thereby enabling scalable deployment without requiring separate authentication systems for each application.
Solution Approach 2:
The authentication client performs self-service functions by automatically collecting authentication factors from available sources, managing credential storage locally, and handling the complexity of multi-factor authentication workflows without requiring manual intervention for each authentication scenario. This automation enables the system to scale efficiently.
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional authentication techniques are used, then implementation simplicity is maintained, but resource intensity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The authentication client performs preliminary actions by collecting and caching authentication factors locally on the user device before actual authentication is needed. It pre-establishes connections to authentication servers and prepares credential data in advance, reducing the computational and network resources required during actual authentication transactions.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for credential translation are described. In some embodiments, an Information Handling System (IHS) may include: a host processor; an embedded controller coupled to the processor; and an off-host authentication processing system coupled to the embedded controller and segregated from the host processor, the off-host authentication processing system further comprising: an off-host processor; and an off-host memory coupled to the off-host processor, the off-host memory having program instructions stored thereon that, upon execution, cause the off-host processor to: receive a certificate from a web-access management server; store the certificate in the off-host memory; and request that a user of the IHS provide a first authentication factor to be associated with the certificate such that, when the first authentication factor is presented to the off-host processor, the certificate is released from the off-host memory.