One-Time Cookie Authentication for Time Synchronization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current technologies are inadequate in protecting against Denial of Service (DoS) attacks that disrupt time synchronization between network nodes by masquerading as trusted peers and sending illegitimate time-synchronization packets.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a system that uses a set of cookies for authenticating time-synchronization packets, where nodes exchange secret cookies during setup operations, and a processing unit identifies and validates these cookies to ensure the legitimacy of packets, thereby preventing illegitimate packets from being used in synchronization calculations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If nodes exchange secret cookies during setup operations to authenticate time-synchronization packets, then the reliability of time synchronization is improved, but the device complexity increases due to the need for cookie storage, identification, and validation mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by exchanging and storing secret cookies during the setup operation before actual time synchronization occurs. This pre-establishment of authentication credentials enables rapid validation of subsequent time-synchronization packets without complex real-time authentication negotiations, thereby improving reliability while managing device complexity through advance preparation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses copying by creating and storing duplicate copies of secret cookies in the receiving node's memory. These cookie copies serve as authentication references that can be quickly compared against incoming time-synchronization packets, enabling efficient validation without requiring continuous communication with the original source, thus balancing reliability with reduced operational complexity
2Reliability
If the system validates each time-synchronization packet using cookie authentication, then protection against DoS attacks is improved, but the processing time and productivity are reduced due to additional validation steps
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements this principle by using simple, easily comparable cookie data structures that can be quickly validated and discarded. Each cookie serves as a single-use authentication token for time-synchronization packets, allowing the system to perform rapid validity checks without investing in complex, long-lived authentication mechanisms. This approach enhances DoS protection through consistent validation while minimizing processing overhead by using lightweight, disposable authentication objects
3Adaptability or versatility
If the system stores multiple cookies in memory for authentication, then the ability to handle multiple nodes is improved, but the loss of memory resources increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the cookie storage into discrete, individually manageable units in memory. Each node's cookies are stored as separate entities that can be independently accessed and validated. This segmentation allows the system to efficiently handle multiple nodes by only loading and maintaining cookies for active or recently active nodes, thereby improving multi-node adaptability while controlling memory resource consumption through selective storage and automatic expiration of unused cookies
Data Source
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AI summary
The disclosed apparatus may include (1) a storage device that stores a set of cookies that facilitate authenticating packets received from a node within a network and (2) a processing unit communicatively coupled to the storage device, wherein the processing unit (A) receives at least one packet from the node, (B) identifies a cookie included in the packet received from the node, (C) searches the set of cookies stored in the storage device for the cookie included in the packet received from the node, (D) identifies, during the search of the set of cookies, the cookie included in the packet and (E) protects against a DoS attack by authenticating the legitimacy of the packet based at least in part on the cookie included in the packet being identified in the set of cookies stored in the storage device. Various other apparatuses, systems, and methods are also disclosed.