One-Time Password Authentication via Hashed Nonces
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional authentication protocols are vulnerable to security breaches due to the transmission of plaintext passwords, which can be intercepted or hacked, and they often require complex computations that consume significant resources, while also not supporting one-time password authentication.
Innovation Solution
A method that uses a cryptographic hash function to authenticate clients to a server without transmitting the password, by storing a hashed word generated from a disposable random variable and a password sequence, allowing for transparent password modification and enhanced security through algebraic inversion on the server side.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If plaintext passwords are transmitted for authentication, then the authentication process is simple and straightforward, but the security is compromised as passwords can be intercepted or hacked
Solution Approach 1:
A cryptographic hash function is introduced as an intermediary between the password and its transmission. The hash function transforms the plaintext password into a hashed value, which is then transmitted instead of the original password. This mediator protects the password from direct exposure while maintaining authentication functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical transmission of plaintext passwords with a cryptographic transformation system. Instead of directly sending the password, the system uses hash functions to transform it into a secure representation, substituting the vulnerable mechanical transmission with a cryptographically protected process.
2Reliability
If encrypted connections are used to protect password transmission, then security is improved, but computational resources and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs disposable random variables (nonces) that are used once for authentication and then discarded. These temporary values provide security without requiring long-term cryptographic keys or complex encryption protocols, reducing computational overhead while maintaining security.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameter being transmitted from the static password to a dynamic hashed value that incorporates a random variable. This parameter change allows the same password to generate different authenticated values each time, providing security without requiring complex encryption of the password itself.
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional authentication protocols are used, then the implementation is straightforward, but they do not support one-time password authentication
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces dynamics into the authentication process by incorporating random variables that change with each authentication attempt. This transforms the static password-based system into a dynamic one-time password system, where the authenticated value is different each time even though the underlying password remains the same.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary hashing of the password combined with a random variable before transmission. This preliminary action creates a secure one-time authenticator that can be verified without requiring the server to store or process the actual password, maintaining implementation simplicity while enabling one-time password functionality.
4Ease of operation
If simple passwords are used that are easy to remember, then ease of use is improved, but security is weakened as they are easy to reconstruct even when encrypted
Solution Approach 1:
The hash function acts as an intermediary that protects weak passwords. Even if the password itself is simple and easy to remember (and potentially weak), the hash function transforms it into a secure representation that cannot be easily reverse-engineered, especially when combined with random variables.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the potential harm of using weak passwords into a benefit. By hashing the weak password combined with a random variable, the system makes the weak password secure for transmission purposes. The weakness of the original password becomes irrelevant because the hash function and random variable together create a strong authenticated value.
Data Source
AI summary
Method of authenticating a client to a server, the client having beforehand registered on the server by storing therein a valid identifier (ID) and a hashed word (H0; Hn) generated by applying a hash function to a disposable random variable (RAND0; RANDn; Rn) possessed/known by both the client and the server and concatenated with a sequence (ISC0; ISCn) resulting from hashing the concatenation of a password (PWD) known from the client, said disposable random variable (RAND0; RANDn; Rn) and an initialization sequence (ISCinit) possessed by the client.