Passkey Authentication for Contact Center Security
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional login methods for contact center agents and customers, such as passwords and two-factor authentication, are vulnerable to phishing, social engineering, and keylogging, and require storage of sensitive information, which can lead to security breaches and identity theft.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a passkey-based authentication system using biometric authentication, such as fingerprint or facial recognition, that generates a public/private key pair, allowing secure login without passwords or personal identification numbers, and enabling passwordless authentication through the FIDO2 standard.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional login methods (passwords, two-factor authentication) are used, then authentication functionality is provided, but security vulnerabilities (phishing, social engineering, keylogging) and storage of sensitive information occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes passwords and personal identification numbers from the authentication system entirely. By using passkey-based authentication with biometric verification, the system eliminates the need to store or transmit sensitive credential information, thereby removing the attack surface for phishing, keylogging, and social engineering attacks.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/password-based authentication system with a biometric-based authentication system. Instead of relying on users to remember and input passwords, the system uses physiological biometrics (fingerprint, facial recognition) combined with cryptographic passkeys, substituting a vulnerable manual process with a more secure biological and cryptographic system.
2Ease of operation
If passwords and personal identification numbers are stored for authentication, then user identification is enabled, but security breaches and identity theft risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the practice of storing passwords and personal identification numbers from the system. By implementing passkey-based authentication, user identification is achieved through cryptographic verification of biometric data rather than through storage and comparison of password hashes, eliminating the security risk associated with credential storage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces biometric data and cryptographic passkeys as intermediaries between the user and the authentication system. Instead of directly storing and comparing passwords, the system uses biometric verification to generate cryptographic proofs that authenticate user identity without requiring storage of sensitive personal information.
3Reliability
If passkey-based authentication with biometric verification is implemented, then security is enhanced and password management is eliminated, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent leverages the universality of modern mobile devices, which already contain biometric sensors (fingerprint scanners, facial recognition cameras) and cryptographic hardware (secure enclaves, trusted execution environments). By utilizing existing multi-functional device capabilities, the system achieves enhanced security without adding significant hardware complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements self-service authentication where the user's own biometric data serves as the authentication credential. The device itself performs the verification of biometric data and generation of cryptographic proofs, eliminating the need for external password management infrastructure and reducing system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for authenticating a contact center user to a contact center agent includes a cloud system, to which the agent is securely authenticated, triggering a sending of an electronic message to a user device. The user device has one or more biometric authentication features, which it requires to access a private key, of a key pair, securely stored on the user device. The electronic message contains a validation link or a trigger for a validation prompt. A passkey system stores an agent identifier, a user identifier, an interaction identifier, and a credential identifier in a database, in response receiving a positive authentication status from a business web server indicating that the business web server has authenticated the customer device by passkey. In response to the passkey system receiving the positive authentication status, the passkey system transmits an authentication status notification indicating the positive authentication status to the cloud system.