PassText Authentication with One-Time Password Verification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current authentication methods often compromise between security and convenience, with password-based systems being vulnerable to attacks and inconvenient strict policies, necessitating a stronger authentication mechanism that balances security and user experience.
Innovation Solution
A method combining a modified text file (PassText) and one-time passwords (OTPs) for user authentication, where users modify an initial text to generate hash values, with OTPs used for verification and reauthentication, providing a balance between security and convenience.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If password-based authentication is used, then convenience is improved, but security deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The authentication process is divided into two distinct phases: initial authentication requiring both PassText modification and OTP verification, and subsequent reauthentication requiring only PassText modification. This segmentation allows the system to enforce strong security initially while providing convenience for ongoing operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary strong authentication using both PassText and OTP before establishing the user session. This preliminary action ensures high security at the critical entry point, while the stored PassText hash enables faster subsequent access without requiring repeated OTP verification.
2Reliability
If two-factor authentication is implemented, then security is improved, but convenience deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The authentication requirements dynamically change based on the authentication phase. The system transitions from requiring two factors (PassText + OTP) during initial authentication to requiring only one factor (PassText) during reauthentication, making the security mechanism adaptive rather than static.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements periodic reauthentication at session expiration, but uses a simplified process compared to initial authentication. This periodic action maintains security while reducing the burden on users during routine access after the initial strong verification.
3Reliability
If strict password policies are enforced, then security is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of requiring users to remember complex passwords, the system uses a text file that users can physically copy and store externally. This copying approach eliminates the need for users to memorize strong passwords while maintaining security through hash verification.
Solution Approach 2:
Users independently modify the PassText file according to their preferences and store it securely on their own devices. The system trusts users to manage their own authentication credential, reducing the need for restrictive policies while maintaining security through the hashing mechanism.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, systems, and computer readable media for authentication using a text file and a one-time password are described. A method includes receiving user credentials and providing initial text for modification then generating first and second hash values based on a hash function of the initial and modified texts, and comparing the hash values and creating a record in a user table to store information corresponding to the user including the second hash value, wherein the information includes the modified text if the texts do not match; then sending a user a first one-time password via email to verify that the user is an owner of an email address provided by the user.