Password Authentication via Salt Expansion and Compression
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Solution Overview
Problem
Password-based user authentication systems are vulnerable to Exhaustive Search Attacks, particularly in parallel computing environments, where the time required to restore passwords is significantly reduced due to increased parallel processing capabilities.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of an expanded cryptography algorithm that combines a salt with the input password, expands the password length, and compresses the result to generate authentication data, which is stored in a database, thereby increasing the memory resources required for password restoration and slowing down the Exhaustive Search Attack.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a password-based authentication system uses a cryptography algorithm to process passwords, then authentication can be performed, but the cryptography algorithm or authentication data may be exposed to aggressors and become targets of Exhaustive Search Attacks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the password processing into multiple distinct stages: combining password with salt, expanding the combined data, and compressing to generate authentication data. This segmentation increases the complexity and resource requirements for attackers attempting exhaustive search, as each stage adds computational overhead that must be overcome sequentially.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary actions by combining the password with a salt before expansion, and by pre-computing the expanded and compressed authentication data during registration. This preliminary processing ensures that during authentication, only the verification comparison is needed, while the heavy computational work has already been done, protecting against attacks that would require real-time computation.
2Productivity
If parallel computing environments such as GPU or FPGA techniques are used, then processing speed increases, but the time taken to perform Exhaustive Search Attack is significantly shortened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameters of the authentication data by expanding the combined password data to a larger size before compression. This parameter change (increasing data length) directly impacts the resource requirements for parallel processing attacks, as each parallel process requires more memory resources, thereby reducing the number of simultaneous attacks that can be performed and increasing the overall time required for successful password restoration.
3Reliability
If the password is processed according to a cryptography algorithm during authentication, then authentication can be verified, but the exposed authentication data may be restored through Exhaustive Search Attack
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary process between the password and the stored authentication data: the expansion and compression steps. These intermediary transformations ensure that even if the stored authentication data is exposed, it cannot be directly reversed to obtain the original password, as the expansion-compression process creates a one-way transformation that protects the underlying password information.
Data Source
AI summary
A password registration method of a user device which uses a password-based authentication manner is provided. The password registration method includes combining a salt to an input password to generate a combination password; expanding the combination password to generate an expanded password of which a data length is increased; compressing the expanded password to output authentication data; and storing the authentication data in an authentication database.