Periodic Location Sampling for One-Round User Authentication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing multi-factor authentication (MFA) methods, such as one-time password (OTP) mechanisms, require multiple round-trip communications between the user and the authenticating server, which can be time-consuming and reduce productivity, and may prevent real-time access.
Innovation Solution
A system that authenticates users based on a dynamically computed hash value of periodically sampled location coordinates of a registered device, combined with log-in credentials, eliminating the need for a second round-trip communication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If one-time password (OTP) mechanisms are used for multi-factor authentication, then security is improved, but communication time and system latency increase due to multiple round-trip communications
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-establishes a trusted relationship between the client device and authentication server by having the server generate and store location coordinate data on the client device during an initial setup phase. This preliminary action eliminates the need for subsequent round-trip communications during authentication, as the client can independently compute hash values from stored location coordinates and send only the result to the server for verification.
2Reliability
If multiple round-trip communications are required for authentication, then authentication security is improved, but productivity decreases due to delayed access
Solution Approach 1:
Location coordinate data is pre-configured on the client device before authentication is needed. During the authentication process, the client device computes a hash value from these pre-stored coordinates and transmits only this compact value to the server, enabling rapid verification without requiring multiple communication rounds and thus maintaining both security and high access speed.
3Measurement precision
If location coordinates are periodically sampled and stored, then authentication accuracy is improved, but device storage requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of storing complete location coordinate datasets, the system extracts only the essential authentication element - a hash value computed from the location coordinates. This extraction approach maintains authentication precision while dramatically reducing storage requirements, as the hash value is a compact fixed-length string regardless of the original coordinate data volume.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transforms location coordinates (continuous spatial data requiring significant storage) into hash values (discrete fixed-length data requiring minimal storage). This parameter transformation maintains the unique identification capability of location data while reducing storage requirements from potentially kilobytes to just a few bytes per authentication record.
Data Source
AI summary
According to one embodiment, a method, computer system, and computer program product for user authentication. The embodiment may include receiving, from a first device, multiple location coordinates of the first device. The embodiment may include storing, on a second device, a second moving window comprising last n location coordinates of the multiple location coordinates. The embodiment may include receiving, from the first device, a request to access the second device, wherein the request comprises log-in credentials and a first hash value. The embodiment may include computing, on the second device, a second hash value based on the second moving window. The embodiment may include verifying the log-in credentials. The embodiment may include comparing the first hash value and the second hash value. In response to the first and the second hash values being equal, and the log-in credentials being verified, the embodiment may include granting access.