Privately Directed User Interface for Secure Authentication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Secure terminals in public environments face challenges in authenticating users effectively, as existing methods are susceptible to remote access attempts and eavesdropping, compromising the security of financial transactions.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method and system that uses a personal machine readable storage medium to obtain identification information, retrieves authentication information from a remote network, and presents a challenge request alteration exclusively to the user through a privately directed user interface, requiring a response that matches the altered authentication information to grant access, thereby preventing unauthorized access and eavesdropping.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional authentication methods are used in public environments, then user authentication can be performed, but the system is susceptible to remote access attempts and eavesdropping
Solution Approach 1:
The authentication system segments the challenge-response process into multiple components: a public challenge request displayed on a screen, and a private modification instruction delivered through a privately directed user interface (such as a directed speaker or wearable device). This segmentation ensures that even if the public channel is compromised, the critical modification instruction remains secure and can only be accessed by the physically present user.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a privately directed user interface as an intermediary channel for delivering the modification instruction. This intermediary (such as a directed speaker emitting audio only in a specific direction, or a wearable display) acts as a secure mediator that delivers sensitive information exclusively to the legitimate user while preventing eavesdropping by remote attackers or nearby observers.
2Ease of operation
If authentication information is presented through public user interfaces, then users can access the terminal, but the information may be intercepted by eavesdroppers
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies local quality by delivering the modification instruction through a privately directed user interface that provides information locally and exclusively to the legitimate user. The directed speaker emits audio in a specific directional pattern, or the wearable display shows information only to the wearer, ensuring that the authentication-critical information has local accessibility for the user but is not broadly available to potential eavesdroppers.
3Ease of operation
If remote access is allowed for convenience, then user access is simplified, but security against unauthorized access is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The authentication challenge dynamically adapts by incorporating a modification instruction that changes the required response. Instead of a static authentication process, the system dynamically generates a challenge that requires the user to apply a specific transformation (such as reversing digits, adding a prefix, or other algorithmic modifications) to their authentication information, making remote automated attacks ineffective while maintaining user convenience.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer implemented method of authenticating a user accessing a secure terminal, comprising obtaining identification information stored in a personal machine readable storage medium exclusively associated with an accessing user attempting to access a secure system, retrieving authentication information exclusively associated with the accessing user from a remote network resource using the identification information, operating one or more privately directed user interfaces to exclusively present to the accessing user a requested alteration to a challenge request generated based on the authentication information and presented via another user interface, receiving a response to the challenge request from the accessing user and granting the accessing user access to the secure terminal in case the response matches the altered challenge request and denying access in case of no match. The privately directed user interface(s) is adapted to make the presentation of the required alteration discernable only by the accessing user.