Progressive Access Token Validation via Local TTL Caching
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for managing access tokens in secure applications face challenges in efficiently validating tokens without forcing users to re-authenticate, particularly when refresh tokens are revoked but access tokens remain valid, leading to potential misuse and increased validation costs.
Innovation Solution
A system that progressively validates access tokens by intercepting traffic, analyzing token usage patterns, and locally storing the time to live (TTL) for tokens, allowing successive calls to bypass authentication server validation while ensuring security and preventing misuse, including monitoring for API key revocation events.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If access tokens are validated by contacting the authentication server for every call, then security is ensured, but validation cost and time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary validation by contacting the authentication server only for the initial call of a transaction, obtaining and storing the token's time-to-live (TTL) value before the transaction proceeds. This preliminary action eliminates the need for repeated server contact during successive calls within the same transaction, reducing validation time while maintaining security through the stored TTL reference.
Solution Approach 2:
The validation process is segmented into two distinct phases: (1) initial validation phase where the authentication server is contacted and TTL is obtained, and (2) successive validation phase where local TTL storage is used. This segmentation allows the system to balance security and efficiency by separating the high-assurance initial validation from the lower-overhead subsequent validations.
2Reliability
If access tokens have a short lifetime, then security is improved, but the token duration becomes insufficient for completing transactions
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the effective token lifetime based on transaction context. By storing the TTL value obtained from the authentication server and using it for successive calls within a transaction, the system allows tokens to remain valid for the duration needed to complete multi-step transactions, while still enforcing expiration at the appropriate time. This dynamic approach resolves the conflict between short token lifetimes for security and sufficient duration for transaction completion.
3Ease of operation
If refresh tokens are used to obtain new access tokens, then user convenience is improved, but security risks increase if refresh tokens are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses the authentication server as an intermediary to validate tokens through the stored TTL mechanism. Instead of relying solely on refresh tokens to extend access, the system mediates validation by comparing successive calls against the originally obtained TTL value. This intermediary validation layer reduces security risks associated with refresh tokens by providing an additional verification step that confirms tokens are being used within their authorized time window.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments relate to progressively validating access token. In response to intercepting an initial call for a transaction for a service from a client, a token is validated for the initial call of the transaction for the service, the validating including contacting an authentication sever and locally storing a time to live received for the token. In response to intercepting at least one successive call for the transaction for the service from the client, it is determined that the token for the at least one successive call is valid based on the time to live locally saved. The at least one successive call for the transaction for the service is permitted to pass without contacting the authentication sever.