Reverse Proxy Handling Unauthenticated POST Requests
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Solution Overview
Problem
Reverse proxy devices face challenges in handling unauthenticated HTTP POST requests, as redirecting users for authentication can result in the loss of the post body and poses security risks due to potential memory attacks from storing arbitrary data.
Innovation Solution
A method where the intermediary device generates data objects for the post body, transmits a request to the client for authentication, and upon successful authentication, uses the stored data objects in an HTTP GET request to reconstruct and transmit an authenticated HTTP POST request to the server, offloading data storage to the client.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If the intermediary device stores the post body locally to conserve it during authentication, then the post body is maintained, but security risks increase due to potential attacks from storing arbitrary data
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the post body data from the intermediary device's memory and transfers it to the client device. By generating data objects containing the post body and transmitting them to the client for storage, the system removes the security vulnerability of storing arbitrary data on the intermediary device while preserving the post body information needed after authentication.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces data objects as an intermediary mechanism to transfer post body information from the intermediary device to the client. These data objects serve as a secure bridge, allowing the post body to be conveyed without being stored on the intermediary device, thus maintaining information while eliminating security risks.
2Loss of information
If the intermediary device stores post body data for multiple clients, then post body conservation is achieved, but memory costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts post body storage responsibility from the intermediary device and transfers it to individual client devices. Each client stores only their own post body data in data objects, eliminating the need for the intermediary device to allocate memory for multiple clients' post bodies simultaneously, thus reducing overall memory consumption on the intermediary device.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements self-service by having each client device store and manage their own post body data in data objects. Instead of the intermediary device centrally storing post bodies for all clients, each client independently manages their own data, reducing the memory burden on the intermediary device while ensuring data conservation.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for supporting unauthenticated POST requests include a device arranged intermediary to a client and a server which receives an unauthenticated HTTP POST request from the client for the server. The unauthenticated HTTP POST request may include a body. The device may generate one more data objects for the body of the unauthenticated HTTP POST request. The device may transmit a request to cause an authentication of a user to the client. The request may include the data object(s) to be stored on the client. The device may receive an HTTP GET request including the data object(s) from the client responsive to authenticating the user. The device may generate an authenticated HTTP POST request corresponding to the unauthenticated HTTP POST request using the one or more data objects included in the HTTP GET request. The device may transmit the authenticated HTTP POST request to the server.