Secure Download Path Generation with Temporary URL Expiration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing Internet marketplaces lack secure download mechanisms, allowing unauthorized users to access and share downloadable objects, which can lead to unintended distribution of applications intended for specific audiences.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that authenticate users and generate unique identifiers to create a temporary path for accessing downloadable objects, ensuring secure access by embedding identifiers in the URL and periodically refreshing or deleting the path to maintain security.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a URL is used to access downloadable objects, then ease of operation is improved, but security deteriorates as anyone with the URL can download the object regardless of intended audience
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary authentication of the user before generating the download URL. The authentication result and user parameters are embedded in the URL itself, so that when the user accesses the URL, the system already knows who the user is and can verify authorization without requiring additional authentication steps during the actual download process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism where the URL itself carries authentication and authorization information. Instead of relying on separate authentication systems or session management, the URL acts as a mediator that encapsulates all necessary access control data, including user identity, authentication status, and authorization parameters.
2Ease of operation
If download paths are made permanent for user convenience, then ease of operation is improved, but security deteriorates as permanent paths can be shared and misused
Solution Approach 1:
The download URL is designed to be dynamic rather than static. It includes time-based parameters and session-specific identifiers that cause the URL to expire after a certain period or after a single use. This dynamic nature ensures that even if the URL is shared, it becomes invalid after the designated time frame, preventing unauthorized long-term access.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements periodic expiration of download URLs. Each URL is valid only for a specific time window, after which it automatically becomes invalid. This periodic validation mechanism ensures that access rights are time-bound and cannot be exploited indefinitely, thereby preventing unauthorized distribution while maintaining convenience during the valid period.
3Reliability
If authentication is required for each download, then security is improved, but productivity deteriorates due to repeated authentication steps
Solution Approach 1:
Authentication is performed preliminarily when the user first requests access to downloadable objects. The authentication result is then embedded in the generated URL, allowing subsequent downloads to proceed without requiring repeated authentication. The preliminary authentication step ensures security while the embedded credentials in the URL eliminate the need for repeated login processes.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of requiring users to re-authenticate for each download, the system creates a copy of the authentication credentials and authorization information within the URL itself. This copied authentication data allows the user to access multiple downloadable objects without repeating the authentication process, thereby improving productivity while maintaining security through the embedded verification mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and system for secure download includes generating a path to a location where a downloadable object is temporarily stored. The method can include receiving a request for a downloadable object, generating one or more unique identifiers, creating a path to the requested object using the unique identifiers, storing a copy of the requested object in a temporary location indicated by the path, and returning the generated path to the requestor. The method can further include receiving a path to a downloadable object and, responsive to a determination that the path is valid, returning the downloadable object. A generated path can be rendered obsolete and its corresponding file removed from the temporary location after a predefined time interval has elapsed. A database of the generated paths and associated files may be periodically checked, and those paths and files that have been stored in the database beyond a pre-definable expiry time can be removed.