Session Token Delegation via Passive Clients
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing online computing services require user input for authentication when redirecting to a second service, even if authentication has already been provided for the first service, leading to inefficiencies and unnecessary user interaction.
Innovation Solution
A session token is sent from a first computing service to a second computing service through a passive client, allowing the second service to verify the token's integrity and authenticity, enabling secure communication without requiring additional user input for authentication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If user input is required for authentication at each service redirect, then authentication security is maintained, but user interaction efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary authentication at the first computing service before the redirect occurs. The session token is obtained in advance through user authentication at the first service, eliminating the need for repeated user input at the second service while maintaining security through token verification.
Solution Approach 2:
A session token acts as an intermediary credential between the first and second computing services. The token carries authentication information from the first service to the second service, allowing the second service to verify authenticity without requiring direct user input, thus resolving the contradiction between security and efficiency.
2Productivity
If session tokens are sent through passive clients, then authentication efficiency is improved, but token security verification becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The authentication verification logic is extracted from the passive client and placed entirely on the computing services. The passive client merely transports the session token without performing verification, while the second computing service performs the complete verification process by comparing the received token with its own session token, simplifying the client's role while maintaining verification capability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If session tokens are transmitted over networks, then service communication flexibility is improved, but network security risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies preliminary protective measures to the session token before transmission. The token is encrypted or encoded in advance, and the second service verifies its integrity upon receipt, preventing network interceptors from successfully exploiting the token even if they capture it during transmission over insecure networks.
Solution Approach 2:
The session token serves as a secure intermediary that encapsulates authentication information. Rather than transmitting sensitive user credentials directly, the system transmits this tokenized representation, which can be verified without exposing underlying authentication data, thus reducing network security risks while maintaining communication flexibility.
Data Source
AI summary
A session token can be requested to be sent to a first computing service from a second computing service, and a first computing service can receive the requested session token from the second computing service. The first computing service can send a message that includes the session token through a passive client to the second computing service. The second computing service can receive the message that includes the session token from the passive client, and the second computing service can verify that the message is valid. This verification of the validity of the message can include verifying that the session token received back from the passive client matches the session token the second computing service sent to the first computing service.