Session Token Passporting Between Native App and Embedded Browser
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems require users to re-authenticate when switching between native apps and web browsers on the same device, disrupting the user experience and complicating the integration of web-based functionalities into native apps, which is inefficient and security-focused.
Innovation Solution
A system that uses a session token to authenticate users across both native applications and embedded web browsers, allowing seamless transitions by sharing and maintaining an existing user session between the two environments without requiring re-login, leveraging the passporting of credentials to keep the session active and synchronized.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If users re-authenticate when switching between native apps and web browsers, then security is maintained, but user experience is disrupted and authentication time is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the authentication systems of native apps and web browsers by introducing a passport service that issues universal authentication tokens. These tokens are accepted by both native app APIs and web URLs, creating a unified authentication mechanism that eliminates the need for separate authentication processes while maintaining security through centralized token validation.
Solution Approach 2:
The authentication token serves multiple functions across different environments (native apps and web browsers). A single token issued by the passport service can authenticate requests to both native app APIs and web URLs, making the authentication system universal and eliminating redundant authentication steps.
2Reliability
If separate authentication systems are used for native apps and web browsers, then security is maintained, but system complexity increases and integration becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple authentication systems into a single passport service that issues universal tokens. Instead of maintaining separate authentication mechanisms for native apps and web browsers, the system uses one unified token issuance and validation process, reducing complexity while preserving security through centralized control.
3Ease of operation
If authentication credentials are passed to embedded web browser, then seamless user experience is achieved, but security risks may increase
Solution Approach 1:
The passport service acts as an intermediary between the native app and the embedded web browser. Instead of directly passing authentication credentials from the native app to the web browser, the system uses the passport service to issue a new token to the web browser based on the native app's authentication state. This intermediary layer maintains security by validating credentials centrally while enabling seamless user experience through token passporting.
Data Source
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AI summary
Systems, methods and non-transitory machine readable media are disclosed in which a client device is in communication via a network with a server and a common gateway interface. A system, comprising a non-transitory memory and one or more hardware processors coupled to the non-transitory memory is configured to read instructions from the non-transitory memory to cause the system to perform the following operations. In response to receiving authentication credentials associated with a user via a user interface (UI) of a native application, the authentication credentials are transmitted to a server to request a session token. In response to receiving the session token from the server, a device session is initiated between the native application and the server based on the session token. An embedded web browser is launched to provide a web UI within the native application by providing the session token and a web address to the embedded web browser. The session token and the web address are transmitted from the embedded web browser to the server to automatically authenticate the user in a web session between the embedded web browser and the server without requiring the authentication credentials, wherein the session token authorizes the server to share at least a portion of session data associated with the device session with the web session. In response to intercepting a first communication between the embedded web browser and the server, the device session is resumed based on the session token. The UI of the native application is displayed for the resumed device session.