Space-Time Varying Network Authentication System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current network security systems are inadequate in defending against modern network attacks, particularly zero-day and metamorphic attacks, and fail to provide sufficient protection against data breaches and insider threats, as they rely on signature- and statistics-based methods that are not agile enough to address emerging threats.
Innovation Solution
A network security system that employs space-time separation and jointly evolving relationships for authentication and protection, using multiple spatial positions and time-varying mechanisms to defend against attacks, including zero-day and metamorphic attacks, by splitting sensitive information into encrypted components stored in separate memory positions and using time-varying identifiers for authentication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If signature- and statistics-based methods are used for intrusion detection and prevention, then existing network security systems can detect known attacks, but they cannot adequately defend against zero-day and metamorphic attacks due to lack of agility
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic authentication credentials that change over time (one-time passwords, time-varying identifiers) and dynamic security policies that adapt to detected threats. This dynamic approach allows the system to respond to zero-day and metamorphic attacks by continuously updating authentication mechanisms and access control rules, making the system agile against emerging threats while maintaining reliable security.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces temporal and spatial dimensions to authentication by using time-varying identifiers and location-aware access control. Instead of static credentials, the system uses credentials that evolve over time and are valid only in specific contexts, adding dimensions of time and space to the authentication process. This enables the system to detect and prevent attacks that would bypass traditional signature-based methods.
2Ease of operation
If centralized datacenters are used to improve data accessibility and security management, then data can be centrally protected and managed, but network security becomes more critical and vulnerable to sophisticated breaches
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments authentication credentials and security policies into distributed components across multiple servers and locations. Instead of a single centralized authentication point, the system distributes authentication state and control across multiple nodes, so that compromising one server does not lead to complete system breach. This segmentation maintains centralized management capabilities while reducing the impact of network security vulnerabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces security agents as intermediaries between users and the centralized datacenter. These agents enforce authentication policies locally and can detect or block malicious access attempts before they reach the central system. The agents act as a protective layer that maintains the benefits of centralized data management while mitigating network security risks through distributed enforcement points.
3Ease of operation
If traditional authentication methods like passwords and tokens are used, then user verification can be implemented, but protection against social engineering, key loggers, and zero-day malware is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces static passwords and tokens with dynamic authentication credentials that change with each authentication attempt and are valid only for specific time windows and contexts. One-time passwords and time-varying identifiers ensure that even if credentials are captured by key loggers or malware, they become useless after a single use or after the time window expires, preventing reuse by attackers.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the fundamental parameters of authentication by using location-aware identifiers and context-dependent credentials. Instead of relying solely on secret knowledge (passwords), the system uses credentials that are valid only in specific spatial and temporal contexts. This parameter change makes authentication resistant to social engineering and malware that cannot replicate the required contextual conditions.
4Productivity
If data is stored in centralized locations for easy access and management, then data accessibility is improved, but protection against data breaches and insider threats becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments data into distributed fragments stored across multiple locations and servers. Authentication credentials control access to specific segments based on user authorization. This segmentation allows data to remain accessible through distributed storage while making breaches more difficult, as attackers would need to compromise multiple distributed locations and obtain appropriate credentials for each segment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses security agents and authentication systems as intermediaries that enforce access control policies on distributed data. These intermediaries verify credentials and authorize access to data segments in real-time, preventing unauthorized access even when data is distributed. The intermediaries maintain data accessibility for authorized users while providing layered protection against breaches and insider threats.
Data Source
AI summary
A network security system that employs space-time separated and jointly-evolving relationships to provide fast network access control, efficient real-time forensics capabilities, and enhanced protection for at-rest data in the event of a network breach. The network security system allows, in part, functionality by which the system accepts a request by a user to access the data stored in the database, identifies a sequence of security agents to participate in authenticating and protecting the access of the data by the user, generates a sequence of pseudorandom IDs and space-time varying credentials, checks at each one of the security agents a corresponding one of the credentials, determines that the user is permitted to access the data using access control logs if all the security agents accept the corresponding credentials, and varies the credentials based on a space-time relationship.