Terminal Password Encryption via Gateway Server Authentication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing authentication methods for computer terminals are vulnerable to password theft due to insecure storage and transmission practices, particularly in gateway servers, which can be easily hacked, allowing fraudsters to impersonate users.
Innovation Solution
A method that encrypts passwords using a secret key, hiding them in data files within the terminal, and transmitting only the encrypted files, ensuring the password is never stored in plain text on the terminal or gateway/source servers, with additional security measures like secondary secret keys and steganography to protect the password during transmission.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If passwords are stored in plain text in computer terminals and gateway servers, then authentication is simple and fast, but security is compromised as fraudsters can easily steal passwords
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by encrypting the password with a secret key before storage in a data file during an initialization phase. This pre-encryption ensures that when the password is later transmitted or stored, it is already in encrypted form, preventing fraudsters from stealing plain text passwords. The secret key is deleted after encryption, leaving only the encrypted password in the data file.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the secret key from the terminal after using it to encrypt the password. By removing the secret key after the encryption process, the system ensures that even if the data file is compromised, the encrypted password cannot be decrypted without the extracted secret key that no longer exists in the terminal.
2Reliability
If passwords are transmitted through gateway servers, then connection authorization is enabled, but gateway servers become vulnerable points for password theft
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameter of password transmission by sending encrypted password files instead of plain text passwords. The gateway server receives and processes encrypted data rather than readable passwords, transforming the transmission parameter from vulnerable plain text to secure encrypted format that cannot be easily compromised.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses the gateway server as an intermediary that handles encrypted password files without having access to the decryption key. The gateway server mediates the authentication process by forwarding encrypted credentials between the terminal and source server, eliminating its role as a password storage point and reducing its vulnerability to hacking.
3Reliability
If passwords are directly sent to source servers, then authentication is straightforward, but terminals remain vulnerable to password theft
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by implementing encryption of the password in the terminal before transmission. During initialization, the terminal encrypts the password with a secret key and stores it in an encrypted data file. This pre-encryption protects the password from theft even if the terminal is compromised, as the stolen data would be encrypted and unusable without the secret key.
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure relates to a method and a system for authorising a connection between a computer terminal and a source server, including an initialization phase wherein:the terminal connects to a gateway server,the gateway server sends a secret key to the terminal,the terminal hides the password in a data file by applying an encryption algorithm bootstrapped by the secret key, then deletes the secret key and the password,and a connection phase wherein:the terminal sends the data file containing the password to the gateway server,the gateway server extracts the files password by executing a reverse encryption algorithm bootstrapped by the secret key, and sends the password to the source server without saving it,the source server analysis the received password and authorizes the connection with the terminal if the password is authenticated.