Terminal Signature Authentication for Secure Content Access

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Solution Overview

Problem

Content owners face challenges in restricting access to protected content, such as confidential documents or copyrighted works, to only authorized users and trusted computer terminals, as fraudsters can impersonate authorized terminals using sophisticated techniques to obtain credentials and deceive content servers.

Innovation Solution

A content server system that generates and uses terminal signature tuples based on measured operational performance metrics to identify and authenticate computer terminals, allowing access only if the terminal's signature matches a previously registered and trusted profile, thereby preventing impersonation and ensuring secure access.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If traditional authentication methods are used to allow access from any computer terminal, then ease of operation is improved, but security deteriorates as fraudsters can impersonate authorized terminals

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaccess easeVSAvoidaccess security

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary measurements of terminal operational characteristics and generates terminal signatures before access is granted. These signatures are stored in advance and used for subsequent authentication, allowing the system to prevent impersonation while maintaining ease of access for authorized terminals.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces traditional mechanical credential verification with a system that measures intrinsic operational characteristics of computer terminals (such as hardware identifiers, software environment parameters, and operational behavior patterns) to generate unique terminal signatures. This substitution makes impersonation difficult while maintaining access ease.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Reliability

If access is restricted to previously seen terminals only, then security is improved, but adaptability deteriorates as new authorized terminals cannot access content

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveaccess securityVSAvoidterminal access flexibility

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary measurements and signature generation for new terminals before they attempt access. When a new terminal first connects, the system measures its operational characteristics, generates a terminal signature, and stores it in the historical repository. This preliminary action enables the terminal to be recognized and granted access on subsequent attempts.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system provides feedback by measuring terminal operational characteristics and generating terminal signatures that are stored in a historical repository. This feedback mechanism allows the system to learn about new terminals and adjust access decisions accordingly, balancing security with adaptability to new authorized devices.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Reliability

If terminal identification based on intrinsic operational characteristics is implemented, then reliability is improved by preventing impersonation, but device complexity increases due to measurement and signature processing requirements

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveterminal identification accuracyVSAvoidauthentication system complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The terminal performs self-identification by automatically measuring its own operational characteristics and generating its terminal signature without requiring manual configuration or complex authentication procedures. This self-service approach simplifies the user experience while maintaining high reliability through intrinsic hardware and software characteristic measurements.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system measures multiple operational parameters of the terminal (such as hardware identifiers, software version information, and operational behavior patterns) and uses these parameter changes to generate unique terminal signatures. By focusing on intrinsic characteristics that are difficult to modify, the system achieves high identification accuracy without requiring overly complex authentication mechanisms.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS10027671B2Restricting access to content based on a posterior probability that a terminal signature was received from a previously unseen computer terminal

Publication Date: 2018.07.17 CA TECH INC

AI summary

A method by a content server includes maintaining a historical repository of terminal signature tuples received from computer terminals. Each of the terminal signature tuples contains a terminal identifier for a computer terminal and a terminal signature characterizing a measured operation by the computer terminal. An access request message is received from a source computer terminal and contains a terminal signature tuple. The terminal signature tuple in the access request message contains a terminal identifier for the source computer terminal and a terminal signature characterizing a measured operation by the source computer terminal. A posterior probability value is generated based on processing a combination of the terminal signature tuple contained in the access request message and the terminal signature tuples contained in the historical repository. The content server controls access for the access request message to a resource controlled by the content server based on the posterior probability value.