Thick Client Mediator for Thin Client Device Authentication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Thin clients in online services lack access to the necessary information for robust client device authentication due to security constraints, preventing them from interacting with thick clients or other programs on the client device, which limits their ability to accurately verify the device's digital fingerprint.
Innovation Solution
A thick client on the client device includes a network protocol server that provides digital fingerprints to thin clients by forming specific URLs, allowing the thin client to request and receive a digital fingerprint without accessing other resources, thus enabling secure authentication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If thin clients are restricted from accessing device hardware and interacting with thick clients, then security of the client device is improved, but the ability to perform robust client device authentication is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a thick client as an intermediary component that mediates between the thin client and the device hardware. The thick client collects hardware information and generates the digital fingerprint, then provides it to the thin client through a controlled interface. This intermediary approach allows the thin client to obtain authentication data without directly accessing hardware, thus maintaining security while enabling robust authentication.
Solution Approach 2:
The system is segmented into two distinct components: a thin client responsible for web-based operations and authentication requests, and a thick client responsible for hardware interaction and fingerprint generation. This segmentation allows each component to have appropriate access levels - the thin client maintains security restrictions while the thick client handles hardware access, resolving the contradiction between security and authentication capability.
2Measurement precision
If thin clients are granted access to device hardware information, then digital fingerprint collection is improved, but security risks to the client device increase
Solution Approach 1:
The thick client serves as an intermediary that collects hardware information from various device components and processes it into a digital fingerprint. The thin client only receives this processed fingerprint data through a controlled interface, never directly accessing hardware. This intermediary mechanism enables precise device identification while maintaining security boundaries.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of giving the thin client direct access to hardware, the thick client creates a copy of the hardware identification data in the form of a digital fingerprint. This fingerprint is a simplified representation that contains all necessary authentication information without exposing the underlying hardware details, thus enabling accurate identification without security risks.
3Ease of operation
If thin clients use conventional web browser interfaces, then user convenience and ease of deployment are improved, but access to native code device identification is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The thick client provides multiple functions: it acts as a network service that responds to web requests from the thin client, collects hardware information, generates digital fingerprints, and manages authentication. This multi-functional approach allows the system to maintain the convenience of web-based thin clients while incorporating the authentication capabilities of native applications through the thick client.
Solution Approach 2:
The thick client mediates between the web-based thin client interface and the native device hardware. It translates web requests into hardware queries, collects identification data, and returns processed authentication information. This intermediary layer enables thin clients to use convenient web interfaces while still accessing native device identification capabilities through the thick client's hardware access.
Data Source
AI summary
A thick client installed on a client device includes a network protocol server that serves thin client requests for digital fingerprints of the client device. A thin client requests a digital fingerprint of the client device in which the thin client is executing by forming a URL according to a protocol served by the server of the thick client and addressing the URL to the local client device. The thick client returns the digital fingerprint as a response to the request from the thin client.