Transposed Password Authentication via Dynamic Character Sequencing
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Solution Overview
Problem
In computing systems, the vulnerability of password entry to snooping attacks allows unauthorized users to observe and potentially replicate authorized users' passwords, compromising security.
Innovation Solution
Implementing transposed passwords, where the relative position, order, or sequence of characters can be changed based on displayed characters or special characters, allowing multiple versions of a password to be entered, thereby preventing unauthorized access during snooping attacks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a password is entered in a fixed sequence to access a computing device, then authentication is simple and straightforward, but the system becomes vulnerable to snooping attacks where unauthorized users can observe and replicate the password
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the password entry sequence variable rather than fixed. The system dynamically changes the required key press sequence based on displayed characters, transforming a static authentication process into a dynamic one that adapts to different states, thereby preventing snooping attacks while maintaining user operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary action by displaying characters before the user enters the password. These displayed characters serve as advance instructions that determine the transposition sequence the user must apply. This preliminary display of guidance information allows the system to establish the authentication rules before the actual password entry occurs.
2Reliability
If the password sequence is transposed based on displayed characters to prevent snooping, then security is enhanced, but the operation becomes more complex and less intuitive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses displayed characters as an intermediary element between the user and the password authentication process. These characters mediate the interaction by providing visual guidance that simplifies the transposition operation for the user while simultaneously increasing security. The intermediary characters translate the complex security requirement into simple visual instructions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies self-service by having the displayed characters automatically indicate the correct transposition sequence. Instead of requiring the user to manually determine how to transpose the password, the system self-generates the transformation rules through displayed characters, allowing the user to simply follow the visual guidance without needing to understand the underlying complexity.
3Reliability
If multiple versions of a password are accepted through transposition, then resistance to snooping attacks increases, but the difficulty of detecting and measuring the correct password entry increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies inversion by reversing the traditional authentication approach. Instead of the system checking if the entered password matches a stored password, the system transposes the entered password based on displayed characters and checks if the transposed version matches. This inverted approach simplifies the verification process while allowing multiple valid input versions.
Data Source
AI summary
Example implementations relate to transposed passwords. A computing device may comprise a processing resource; and a memory resource storing machine-readable instructions to cause the processing resource to: receive an entered password; generate, based on the entered password, a transposed version of the entered password; compare the transposed version of the password to a stored password; and grant access based on the comparison.