User Authentication Credential Conversion Against Shared Access

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Solution Overview

Problem

Users may unintentionally or intentionally share their credentials with others, allowing unauthorized access to applications and resources.

Innovation Solution

Implement a conversion process specific to each user, converting input credentials into a unique set of credentials for authentication, ensuring only the intended user can access the application.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If user credentials are shared or reused, then ease of operation improves, but security deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecredential sharingVSAvoidauthentication security

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary conversion of credentials before authentication, transforming the original credentials into a converted form that is specific to each user. This preliminary action ensures that even if credentials are shared, the authentication will fail because the conversion process is user-specific and occurs before the actual authentication check

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The conversion process is customized for each individual user, creating a unique authentication mechanism for each user. This local quality approach means that the same original credentials will produce different converted credentials for different users, thereby preventing unauthorized access while maintaining ease of operation for authorized users

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Reliability

If a conversion process is implemented for each user, then authentication security improves, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveauthentication securityVSAvoidconversion process complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system introduces a conversion process as an intermediary step between credential input and authentication. This intermediary layer transforms the original credentials into a user-specific format, providing enhanced security without requiring fundamental changes to the underlying authentication infrastructure. The conversion process acts as a mediator that adds security while maintaining system compatibility

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS12386928B2User authentication techniques

Publication Date: 2025.08.12 CITRIX SYSTEMS INC

AI summary

One disclosed method involves receiving a first plurality of character keycodes corresponding to authenticate a first user to a first application, determining, based at least in part on the first user operating the client device, a first conversion process applicable to the first user, converting, using the first conversion process, the first plurality of character keycodes into a second plurality of character keycodes different than the first plurality, and providing the second plurality of character keycodes to authenticate the first user to the first application, wherein the first application is configured to authenticate using the second plurality of character keycodes instead of the first plurality, thus, prohibiting a second user from using the first plurality of character keycodes to authenticate to the first application absent application of the first conversion process.