Virtual Credential Authentication Using Real-Time Website Verification
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing virtual credential authentication systems fail to authenticate merchant websites in real-time before a transaction request, leading to incorrect declines and resource consumption due to fraudulent or mismatched websites, undermining security and fraud prevention.
Innovation Solution
A browser extension communicates with an authentication device to verify the web address of a merchant website in real-time during the browsing process, comparing it against valid and invalid addresses associated with the virtual credential, allowing or blocking transactions based on this verification.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If virtual credential authentication is performed without real-time website verification, then transaction processing is faster and simpler, but fraudulent transactions increase and security is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary website authentication by comparing the merchant's web address against valid addresses associated with the virtual credential before the transaction is processed. This advance verification prevents fraudulent transactions without adding complex real-time monitoring during the transaction itself
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary authentication mechanism that acts as a mediator between the virtual credential and the merchant website. The system uses web address comparison as an intermediary verification step to determine whether the credential is valid for the current website, simplifying the overall authentication architecture
2Reliability
If real-time website authentication is implemented, then fraudulent transactions are reduced, but system resource consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts only the essential verification element (web address) from the complex authentication process and compares it against valid addresses. This extraction approach minimizes resource consumption by focusing only on the critical verification need rather than performing comprehensive real-time website analysis
Solution Approach 2:
The authentication system uses lightweight, disposable web address strings for verification rather than maintaining persistent, resource-intensive connections to verify website authenticity. The web address comparison is a low-cost operation that provides sufficient security without consuming excessive resources
3Productivity
If web address comparison authentication is performed, then false declines are reduced, but authentication time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs web address comparison as a preliminary filter before full transaction authentication. This preliminary action quickly eliminates obviously fraudulent transactions while allowing legitimate ones to proceed, reducing false declines without significantly impacting overall authentication time
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial authentication by comparing only the web address element rather than performing complete website verification. This partial action provides sufficient security for most cases while minimizing authentication time, with the option to perform additional verification only when necessary
Data Source
AI summary
In some implementations, an authentication device may receive information related to website browsing activity at a client device. The information related to the website browsing activity may include information associated with a web address for a current website where information associated with a virtual credential was entered. The authentication device may identify one or more valid web addresses associated with the virtual credential, which may be valid only for an entity associated with the one or more valid web addresses. The authentication device may transmit, to the client device, information to indicate whether the website browsing activity is authenticated based on a comparison of the web address for the current website where the information associated with the virtual credential was entered and the one or more valid web addresses associated with the virtual credential.