Web-App Authentication Handoff Using Nonce-Based Agent Links
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing authentication systems require repeated user authentication when transitioning between applications and associated components, leading to security risks and user experience friction.
Innovation Solution
A seamless authentication mechanism using a unique nonce embedded in a hyperlink allows a user's authenticated state to be transferred between applications, eliminating the need for re-authentication by creating a handoff link that incorporates the nonce, enabling secure access to backend servers without additional login steps.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If repeated user authentication is required when transitioning between applications and components, then security verification is maintained, but user experience friction and time loss increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a nonce (number used once) as an intermediary token that carries authentication state between applications. The nonce is embedded in a handoff link that transfers the authenticated state from the first application to the second application, eliminating the need for re-authentication while maintaining security. The nonce acts as a mediator that preserves the user's authenticated state across application boundaries.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary authentication in the first application before the user needs to access the second application. The authentication state is captured in the nonce during the first application session, so that when the user transitions to the second application, the authentication has already been completed in advance, eliminating the need for repeated authentication steps.
2Reliability
If repeated user authentication is required when transitioning between applications and components, then security is maintained, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The nonce serves as a security intermediary that enables seamless authentication transitions. It carries the authentication state without exposing credentials, allowing the system to maintain security while improving ease of operation by eliminating repeated login steps. The handoff link with the embedded nonce provides a secure yet convenient way to transfer authentication state.
3Reliability
If credential exposure is reduced through authentication state transfer, then security is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential authentication state from the complex authentication process and encapsulates it in a simple nonce token. By separating the authentication state transfer from the full authentication mechanism, the system achieves improved security through state transfer while minimizing the complexity increase, as the nonce itself is a simple data structure that is easy to generate, transmit, and validate.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed in some examples are methods, systems, and machine-readable medium that enable a seamless handoff of authentication states between an application of a first service (e.g., a web-application) and a component of the first service that invokes a function within the second application (e.g., such as bots or agents of the first service executing within collaborative platforms of a second service). This may be accomplished through the use of a link that encodes a nonce.