Importance

Loading Importance Indicators...

Abstract

Problem The combination of a tendency towards permissivity when verifying certificate authenticity and the use of in-band client authentication opens up an opportunity for attackers to mount man-in-the-middle attacks on SSL connections.Solution The invention exposes any discrepancy between the intended recipient of the client credential and the actual recipient of the client credential by cryptographically including parameters that are uniquely linked to the channel (i.e., the communication session, as characterized by the parameters of the protocols that are being used), preferably the channel end points, in the calculation of the client credential. This links the process that provides the secure channel (e.g., the SSL protocol session) to the process that provides the authentication credential (e.g., the OTP token operation), thus exposing any attack that would break up the client-server channel. This is achieved without the requirement for an additional encrypted tunnel and allowing the continued use of existing components such as existing browsers.

Loading the Abstract Image...

First Claim