Browser extensionless phish-proof multi-factor authentication (MFA)

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12309141-B2
Application number	US-202418636468-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 16, 2024
Priority date	Nov 17, 2021
Publication date	May 20, 2025
Grant date	May 20, 2025

Abstract

A multi-factor authentication scheme uses an MFA authentication service and a browser extensionless phish-proof method to facilitate an MFA workflow. Phish-proof MFA verifies that the browser the user is in front of is actually visiting the authentic (real) site and not a phished site. This achieved by only allowing MFA to be initiated from a user trusted browser by verifying its authenticity through a signing operation using a key only it possesses, and then also verifying that the verified browser is visiting the authentic site. In a preferred embodiment, this latter check is carried out using an iframe postMessage owning domain check. In a variant embodiment, the browser is verified to be visiting the authentic site through an origin header check. By using the iframe-based or ORIGIN header-based check, the solution does not require a physical security key (such as a USB authenticator) or any browser extension or plug-in.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A computer program product in a non-transitory computer readable medium, the computer program product holding computer program instructions that, when executed by a processor in a computing machine, facilitate a browser extension-less phish proof authentication of a user to a site, the user having a mobile device, the computer program instructions comprising program code configured to:
during a multi-factor authentication (MFA) workflow initiated by the user logging into the site in association with a site page, transmitting a request to a service, the request having been generated at least in part by retrieving a private key of a browser key pair and using the private key of the browser key pair to create a signature over an assertion comprising a random value and a domain name of the site page; and
responsive to a successful push notification at the mobile device, the successful push notification having occurred as a result of the service verifying the signature using a public key of the browser key pair and then forwarding the assertion to the mobile device, completing the MFA workflow.

2. The computer program product as described in claim 1 , wherein the request is generated by an invisible iframe associated with the site page, the invisible iframe having been configured to create the request by catching a message from the site page that passes the random value and using the private key of the browser key pair to create the signature.

3. The computer program product as described in claim 2 , wherein the message is a window.PostMessage message, and wherein the domain name of the site page is obtained from a window.postMessage browser call.

4. The computer program product as described in claim 1 , wherein the request is generated by a form page that comprises a script and a blob of data, the blob of data comprising a hidden variable comprising the random value, a state variable containing opaque state information for the site of interest, and an origin domain name, the script being configured to create the request by signing the blob of data using the private key of the browser key pair.

5. The computer program product as described in claim 1 , wherein the public key of the browser key pair is linked to a list of sites that include the site and to which the user is permitted to authenticate.

6. The computer program product as described in claim 1 , wherein the MFA workflow verifies that a browser the user is using during the MFA workflow is actually visiting the site and not a phished site.

7. The computer program product as described in claim 6 , wherein the MFA workflow uses an origin header check.

8. The computer program product as described in claim 1 , wherein the browser extension-less phish proof authentication of the user to the site does not require a physical security key, a browser extension or a browser plug-in.

Assignees

• Akamai Tech Inc

Inventors

• Gero Charles E

Classifications

• H04L67/55

  Push-based network services · CPC title

• H04L63/0853

  using an additional device, e.g. smartcard, SIM or a different communication terminal (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving additional secure or trusted devices H04L9/3234) · CPC title

• H04L67/02

  based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP] · CPC title

• H04L2463/082

  applying multi-factor authentication · CPC title

• H04L9/3247

  involving digital signatures · CPC title