Open mccoysc opened 5 months ago
Or,in an alternative approach to authentication and data integrity, we forgo traditional token-based verification in favor of a system where each user action and its associated data payload are authenticated through digital signatures. In this model, users sign every request with their private key. The server then verifies the legitimacy and integrity of these requests by validating the signature against the user's public key. This method ensures two critical security assurances:
Authenticity - By verifying the digital signature with the public key, the server confirms that the request was indeed initiated by the legitimate user, effectively replacing the need for token-based authentication. This process guarantees that the requestor possesses the corresponding private key without revealing it, thereby affirming their identity.
Integrity - Digital signatures not only authenticate the sender but also ensure that the request data has not been altered in transit. Any modification to the original data would invalidate the signature, alerting the server to potential tampering. This ensures that the server processes the user's true intentions as expressed in the request.
This approach simplifies the authentication process by directly leveraging cryptographic principles, offering a clear and robust method for securing user interactions. It enhances security by ensuring both the identity of the requester and the integrity of the request data, providing a streamlined alternative to conventional token-based systems.
If implementing the second approach is challenging due to significant changes required in the front-end code, making it difficult to achieve in the short term, I suggest that, at the very least, the first approach mentioned above should be adopted.
To enhance the security of web login processes, a more secure and sophisticated approach involves the use of cryptographic keys, as follows:
Further steps for the login process include:
This methodology significantly enhances security by ensuring that passwords are not transmitted in plaintext, thereby reducing the risk of interception and unauthorized access.
Additionally, this approach offers the significant advantage of eliminating the need for the server to store user passwords. Instead, only usernames and their corresponding public keys are stored. This ensures that sensitive user information remains secure, even in the event of server anomalies, such as a security breach by hackers. By adopting this method, the integrity and confidentiality of user data are significantly enhanced, providing a robust defense against unauthorized access and data leaks.