Leveraging a Persistent Connection to Access a Secured Service

• US 20120260316A1
• Filed: 04/23/2012
• Published: 10/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AOL Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: HIRSH, Robert Bruce
• Granted Patent: US 8,689,312 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/4
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0815 providing single-sign-on or federations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0884 by delegation of authentication, e.g. a proxy authenticates an entity to be authenticated on behalf of this entity vis-à-vis an authentication entity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services

Abstract

Leveraging a persistent connection to provide a client access to a secured service may include establishing a persistent connection with a client in response to a first request from the client, and brokering a connection between the client and a secured service based on a second request from the client by leveraging the persistent connection with the client. The brokering may occur before the client attempts to connect to the secured service directly and the connection may be established between the client and the secured service without provision by the client of authentication information duplicative or additional to authentication information provided by the client to establish the persistent connection.

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A computer-implemented method, performed by an intermediary system, to provide a client with access to a secured service, the method comprising:

establishing, with at least one processor, a persistent connection with the client;

receiving, from the client, a request to access the secured service;

authenticating, based on the request, the client with the secured service;

receiving access information from the secured service based on the authenticating; and

transmitting authorization information to the client to enable the client to access the secured service independent of the persistent connection.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising submitting a request for the access information to the secured service.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the request for the access information includes a password and request-to-honor for the password.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the receiving the access information includes a target connection point.

25. The method of claim 22 wherein the request for the access information includes a connection authorization request.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein the receiving the access information includes at least one of a target connection point and a password.

27. The method of claim 21 wherein the authenticating comprises a keystone authentication.

28. The method of claim 21 wherein the authenticating is based on the establishing the persistent connection with the client.

29. The method of claim 21 wherein the authorization information comprises constraint information used to enable a direct connection between the client and the secured service.

30. The method of claim 29 wherein the constraint information includes at least one of an indication of a number of uses for which the authorization information may be used, an indication of a time when the authorization information was determined, an indication of a window of time in which the authorization information may be used, and information indicative of an identity of the client for whom the authorization information was determined.

31. A method, performed by a client system, of accessing a secured service, the method comprising:

establishing, with at least one processor, a persistent connection with an intermediary system;

sending, to the intermediary system, a request to access the secured service;

authenticating, via the intermediary system, with the secured service;

receiving, from the intermediary system, authorization information; and

accessing the secured service independent of the persistent connection based on the authorization information.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the authorization information comprise at least one of a target connection point and a password.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein the authorization information comprises constraint information.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein the constraint information includes at least one of an indication of a number of uses for which the authorization information may be used, an indication of a time when the authorization information was determined, an indication of a window of time in which the authorization information may be used, and information indicative of an identity of the client for whom the authorization information was determined.

35. The method of claim 31, wherein the authenticating is performed by leveraging a keystone authentication.

36. The method of claim 31, wherein the authenticating is performed based on the establishing the persistent connection.

37. The method of claim 31, wherein the establishing the persistent connection comprises sending a request to connect with the intermediary system.

38. The method of claim 32, further comprising establishing a direct connection with the secured service by presenting the password to the secured service at the target connection point.

39. The method of claim 33, further comprising establishing a direct connection with the secured service by satisfying connection constraints of the secured service with at least the authorization information.

40. An intermediary system comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one computer readable medium coupled to the at least one processor having instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to;

establish a persistent connection with the client;

receive, from the client, a request to access the secured service;

authenticate, based on the request, the client with the secured service;

receive access information from the secured service based on the authenticating; and

transmit authorization information to the client to enable the client to access the secured service independent of the persistent connection.