Methods for optimizing HTTP header based authentication and devices thereof

• US 9,172,753 B1
• Filed: 02/20/2012
• Issued: 10/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: F5 Networks, Inc. (F5 Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: F5 Networks, Inc. (F5 Incorporated)
• Inventors: Jain, Amit, Amdahl, Saxon, Jiang, Paul, Asami, Satoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): SCOTT, RANDY A
• Application Number:
  US13/400,398
• Time in Patent Office: 1,345 Days
• Field of Search: 726/5, 726/3, 726/22, 713/155, 713/189, 713/182
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0807 using tickets, e.g. Kerberos cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using tickets or tokens H04L9/3213
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/168 above the transport layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching

Abstract

A method, non-transitory computer readable medium and application management computing device includes receiving at an application management computing device a request from a client computing device which requires authentication. A determination is made by the application management computing device whether user network identification information currently is stored for the requesting client computing device. The stored user network identification information for the authentication is obtained by the application management computing device when the user network identification information is determined to be currently stored for the requesting client computing device. The authentication is completed by the application management computing device with the obtained user network identification information.

Claims

1. A method for optimizing authentication, the method comprising:

receiving by an application management computing device a request from a client computing device which requires authentication;

determining by the application management computing device when the request includes an authentication cookie;

authenticating by the application management computing device the client computing device based on a comparison of a set of user network identification information obtained from the authentication cookie to another set of user network identification information obtained from the request, when the determining indicates that the request includes the authentication cookie; and

sending by the application management computing device a challenge to the client computing device, authenticating the client computing device based on user credentials received in response to the challenge, obtaining the another set of user network identification information from the request, generating the authentication cookie based on the another set of user network identification information, and sending the authentication cookie to the client computing device, when the determining indicates that the request does not include the authentication cookie information.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1 wherein the obtaining the user network identification information from the authentication cookie further comprises decrypting the user network identification information and the storing the user network identification information further comprises encrypting the user network identification information.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1 further comprises verifying by the application management computing device the user network identification information obtained from the authentication cookie before the completing the authentication.

4. The method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising obtaining by the application management computing device additional user network identification information from the requesting client computing device when the comparison does not indicate a match.

5. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions for optimizing authentication comprising machine executable code which when executed by at least one processor, causes the processor to perform steps comprising:

receiving a request from a client computing device which requires authentication;

determining when the request includes an authentication cookie;

authenticating the client computing device based on a comparison of a set of user network identification information obtained from the authentication cookie to another set of user network identification information obtained from the request, when the determining indicates that the request includes the authentication cookie; and

sending a challenge to the client computing device, authenticating the client computing device based on user credentials received in response to the challenge, obtaining the another set of user network identification information from the request, generating the authentication cookie based on the another set of user network identification information, and sending the authentication cookie to the client computing device, when the determining indicates that the request does not include the authentication cookie.

6. The medium as set forth in claim 5 wherein the obtaining the user network identification information from the authentication cookie further comprises decrypting the user network identification information and the storing the user network identification information further comprises encrypting the user network identification information.

7. The medium as set forth in claim 5 further comprises verifying the user network identification information obtained from the authentication cookie before the completing the authentication.

8. The medium as set forth in claim 5 further comprising obtaining additional user network identification information from the requesting client computing device when the comparison does not indicate a match.

9. An application management computing device comprising at least one processor and a memory coupled to the processor which is configured to be capable of executing programmed instructions comprising and stored in the memory to:

receive a request from a client computing device which requires authentication;

determine when the request includes an authentication cookie;

authenticate the client computing device based on a comparison of a set of user network identification information obtained from the authentication cookie to another set of user network identification information obtained from the request, when the determining indicates that the request includes the authentication cookie; and

send a challenge to the client computing device, authenticating the client computing device based on user credentials received in response to the challenge, obtaining the another set of user network identification information from the request, generating the authentication cookie based on the another set of user network identification information, and sending the authentication cookie to the client computing device, when the determining indicates that the request does not include the authentication cookie.

10. The device as set forth in claim 9 wherein the obtaining the user network identification information from the authentication cookie comprises decrypting the user network identification information and the storing the user network identification information further comprises encrypting the user network identification information.

11. The device as set forth in claim 9 wherein the processor coupled to the memory is further configured to be capable of executing at least one additional programmed instruction to verify the user network identification information obtained from the authentication cookie before the completing the authentication.

12. The device as set forth in claim 9 wherein the processor coupled to the memory is further configured to be capable of executing at least one additional programmed instruction to obtain additional user network identification information from the requesting client computing device when the comparison does not indicate a match.