A JSON Web Signature Based Adaptive Authentication Modality for Healthcare Applications

In the era of fast internet-centric systems, the importance of security cannot be stressed more. However, stringent and multiple layers of security measures tend to be a hindrance to usability. This even prompts users to bypass multi-factor authentication schemes recommended by enterprises. The need to balance security and usability gave rise to Adaptive authentication. This system of utilizing the user's behavioral context and earlier access patterns is gaining popularity. Continuously analyzing the user's request patterns and attributes against an established contextual profile helps maintain security while challenging the user only when required. This paper proposes an Open standards based authentication modality that can seamlessly integrate with an Adaptive Authentication system. The proposed authentication modality uses JavaScript Object Notation(JSON), JSON Web Signature(JWS) and supports a means of verifying the authenticity of the requesting client. The proposed authentication modality has been formally verified using Scyther and all the claims have been validated.