TS2FA: Trilateration System Two Factor Authentication

Abstract

Two-factor authentication (2FA) systems implement by verifying at least two factors. A factor is something a user knows (password, or phrase), something a user possesses (smart card, or smartphone), something a user is (fingerprint, or iris), something a user does (keystroke), or somewhere a user is (location). In the existing 2FA system, a user is required to act in order to implement the second layer of authentication which is not very user-friendly. Smart devices (phones, laptops, tablets, etc.) can receive signals from different radio frequency technologies within range. As these devices move among networks (Wi-Fi access points, cellphone towers, etc.), they receive broadcast messages, some of which can be used to collect information. This information can be utilized in a variety of ways, such as establishing a connection, sharing information, locating devices, and, most appropriately, identifying users in range. The principal benefit of broadcast messages is that the devices can read and process the embedded information without being connected to the broadcaster. Moreover, the broadcast messages can be received only within range of the wireless access point sending the broadcast, thus inherently limiting access to those devices in close physical proximity and facilitating many applications dependent on that proximity. In the proposed research, a new factor is used - something that is in the user’s environment with minimal user involvement. Data from these broadcast messages is utilized to implement a 2FA scheme by determining whether two devices are proximate or not to ensure that they belong to the same user.