Towards an Authentication Protocol for Service Outsourcing Over IP Networks

When an IP network is unable to provide users with demanded services, it usually outsources to other networks. Outsourcing will involve the process of authenticating users for services over IP networks. The process can become complex when different networks have different authentication schemes, in which users are required to provide varying sets of information for service authentication. In this paper, we propose a new service authentication protocol by means of which many networks are linked together forming an ad hoc network system. This ad hoc network system will provide an aggregated range of services to users. Individual networks within the system retain their own authentication schemes and the result of user authentication can be relayed to other networks within the system. We argue that with this protocol, the burden of collecting authentication information and obtaining authentication for each outsourced service is alleviated. We also demonstrate how to construct a service authentication framework and apply the protocol in two case studies. Keywords— autonomous network, service authentication, outsource service, authentication propagation, authentication token.