Face-to-Face (F2F) Auth: A Multi-Party Environmental Authentication System for Sensitive Operations

Face-to-Face (F2F) Auth is a multi-party environmental authentication system designed to safeguard highly sensitive operations by leveraging smartphone communication capabilities and environmental conditions. This paper presents the design, security analysis, and potential extensions of F2F Auth. The system utilizes Near-Field Communication (NFC) technology for peer authentication, requiring physical presence and explicit approval from another user. The provisioning process registers devices with the authentication server, ensuring secure key management. Realms are introduced to scope user authentication within defined groups. The analysis highlights F2F Auth’s security advantages, such as mitigating physical and network risks, simplicity of use, and resilience against compromised devices. Threat models, including malicious user coercion and device compromise, are evaluated along with potential countermeasures. Future work includes enhancing authentication security, implementing action parameters, refining domain scoping, and addressing UI deception attacks. F2F Auth offers a robust solution for multi-party environmental authentication in high-assurance systems, with potential applications in various domains requiring stringent security measures.