DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF E-AUTHENTICATION SYSTEM USING QR CODE AND OTP

1.1 Introduction

Electronic authentication is the process of establishing confidence in user identities electronically presented to an information system. Digital authentication, or e-authentication, may be used synonymously when referring to the authentication process that confirms or certifies a person's identity and works. When used in conjunction with an electronic signature, it can provide evidence of whether data received has been tampered with after being signed by its original sender. Electronic authentication can reduce the risk of fraud and identity theft by verifying that a person is who they say they are when performing transactions online (Wikipedia, 2021).

As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.

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1.2 Background of Study

Electronic Authentication (E-Authentication) System in banking programming gives individual and corporate financial administrations offering highlights, for example, seeing record adjusts, acquiring proclamations, checking ongoing exchange and making installments which are truly dependable. Access is for the most part through a safe site utilizing a username and secret key, however security is a key thought in web banking and numerous banks additionally offer two factor confirmation utilizing a (security token).

In the old system, paper credentials were used which are documents that attest to the identity or other attributes of an individual or entity called the subject of the credentials. Some common paper credentials include passports, birth certificates, driver's licenses, and employee identity cards. The credentials themselves are authenticated in a variety of ways: traditionally perhaps by a signature or a seal, special papers and inks, high quality engraving, and today by more complex mechanisms, such as holograms, that make the credentials recognizable and difficult to copy or forge. In some cases, simple possession of the credentials is sufficient to establish that the physical holder of the credentials is indeed the subject of the credentials. More commonly, the credentials contain biometric information such as the subject's description, a picture of the subject or the handwritten signature of the subject that can be used to authenticate that the holder of the credentials is indeed the subject of the credentials. When these paper credentials are presented in-person, authentication biometrics contained in those credentials can be checked to confirm that the physical holder of the credential is the subject (Wikipedia, 2021).

Electronic identity credentials bind a name and perhaps other attributes to a token. There are a variety of electronic credential types in use today, and new types of credentials are constantly being created (eID, electronic voter ID card, biometric passports, bank cards, etc.) At a minimum, credentials include identifying information that permits recovery of the records of the registration associated with the credentials and a name that is associated with the subscriber (Wikipedia, 2021).

When using services in a web environment, security is of great importance especially for both the user and the provider. The information in use must be handled in a way that does not compromise its security. Passwords are only secured as long as the user keeps them secret. Not everyone is aware of the risk that comes with compromised passwords and other security leaks (Nilsson, 2012).

Lately, client side attacks on online banking and electronic commerce are on the rise due to inadequate security awareness amongst end users. As a result, end user would not be aware if there is vulnerability on their machine or platform that might lead to client side attack. The password remains the most popular authentication mechanism in use today. In order to complete any web-based transaction exchange, the online user will be required to enter his/her password into an online system.

As technological advances continue to influence the way society makes payment for goods and services, the requirement for more advanced security approaches for transaction verification in the online environment increases.

In order to mitigate these security issues, this proposed dissertation proffers a solution to the problem by integrating different authentications and methods to provide an improved and secure online transaction between the client and the server. The thesis introduces an anti-form grabbing technique which disallows the attacker from “grabbing” sensitive information and modifying it when they are being sent to the server by the client and also protects the web contents. rough The system also minimizes the risk of online attacks by using One Time Password (OTP), a password that is valid for only one login session or transaction within a limited time along with the use of Email as a different verification channel. This research work therefore intends to develop an E-Authentication System using QR Code and OTP.

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1.3 Statement of Problems

Authentication based on possession is generally based on smart cards. The wide deployment of mobile phones and smart devices has motivated the need for an authentication system based on mobile phone and Quick Response code. The biometric template can be embedded in the Quick response code for authentication. Authentication systems have to be equipped with smart devices to enable faster and efficient authentication. One of the main disadvantages of biometric system is the associated time taken for registration and identification. Extracting the biometric features from a group of users is time consuming and inconvenient. Automatic authentication systems perform the task without the knowledge of the user and hence more effective.

The increasing cyber attacks during online financial transactions have necessarily initiated a need for secure and efficient means of authentication. Encrypted QR codes can be used for that purpose. Several multimodal biometric systems have been reported in the literature. The modalities chosen in them are vulnerable to spoofing attacks and hence, irrespective of the type of fusion, spoofing is possible. There is a need for efficient fusion of vein based modalities as they are less vulnerable.

Current research in the area of authentication focuses largely on the various methods of extracting biometric traits from the user. The increase in number of internet users has also led to the subsequent increase in various methods of authentication attacks. Thus, enhancing the security of authentication systems emerges as an important issue to be addressed and this motivated the author to explore different types of authentication systems. Emerging trends in the computationally demanding application necessitate more effective algorithms for securing authentication.

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1.4 Aim and Objectives of Study

The aim of the study is to develop an E-Authentication System using QR Code and OTP. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows to:

1. Develop anti-form grabbing technique to encode the user inputs as they are being entered.
2. Implement an authentication mechanism using One Time Password (OTP).
3. Develop a medium that make use of Email from the server for identity Verification.
4. Develop the OTP algorithm to authenticate the user.

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1.5 Significance of Study

The findings will be of great importance to researcher who intends to carry out study in similar topic as the study will serve as a reference point. Finally, the study will be of significance to academia, students, lecturers and the general public as the findings will also contribute to the pool of knowledge.

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1.6 Scope of Study

The study focuses on the Electronic Authentication System using QR Code and OTP in Nigeria Banking Application System.

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1.7 Limitations of the Study

During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:

1. Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
2. Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
3. Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
4. Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet).

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1.8 Definition of Terms

To fully understand what the study is all about, important and dispensable terms have been chosen and due definition given to them.

1. Customers- a party that receives or consumes products (goods or services) and has the ability to choose between different products and suppliers.
2. Financial institution- A financial institution(FI) is a company engaged in the business of dealing with financial and monetary transactions, such as deposits, loans, investments and currency exchange.
3. Computerized – equipping something with or the usage of and associated automation by computers and software.
4. Operation – an act or instance, process, or manner of functioning or operating.
5. Manually- by hand rather than automatically or electronically.
6. Records - to set down in writing or keep evidence of something.
7. Online: connected to, served by, or available through a system and especially a computer or telecommunications system (such as the Internet)
8. Delivery System: this is any means or process for conveying a product or service to a recipient.