Authenticating a rich client from within an existing browser session

摘要

A user authenticates to a Web- or cloud-based application from a browser-based client. The browser-based client has an associated rich client. After a session is initiated from the browser-based client (and a credential obtained), the user can discover that the rich client is available and cause it to obtain the credential (or a new one) for use in authenticating the user to the application (using the rich client) automatically, i.e., without additional user input. An application interface provides the user with a display by which the user can configure the rich client authentication operation, such as specifying whether the rich client should be authenticated automatically if it detected as running, whether and what extent access to the application by the rich client is to be restricted, if and when access to the application by the rich client is to be revoked, and the like.

主权项

1. Apparatus to provide authenticated user access to a server application, comprising:
a processor; computer memory holding computer program instructions that when executed by the processor perform a method comprising:
receiving user input in a browser-based client to initiate a web session with the server application;receiving a credential at the browser-based client;within the web session, identifying a rich client capable of interacting with the server application;within the web session, providing the rich client with a credential, the credential being one of: the credential received at the browser-based client, and a new credential received from the server application; andwithin the web session, using the credential provided to the rich client to authenticate the user to the server application using the rich client.