Short message service reading method and device

• US 10,027,629 B2
• Filed: 07/20/2016
• Issued: 07/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xiaomi Inc. (Xiaomi Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xiaomi Inc. (Xiaomi Corp.)
• Inventors: Hong, Feng, Zhao, Jiankai, Yang, Wankun, Zhang, Jianchun
• Primary Examiner(s): Afshar, Kamran
• Assistant Examiner(s): Seyedvosoghi, Farid
• Application Number:
  US15/215,066
• Publication Number:
  US 20170085533A1
• Time in Patent Office: 727 Days
• Field of Search: 455466, 726 26, 726 27, 726 28
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/322 Aspects of commerce using mobile devices [M-devices]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/04 for providing a confidential data exchange among entities communicating through data packet networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/108 when the policy decisions are valid for a limited amount of time
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/03 Protecting confidentiality, e.g. by encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]

Abstract

A Short Message Service (SMS) reading method and device are disclosed for providing security when authorizing SMS reading. After a reading request for reading an SMS is received from a third party application, when the SMS is an SMS including sensitive information, a determination as to whether a reading time in the reading request is within an access prohibition period of the SMS may be implemented, and when the reading time is determined to be within the access prohibition period, a response to the reading request may be withheld.

Claims

1. A method for determining a read authority of a Short Message Service (SMS), the method comprising:

receiving, by an operating system of a mobile device, a reading request for reading an SMS stored on an SMS component of the mobile device, wherein the reading request is received from a third party application running on the mobile device;

determining, by the operating system, whether the third party application is approved to read the SMS based on an SMS reading authority list stored in the operating system at an operating system level, wherein the operating system determines that the third party application is approved to read the SMS when the third party application is included in the SMS reading authority list;

when determining that the third party application is approved to read the SMS, forwarding, by the operating system, the reading request to an SMS component running on the mobile device;

determining, by the SMS component, that the SMS is an SMS carrying sensitive information;

determining whether a reading time in the reading request is within an access prohibition period corresponding to the SMS at an SMS component level, by;

determining whether a time difference between the reading time in the reading request and a receiving time of the SMS is smaller than a preset threshold, wherein the preset threshold is set by the SMS component according to a default active duration, and the default active duration is determined by determining that the SMS contains a verification code or the SMS contains an activation code; and

determining that the reading time is within the access prohibition period when the time difference is smaller than the preset threshold; and

when the reading time is determined to be within the access prohibition period, withholding, by the SMS component, transmission of a response back to the third party application in response to the reading request.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the preset threshold is set by:

extracting an active duration of the SMS from an SMS content the SMS, and setting the preset threshold according to the active duration.

3. The method of claim 1, before receiving, by the operating system of the mobile device, the reading request for reading the SMS stored on the SMS component of the mobile device, further comprising:

receiving, by the SMS component, the SMS, and determining whether the SMS includes sensitive information; and

when the SMS is determined to include sensitive information, adding, by the SMS component, a preset marker to the SMS, wherein the preset marker is configured to indicate that the SMS is an SMS including sensitive information.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein determining whether the SMS includes sensitive information comprises:

determining the SMS includes sensitive information based on characteristic information corresponding to the SMS, wherein the characteristic information comprises at least one of a sender number, an SMS content, or an SMS template.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from a default SMS application of an operating system, a reading request for reading the SMS; and

responding to the reading request from the default SMS application.

6. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein instructions that, when executed by a processor of a mobile device, causes the mobile device to perform a method for reading a Short Message Service (SMS), the method comprising:

receiving, by an operating system of a mobile device, a reading request for reading an SMS stored on an SMS component of the mobile device, wherein the reading request is received from a third party application running on the mobile device;

determining, by the operating system, whether the third party application is approved to read the SMS based on an SMS reading authority list stored in the operating system at an operating system level, wherein the operating system determines that the third party application is approved to read the SMS when the third party application is included in the SMS reading authority list;

when determining that the third party application is approved to read the SMS, forwarding, by the operating system, the reading request to an SMS component running on the mobile device;

determining, by the SMS component, that the SMS is an SMS carrying sensitive information;

determining whether a reading time in the reading request is within an access prohibition period corresponding to the SMS at an SMS component level, by;

determining whether a time difference between the reading time in the reading request and a receiving time of the SMS is smaller than a preset threshold, wherein the preset threshold is set by the SMS component according to a default active duration, and the default active duration is determined by determining that the SMS contains a verification code or the SMS contains an activation code; and

determining that the reading time is within the access prohibition period when the time difference is smaller than the preset threshold; and

when the reading time is determined to be within the access prohibition period, withholding, by the SMS component, transmission of a response back to the third party application in response to the reading request.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the preset threshold is set by:

extracting an active duration of the SMS from an SMS content included in the SMS, and setting the preset threshold according to the active duration.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 6, before receiving, by the operating system of the mobile device, the reading request for reading the SMS stored on the SMS component of the mobile device, the method further comprising:

receiving, by the SMS component, the SMS, and determining whether the SMS includes sensitive information; and

when the SMS is determined to include sensitive information, adding, by the SMS component, a preset marker to the SMS, wherein the preset marker is configured to indicate that the SMS is an SMS including sensitive information.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein determining whether the SMS includes sensitive information comprises:

determining the SMS includes sensitive information based on characteristic information corresponding to the SMS, wherein the characteristic information comprises at least one of a sender number, an SMS content, or an SMS template.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 6, the method further comprising:

receiving, from a default SMS application of an operating system, a reading request for reading the SMS; and

responding to the reading request from the default SMS application.

11. A device for reading a Short Message Service (SMS), comprising:

a processor; and

a memory, configured to store instructions executable by the processor;

wherein the processor is configured to execute the instructions to;

receive, by an operating system of a mobile device, a reading request for reading an SMS stored on an SMS component of the mobile device, wherein the reading request is received from a third party application running on the mobile device;

determine, by the operating system, whether the third party application is approved to read the SMS based on an SMS reading authority list stored in the operating system at an operating system level, wherein the operating system determines that the third party application is approved to read the SMS when the third party application is included in the SMS reading authority list;

when determining that the third party application is approved to read the SMS, forward, by the operating system, the reading request to an SMS component running on the mobile device;

determine, by the SMS component, that the SMS is an SMS carrying sensitive information;

determine whether a reading time in the reading request is within an access prohibition period corresponding to the SMS at an SMS component level, by;

determining whether a time difference between the reading time in the reading request and a receiving time of the SMS is smaller than a preset threshold, wherein the preset threshold is set by the SMS component according to a default active duration, and the default active duration is determined by determining that the SMS contains a verification code or the SMS contains an activation code;

determining that the reading time is within the access prohibition period when the time difference is smaller than the preset threshold; and

when the reading time is determined to be within the access prohibition period, withhold, by the SMS component, transmission of a response back to the third party application in response to the reading request.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to execute the instructions to:

set the preset threshold by extracting an active duration of the SMS from an SMS content included in the SMS, and setting the preset threshold according to the active duration.

13. The device of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to execute the instructions to:

before receiving, by the operating system of the mobile device, the reading request for reading the SMS stored on the SMS component of the mobile device;

receive, by the SMS component, the SMS, and determining whether the SMS includes sensitive information; and

when the SMS is determined to include sensitive information, add, by the SMS component, a preset marker to the SMS, wherein the preset marker is configured to indicate that the SMS is an SMS including sensitive information.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to execute the instructions to:

determine whether the SMS is an SMS including sensitive information based on characteristic information corresponding to the SMS.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the characteristic information includes at least one of a sender number, an SMS content, or an SMS template.