Disablement of lost or stolen device

• US 10,129,381 B2
• Filed: 03/02/2017
• Issued: 11/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Tucker, Nicholas Bradley
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehra, Inder
• Application Number:
  US15/447,832
• Publication Number:
  US 20170180530A1
• Time in Patent Office: 621 Days
• Field of Search: 455 261, 455528, 455411, 379161, 379200
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/67 by electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72463 to restrict the functionality of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/082 using revocation of authorisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/126 Anti-theft arrangements, e.g. protection against subscriber identity module [SIM] cloning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/37 Managing security policies for mobile devices or for controlling mobile applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/02 Access restriction performed under specific conditions

Abstract

The restricted use of a cellular network to facilitate disablement of a device that is suspected lost or stolen. Accordingly, even if the device is not capable of general use of the cellular network, disablement communications are still permitted across the cellular network. Accordingly, the device may receive a disable command from the disablement service over the cellular network, and acknowledge processing of the disable command to the disablement service also over the cellular network. Thus, efforts by an unauthorized possessor of the device to prevent disablement by removing the physical authentication module are thwarted. Likewise, turning the cellular service off using software settings at the device also does not prevent the device from being disabled via cellular network communication.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of persisting a cellular network connection, to be used only for communication between local and remote elements of disablement software at the device, even when network connectivity has been otherwise disabled such as by software controls and such as by removing access credentials, comprising:

receiving at a disablement service that communicates over a cellular network with a mobile device an indication that the mobile device that uses the cellular network needs to be disabled;

transmitting over the cellular network a disable command to the mobile device, wherein the disable command comprises a disablement communication signal that provides for communication even under restricted use of the cellular network, and wherein the disablement communication signal persists across power cycles of the mobile device so that the disablement communication signal is provided to the mobile device even when cellular network connectivity to the mobile device has been disabled such as by disabling software controls on the device and such as by removing a physical authentication card of the device;

receiving the disable command at the mobile device; and

performing a disable action on the mobile device in accordance with the received disable command.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting over the cellular network to the disablement service a confirmation from the mobile device that the disable command was received, wherein the confirmation is configured for the restricted use of the cellular network.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein receiving at the disablement service that communicates over the cellular network with the mobile device an indication that the mobile device that uses the cellular network needs to be disabled comprises:

determining at the mobile device that there is an indication that the mobile device has been lost or stolen;

transmitting over the cellular network a disable facilitation signal from the mobile device to the disablement service, wherein the disable facilitation signal is configured for restricted use of the cellular network;

receiving at the disablement service the disable facilitation signal; and

in response to receiving the disable facilitation signal, transmitting the disable command over the cellular network to the mobile device.

4. The computer-implemented method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the disable command is a software wipe command and wherein the disable action comprises removal of personal data and restoring the system of the mobile device to factory defaults.

5. The computer-implemented method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the disable command is a software downgrade command and wherein the disable action comprises performing a software downgrade on the mobile device.

6. The computer-implemented method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the disable command is a software removal command and wherein the disable action comprises removal of specified software on the mobile device.

7. One or more computer-readable storage media storing executable instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, perform a computer-implemented method of persisting a cellular network connection, to be used only for communication between local and remote elements of disablement software at the device, even when network connectivity has been otherwise disabled such as by software controls and such as by removing access credentials, and wherein the stored executable instructions cause the computer-implemented method to perform the following:

receive at a disablement service that communicates over a cellular network with a mobile device an indication that the mobile device that uses the cellular network needs to be disabled;

transmit over the cellular network a disable command to the mobile device, wherein the disable command comprises a disablement communication signal that provides for communication even under restricted use of the cellular network, and wherein the disablement communication signal persists across power cycles of the mobile device so that the disablement communication signal is provided to the mobile device even when cellular network connectivity to the mobile device has been disabled such as by disabling software controls on the device and such as by removing a physical authentication card of the device;

receive the disable command at the mobile device; and

perform a disable action on the mobile device in accordance with the received disable command.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, further comprising transmitting over the cellular network to the disablement service a confirmation from the mobile device that the disable command was received, wherein the confirmation is configured for the restricted use of the cellular network.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein causing the method to receive at the disablement service that communicates over the cellular network with the mobile device an indication that the mobile device that uses the cellular network needs to be disabled comprises:

determining at the mobile device that there is an indication that the mobile device has been lost or stolen;

transmitting over the cellular network a disable facilitation signal from the mobile device to the disablement service, wherein the disable facilitation signal is configured for restricted use of the cellular network;

receiving at the disablement service the disable facilitation signal; and

in response to receiving the disable facilitation signal, transmitting the disable command over the cellular network to the mobile device.

10. The computer program product in accordance with claim 7, wherein the disable command is a software wipe command and wherein the disable action comprises removal of personal data and restoring the system of the mobile device to factory defaults.

11. The computer program product in accordance with claim 7, wherein the disable command is a software downgrade command and wherein the disable action comprises performing a software downgrade on the mobile device.

12. The computer program product in accordance with claim 7, wherein the disable command is a software removal command and wherein the disable action comprises removal of specified software on the mobile device.

13. A computer environment system configured with an architecture that persists a cellular network connection, to be used only for communication between local and remote elements of disablement software at the device, even when network connectivity has been otherwise disabled such as by software controls and such as by removing access credentials, comprising:

a disablement service that communicates over a cellular network with a mobile device and is configured to receive an indication that the mobile device needs to be disabled;

a cellular network that is configured to transmit over the cellular network a disable command to the mobile device, wherein the disable command comprises a disablement communication signal that provides for communication even under restricted use of the cellular network, and wherein the disablement communication signal persists across power cycles of the mobile device so that the disablement communication signal is provided to the mobile device even when cellular network connectivity to the mobile device has been disabled such as by disabling software controls on the device and such as by removing a physical authentication card of the device;

wherein the mobile device is configured to receive the disable command; and

wherein the mobile device is configured to perform a disable action on the mobile device in accordance with the received disable command.

14. The computer environment system of claim 13, wherein a confirmation from the mobile device is transmitted over the cellular network to the disablement service that the disable command was received, and wherein the confirmation is configured for the restricted use of the cellular network.

15. The computer environment system of claim 14, wherein configuring the disablement service to receive at the disablement service that communicates over the cellular network with the mobile device an indication that the mobile device that uses the cellular network needs to be disabled comprises:

determining at the mobile device that there is an indication that the mobile device has been lost or stolen;

transmitting over the cellular network a disable facilitation signal from the mobile device to the disablement service, wherein the disable facilitation signal is configured for restricted use of the cellular network;

receiving at the disablement service the disable facilitation signal; and

in response to receiving the disable facilitation signal, transmitting the disable command over the cellular network to the mobile device.

16. The computer environment system in accordance with claim 13, wherein the disable command is a software wipe command and wherein the disable action comprises removal of personal data and restoring the system of the mobile device to factory defaults.

17. The computer environment system in accordance with claim 13, wherein the disable command is a software downgrade command and wherein the disable action comprises performing a software downgrade on the mobile device.

18. The computer environment system in accordance with claim 13, wherein the disable command is a software removal command and wherein the disable action comprises removal of specified software on the mobile device.

19. The computer environment system in accordance with claim 13, wherein the disablement service comprises a cloud computing environment.

20. The computer environment system in accordance with claim 13, wherein the disablement service comprises a cluster of servers.

21. The computer environment system in accordance with claim 13, wherein the disablement service comprises a server.

22. The computer environment system in accordance with claim 13, further comprising a relevant decision module that determines whether general use of the cellular network is authorized.

23. The computer environment system in accordance with claim 22, wherein the relevant decision module comprises a cellular access management module at the cellular network that keeps track of whether the mobile device has general use authorization or restricted use authorization.

24. The computer environment system in accordance with claim 22, wherein the relevant decision module comprises a software module at the mobile device that, when activated, prohibits unrestricted use of the cellular network by the mobile device.