Assessing penalties for SDKs that violate policies in mobile apps

• US 10,163,112 B2
• Filed: 07/14/2016
• Issued: 12/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Ekambaram, Vijay, Sadacharam, Saravanan, Vijay Kumar, Ananthapur Bache
• Primary Examiner(s): Glass, Russell S
• Application Number:
  US15/209,836
• Publication Number:
  US 20180018675A1
• Time in Patent Office: 894 Days
• Field of Search: 705 34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/77 Software metrics
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45504 Abstract machines for programme code execution, e.g. Java virtual machine [JVM], interpreters, emulators
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/018 Certifying business or products
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing

Abstract

A system, method and program product for processing software development kits (SDKs). A system is provided that includes a container creation system that wraps an inputted SDK in a penalty container to create a wrapped SDK, wherein the wrapped SDK includes re-instrumented code that redirects application programming interface (API) calls between the SDK and an associated App and operating system through a wrapper in order to monitor runtime behavior; wherein the container creation system instantiates a policy module that is configurable by an SDK provider and App developer to implement a mutual policy configuration for the penalty container; and wherein the penalty container includes a penalty manager that assesses penalties to the SDK provider based on SDK violations of the mutual policy configuration.

Claims

1. A software development kit (SDK) processing system, comprising:

a container creation system that wraps an inputted SDK in a penalty container to create a wrapped SDK, wherein the wrapped SDK includes re-instrumented code that redirects application programming interface (API) calls between the SDK and an associated App and operating system through a wrapper in order to monitor runtime behavior;

wherein the container creation system instantiates a policy module that is configurable by an SDK provider and App developer to implement a mutual policy configuration for the penalty container; and

wherein the penalty container includes a penalty manager that assesses penalties to the SDK provider based on SDK violations of the mutual policy configuration.

2. The SDK processing system of claim 1, wherein the mutual policy configuration includes a security policy, a performance policy and a behavior policy.

3. The SDK processing system of claim 1, wherein the penalty manager assesses a monetary penalty.

4. The SDK processing system of claim 1, further comprising an SDK manager that interfaces with deployed penalty containers.

5. The SDK processing system of claim 4, wherein the SDK manager scans for negative posts by users resulting from SDK violations.

6. The SDK processing system of claim 4, wherein the SDK manager notifies SDK providers of SDK violations and a penalty amount.

7. The SDK processing system of claim 6, wherein the SDK manager provides an accounting system that debits an SDK provider and credits an App developer an assessed penalty amount when an SDK violation occurs.

8. A computer program product stored on a computer readable storage medium, which when executed by a computing system, processes software development kits (SDKs), the program product comprising:

program code that wraps an inputted SDK in a penalty container to create a wrapped SDK, wherein the wrapped SDK includes re-instrumented code that redirects application programming interface (API) calls between the SDK and an associated App and operating system through a wrapper in order to monitor runtime behavior; and

program code that instantiates a policy module that is configurable by an SDK provider and App developer to implement a mutual policy configuration for the penalty container;

wherein the penalty container includes program code that assesses penalties to the SDK provider based on SDK violations of the mutual policy configuration.

9. The program product of claim 8, wherein the mutual policy configuration includes a security policy, a performance policy and a behavior policy.

10. The program product of claim 8, wherein an assessed penalty includes a monetary penalty.

11. The program product of claim 8, further comprising program code that interfaces with deployed penalty containers.

12. The program product of claim 11, further comprising program code that scans for negative posts by users resulting from SDK violations.

13. The program product of claim 11, further comprising program code that notifies SDK providers of SDK violations and a penalty amount.

14. The program product of claim 13, further comprising program code that debits an SDK provider and credits an App developer an assessed penalty amount when an SDK violation occurs.

15. A computerized method for processing software development kits (SDKs), comprising:

receiving an SDK from an SDK provider;

wrapping the SDK in a penalty container to create a wrapped SDK, wherein the wrapped SDK includes re-instrumented code that redirects application programming interface (API) calls between the SDK and an associated App and operating system through a wrapper in order to monitor runtime behavior; and

instantiating a policy module that is configurable by the SDK provider and an App developer to implement a mutual policy configuration for the penalty container;

wherein the penalty container includes a penalty manager that assesses penalties to the SDK provider based on SDK violations of the mutual policy configuration.

16. The computerized method of claim 15, wherein the mutual policy configuration includes a security policy, a performance policy and a behavior policy.

17. The computerized method of claim 15, wherein an assessed penalty includes a monetary penalty.

18. The computerized method of claim 15, further comprising:

interfacing with deployed penalty containers.

19. The computerized method of claim 15, further comprising:

scanning for negative posts by users resulting from SDK violations.

20. The computerized method of claim 15, further comprising:

notifying SDK providers of SDK violations and a penalty amount.