Dynamic group membership for devices

• US 10,318,154 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2015
• Issued: 06/11/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Adler, Mitchell D., Brouwer, Michael, Whalley, Andrew R., Hurley, John C., Murphy, Richard F., Finkelstein, David P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Najjar, Saleh
• Assistant Examiner(s): Almeida, Devin E
• Application Number:
  US14/872,022
• Publication Number:
  US 20160352526A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,350 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0604 Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. storage management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/065 Replication mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0683 Plurality of storage devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 90/00 Systems or methods specially adapted for administrative, commercial, financial, managerial or supervisory purposes, not involving significant data processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1044 Group management mechanisms management of multicast group membership H04L12/185; reconfiguring of node membership in a computing system to eliminate errors G06F11/1425
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3268 using certificate validation, registration, distribution or revocation, e.g. certificate revocation list [CRL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management

Abstract

Some embodiments provide a method for a first device that identifies definitions of different groups of devices, each of which is defined by a set of properties required for a device to be a member. The method monitors properties of the first device to determine when the device is eligible for membership in a group. When the first device is eligible for membership in a first group of which the device is not a member, the method sends an application for membership in the first group signed with at least a private key of the device to at least one other device that is a member of the first group. When the first device becomes ineligible for membership in a second group of which the first device is a member, the method removes the device from the second group and notifies other devices that are members of the second group.

Claims

1. At least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium configured to store instructions that, when executed by at least one processor included in a first device, cause the first device to carry out steps that include:

managing different groups of devices, wherein each group of devices is associated with a respective set of properties required to be possessed by each device that is a member of the group of devices;

actively monitoring properties associated with the first device to determine whether the first device is eligible for membership in one of the groups;

in response to detecting, based on a first update to the properties associated with the first device, that the first device is eligible for membership in a first group of which the first device is not currently a member;

sending, to at least one other device that is a member of the first group, an application for membership in the first group, wherein the application is signed with at least a private key of the first device, and

receiving a notification, from a particular device of other devices that are members of the first group, that the first device is accepted as a member of the first group, wherein the notification comprises a message, signed by the particular device, that lists the members of the group including the first device; and

in response to determining, based on a second update to the properties associated with the first device, that the first device is no longer eligible for membership in the first group;

sending, to at least one other device that is a member of the first group, a notification of a removal of the first device from the first group.

2. The at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein membership in the first group requires knowledge of a particular private key, and sending the application comprises:

signing a public key of the first device and an application time with the particular private key required for membership in the first group to create a first signature;

packaging the first signature with an identity of the first device;

signing the identity of the first device with the private key of the first device to create a second signature; and

sending the second signature to the other devices that are members of the first group.

3. The at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the steps further include:

removing, from the first device, any files that are privileged within the scope of the first group.

4. The at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the properties associated with the first device include one or more of:

an operating system of the first device,

a remote wipe capability of the first device,

a password strength of a master password assigned on the first device,

an inclusion of a biometric hardware sensor within the device, or

an inclusion of a secure processor within the first device.

5. The at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein a particular one of the groups requires devices to have a particular operating system to join the group.

6. The at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein a particular one of the groups requires that a user verify a new device on any device that is established as a member of the group.

7. The at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein a particular one of the groups requires devices to be protected with a passcode of at least a specified length in order to join the group.

8. The at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the steps further include:

receiving, from a second device, a second application for membership in a second group of which the first device is a member;

verifying that the second device meets requirements for membership in the second group; and

in response to determining that the second device meets the requirements, sending a second notification to the other devices that are members of the second group specifying that the second device is a member of the second group.

9. The at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein verifying that the second device meets the requirements for membership in the second group comprises:

verifying that the application is signed by a particular private key that is required for membership in the second group.

10. The at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein verifying that the second device meets the requirements for membership in the second group comprises:

prompting a user to allow the second device into the second group.

11. The at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the application for membership is sent to all devices that are members of the first group.

12. The at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the application for membership is sent to only a subset of the devices that are members of the first group.

13. A first device, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first device to carry out steps that include;

managing different groups of devices, wherein each group of devices is associated with a respective set of properties required to be possessed by each device that is a member of the group of devices;

actively monitoring properties associated with the first device to determine whether the first device is eligible for membership in one of the groups;

in response to detecting, based on a first update to the properties associated with the first device, that the first device is eligible for membership in a first group of which the first device is not currently a member;

sending, to at least one other device that is a member of the first group, an application for membership in the first group, wherein the application is signed with at least a private key of the first device, and

receiving a notification, from a particular device of other devices that are members of the first group, that the first device is accepted as a member of the first group, wherein the notification comprises a message, signed by the particular device, that lists the members of the group including the first device; and

in response to determining, based on a second update to the properties associated with the first device, that the first device is no longer eligible for membership in the first group;

sending, to at least one other device that is a member of the first group, a notification of a removal of the first device from the first group.

14. The first device of claim 13, wherein membership in the first group requires knowledge of a particular private key, and sending the application comprises:

signing a public key of the first device and an application time with the particular private key required for membership in the first group to create a first signature;

packaging the first signature with an identity of the first device;

signing the identity of the first device with the private key of the first device to create a second signature; and

sending the second signature to the other devices that are members of the first group.

15. The first device of claim 13, wherein the steps further include:

removing, from the first device, any files that are privileged within the scope of the first group.

16. The first device of claim 13, wherein the steps further include:

receiving, from a second device, a second application for membership in a second group of which the first device is a member;

verifying that the second device meets requirements for membership in the second group; and

in response to determining that the second device meets the requirements, sending a second notification to the other devices that are members of the second group specifying that the second device is a member of the second group.

17. The first device of claim 13, wherein the properties associated with the first device include one or more of:

an operating system of the first device,

a remote wipe capability of the first device,

a password strength of a master password assigned on the first device,

an inclusion of a biometric hardware sensor within the device, or

an inclusion of a secure processor within the first device.

18. A method performed at a first device, the method comprising:

managing different groups of devices, wherein each group of devices is associated with a respective set of properties required to be possessed by each device that is a member of the group of devices;

actively monitoring properties associated with the first device to determine whether the first device is eligible for membership in one of the groups;

in response to detecting, based on a first update to the properties associated with the first device, that the first device is eligible for membership in a first group of which the first device is not currently a member;

sending, to at least one other device that is a member of the first group, an application for membership in the first group, wherein the application is signed with at least a private key of the first device, and

receiving a notification, from a particular device of other devices that are members of the first group, that the first device is accepted as a member of the first group, wherein the notification comprises a message, signed by the particular device, that lists the members of the group including the first device; and

in response to determining, based on a second update to the properties associated with the first device, that the first device is no longer eligible for membership in the first group;

sending, to at least one other device that is a member of the first group, a notification of a removal of the first device from the first group.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein membership in the first group requires knowledge of a particular private key, and sending the application comprises:

signing a public key of the first device and an application time with the particular private key required for membership in the first group to create a first signature;

packaging the first signature with an identity of the first device;

signing the identity of the first device with the private key of the first device to create a second signature; and

sending the second signature to the other devices that are members of the first group.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the properties associated with the first device include one or more of:

an operating system of the first device,

a remote wipe capability of the first device,

a password strength of a master password assigned on the first device,

an inclusion of a biometric hardware sensor within the device, or

an inclusion of a secure processor within the first device.