Disabling a mobile device that has stolen hardware components

• US 10,582,387 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2017
• Issued: 03/03/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Venkataramanachari, Yethish G., Kumar, Jayashree S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Timothy X
• Application Number:
  US15/797,850
• Publication Number:
  US 20180049034A1
• Time in Patent Office: 855 Days
• Field of Search: 455414, 342411
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• 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 12/71 Hardware identity

Abstract

A first hardware component identifier may be read for a first hardware component of a computing device. The reading of the first hardware component identifier for the first hardware component may be performed by a processor of the computing device reading a read-only memory of the first hardware component. A second hardware component identifier and an alert indicator over a network may be received. The second hardware component identifier and the alert indicator may correspond with the first hardware component. The first hardware component identifier may be compared with the second hardware component identifier. The computing device may be disabled when the first hardware component identifier matches the second hardware component identifier and the alert indicator indicates that the first hardware component has been reported stolen.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

reading a first hardware component identifier for a first hardware component of a computing device, the reading of the first hardware component identifier for the first hardware component being performed by a processor of the computing device reading a read-only memory of the first hardware component;

receiving, by the computing device, a second hardware component identifier and an alert indicator over a network, the second hardware component identifier and the alert indicator corresponding with the first hardware component;

comparing, by the computing device, the first hardware component identifier with the second hardware component identifier;

transmitting a first request to a computer system to check whether the first hardware component is listed as stolen; and

disabling the computing device in response to the first hardware component identifier matching the second hardware component identifier and the alert indicator indicates that the first hardware component has been reported stolen.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting a request for the second hardware component identifier and the alert indicator over the network to a server computer system, the server computer system having a datastore of hardware components having been reported stolen, wherein the transmitting of the request for the second hardware component identifier and the alert indicator are performed automatically without a user request and as a background task upon system boot up.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

reading a plurality hardware component identifiers for a plurality of hardware components of the computing device;

receiving, via the network, a third identifier corresponding to an identification of the computing device; and

generating, by using at least one character of each of the plurality of hardware component identifiers, a fourth identifier corresponding to the identification of the computing device.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising;

determining, by comparing the third identifier with the fourth identifier, that the fourth identifier does not match the third identifier; and

transmitting, in response to the determining that the fourth identifier does not match the third identifier, a second request to a server computer system to check whether any of the plurality of hardware components are listed as stolen, wherein the transmitting of the request is performed automatically without a user request and as a background task upon system boot up, wherein the second request includes the first request.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving, from the server computer system, a message via the alert indicator indicating that one or more of the plurality of hardware components are listed as stolen; and

disabling the computing device, wherein a user cannot perform an operation to or from the computing device.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving, from the server computer system, a first message via the alert indicator indicating that none of the plurality of hardware components are listed as stolen; and

incrementing a counter to a first quantity based on the receiving the first message indicating that none of the plurality of hardware components are listed as stolen.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

transmitting, subsequent to the incrementing of the counter, a second request to the server computer system to check whether any of the plurality of hardware components are listed as stolen, wherein the transmitting of the second request is performed automatically without a user request and as a background task upon system boot up;

receiving a second message indicating that none of the plurality of hardware components are listed as stolen;

incrementing the counter to a second quantity based on the receiving of the second message indicating that none of the plurality of hardware components are listed as stolen;

determining that the second quantity exceeds a threshold; and

changing, in response to the determining that the second quantity exceeds a threshold, the third identifier to the fourth identifier.

8. A system comprising:

a computing device having a processor; and

a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions readable/executable by the processor to cause the system to perform a method, the method comprising;

establishing an automated wireless connection, via a network and without a user request, between the computing device and a datastore, the datastore being remote to the computing device;

receiving, via the network, a first set of identifiers corresponding to an identification of a set of hardware components that are listed in a datastore as being within the computing device;

extracting, from the computing device, a second set of identifiers corresponding to an identification of a set of hardware components that are within the computing device;

determining, by comparing at least a first portion of the first set of identifiers with at least a second portion of the second set of identifiers, whether the set of hardware components that are listed in the datastore as being within the computing device match the set of hardware components that are within the computing device;

receiving a first message indicating that none of the second set of identifiers are listed in the datastore corresponding to the set of hardware components being stolen

incrementing a counter to a first quantity based on receiving of the first message; and

changing, in response to the incrementing of the counter, the first set of identifiers to another set of identifiers.

9. The system of claim 8, the method further comprising:

receiving, via the network, a third identifier corresponding to an identification of the computing device;

generating, by using at least one character of each of the second set of identifiers, a fourth identifier corresponding to the identification of the computing device; and

comparing the third identifier with the fourth identifier, wherein the comparing the third identifier with the fourth identifier includes the comparing at least a first portion of the first set of identifiers with at least a second portion of the second set of identifiers.

10. The system of claim 8, the method further comprising:

determining that the a second set of hardware components that are listed in the datastore as being within a second computing device do not match a particular set of hardware components that are within the computing device; and

sending, to the datastore, a request to determine whether any set of identifiers are listed in the datastore corresponding to the set of hardware components being stolen.

11. The system of claim 10, the method further comprising:

receiving a message indicating that one or more of the any set of identifiers are listed in the datastore;

providing, based on the one or more of the any set of identifiers being listed in the datastore, a notification indicating that one or more of the second set of hardware components have been stolen; and

disabling the second computing device, wherein a user cannot perform an operation to or from the second computing device.

12. The system of claim 8, the method further comprising:

determining that the set of hardware components that are listed in the datastore as being within the computing device do not match the set of hardware components that are within the computing device;

sending, at a first time and to the datastore, a first request to determine whether any of the second set of identifiers are listed in the datastore corresponding to the set of hardware components being stolen; and

receiving, in response to the sending, the first message indicating that none of the second set of identifiers are listed in the datastore corresponding to the set of hardware components being stolen.

13. The system of claim 12, the method further comprising:

receiving a second message indicating that none of the second set of identifiers are listed in the datastore corresponding to the set of hardware components being stolen;

incrementing the counter to a second quantity based on the receiving the second message indicating that none of the second set of identifiers are listed in the datastore;

determining that the second quantity exceeds a threshold; and

changing, in response to the determining that the second quantity exceeds a threshold, the first set of identifiers to the second set of identifiers.

14. The system of claim 8, the method further comprising determining that the set of hardware components that are listed in the datastore as being within the computing device match the set of hardware components that are within the computing device.

15. A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program code embodied therewith, the program code executable by a computing device to:

read a first hardware component identifier for a first hardware component of the computing device, the reading of the first hardware component identifier for the first hardware component being performed by a processor of the computing device reading a read-only memory of the first hardware component;

receive a second hardware component identifier and an alert indicator over a network, the second hardware component identifier and the alert indicator corresponding with the first hardware component;

compare the first hardware component identifier with the second hardware component identifier;

transmit a request for the second hardware component identifier and the alert indicator over the network to a server computer system, the server computer system having a datastore of hardware components having been reported stolen; and

disable the computing device when the first hardware component identifier matches the second hardware component identifier and the alert indicator indicates that the first hardware component has been reported stolen.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the transmitting of the request for the second hardware component identifier and the alert indicator are performed automatically without a user request and as a background task upon system boot up.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the program code is further executable by the computing device to:

read a plurality hardware component identifiers for a plurality of hardware components of the computing device;

receive, via the network, a third identifier corresponding to an identification of the computing device; and

generate, by using at least one character of each of the plurality of hardware component identifiers, a fourth identifier corresponding to the identification of the computing device.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the program code is further executable by the computing device to:

determining, by comparing the third identifier with the fourth identifier, that the fourth identifier does not match the third identifier; and

transmitting, in response to the determining that the fourth identifier does not match the third identifier, a first request to a server computer system to check whether any of the plurality of hardware components are listed as stolen, wherein the transmitting of the request is performed automatically without a user request and as a background task upon system boot up.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the program code is further executable by the computing device to:

receive, from the server computer system, a message via the alert indicator indicating that one or more of the plurality of hardware components are listed as stolen; and

disable the computing device, wherein a user cannot perform an operation to or from the computing device.

20. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the program code is further executable by the computing device to:

receive from the server computer system, a first message via the alert indicator indicating that none of the plurality of hardware components are listed as stolen;

increment a counter to a first quantity based on the receiving the first message indicating that none of the plurality of hardware components are listed as stolen;

transmit, subsequent to the incrementing of the counter, a second request to the server computer system to check whether any of the plurality of hardware components are listed as stolen, wherein the transmitting of the second request is performed automatically without a user request and as a background task upon system boot up;

receive a second message indicating that none of the plurality of hardware components are listed as stolen;

increment the counter to a second quantity based on the receiving of the second message indicating that none of the plurality of hardware components are listed as stolen;

determine that the second quantity exceeds a threshold; and

send, in response to the determining that the second quantity exceeds a threshold, a request to the server computer system to change the third identifier to the fourth identifier.