Virtual machine access control

• US 10,701,080 B2
• Filed: 09/07/2017
• Issued: 06/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dow, Eli M., Rohde, Douglas E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, James J
• Application Number:
  US15/698,056
• Publication Number:
  US 20170374077A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,027 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/4557 Distribution of virtual machine instances; Migration and load balancing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45575 Starting, stopping, suspending or resuming virtual machine instances
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45587 Isolation or security of virtual machine instances
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45595 Network integration; Enabling network access in virtual machine instances
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/88 Detecting or preventing theft or loss
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0816 Key establishment, i.e. cryptographic processes or cryptographic protocols whereby a shared secret becomes available to two or more parties, for subsequent use
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/04 Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/64 using geofenced areas

Abstract

A system is provided and includes a broadcasting device configured to emit a beacon signal over a predefined range and a mobile computing device. The mobile computing device is configured to run a host operating system at any location. The mobile computing device is further configured to run a virtual machine associated with the beacon signal within the host operating system but only when the computing device is in range of the beacon signal of a predefined strength.

Claims

1. A method of mobile computing device operation, comprising:

receiving a beacon signal at a computing device only upon the computing device entering within a beacon signal range;

determining that the computing device is in the beacon signal range from a strength thereof being above a predefined strength;

determining that a virtual machine associated with the beacon signal exists in the computing device;

running an instance of the virtual machine on the computing device within a host operating system using a component of the beacon signal while the computing device determinably remains within the beacon signal range from the strength thereof remaining above the predefined strength, wherein the component of the beacon signal comprises a private key by which the virtual machine is decrypted; and

enabling termination of the running of the instance of the virtual machine when the computing device is determinably outside beacon signal range from the strength thereof being below the predefined strength.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the receiving is initiated by a user.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising accessing instructions relating to processing of the virtual machine upon the computing device leaving the beacon signal range.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

checking for a provisioning server signal within the beacon signal range;

if the provisioning server signal exists, determining whether a later version of the virtual machine exists from the provisioning server signal; and

if the later version of the virtual machine exists, taking an action with respect to the later version of the virtual machine.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein, if the virtual machine associated with the beacon signal does not exist in the firmware of the computing device, the method further includes:

determining whether the computing device is authorized to receive the virtual machine; and

if the computing device is authorized to receive the virtual machine, taking an action in accordance with the determining.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the computing device is at a beacon signal range periphery from the strength thereof; and

alerting a user of the computing device that the user is at the beacon signal range periphery.