Location based security modification system and method

• US 20070157319A1
• Filed: 12/05/2006
• Published: 07/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Palm, Inc. (TCL Technology Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kammer, David, Combs, Raymond
• Application Number:
  US11/634,371
• Publication Number:
  US 20070157319A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/27
• 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 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2113 Multi-level security, e.g. mandatory access control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/107 wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals

Abstract

A method or system for providing a level of data security dependent on the location of the user of a wireless device is disclosed. One exemplary embodiment relates to a method of adjusting security for a network user node in communication with a network based upon the location of the node. The method is performed by determining the location of a network user node, selecting a single level of security from a group of more than two security levels based on the determined location, and modifying the security protection for the network user node based upon the selected level of security.

Claims

1. A method of adjusting security for a mobile computing device, comprising:

determining the location of the mobile computing device; and

configuring a security level for the mobile computing device at the mobile computing device, the security level being associated with the location.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising restricting access to data stored on the mobile computing device based on the security level provided.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising restricting access to functionality of the mobile computing device based on the security level provided.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile computing device comprises a handheld device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein configuring the security level comprises requiring a password to access the data stored on the mobile computing device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the password is required after a predetermined period of time of non-use of the network user node.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the predetermined period of time is dependent upon the location of the network user node.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the predetermined period of time is received from a user of the network user node.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein configuring the security level comprises requiring a password to enable functionality of the mobile computing device.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the mobile computing device is a handheld computing device.

10. A method of adjusting security for a mobile computing device, comprising:

determining the location of the mobile computing device; and

determining whether to require a password in order for a user to access data via the mobile computing device based upon the location of the mobile computing device.

11. The method of claim 10,

wherein determining whether to require the password in order for a user to access the data is further based upon the mobile computing device being idle for a period of time;

and

wherein the period of time is a function of the location of the mobile computing device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the period of time is defined by a user of the mobile computing device.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the data is stored on the mobile computing device.

15. A mobile computing device network user node, comprising:

a processor;

a location sensing system coupled to the processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor;

wherein the processor restricts access to data stored in the memory based upon location information provided to the processor by the location sensing system.

16. The mobile computing device of claim 15, further comprising:

a table of at least three security settings;

wherein the processor restricts access to the of data stored in the memory by selecting and applying one of the security settings based upon the location information.

17. The mobile computing device of claim 16, wherein the security settings are configurable by a user of the mobile computing device at the mobile computing device.

18. The mobile computing device of claim 16, wherein at least one security setting includes a password requirement to access the data stored in the memory.

19. The mobile computing device of claim 16, wherein at least one security setting includes restrictions on access to less than all of the data stored in the memory.

20. The mobile computing device of claim 15, wherein the mobile computing device is a handheld computing device.