System, device and method for providing data availability for lost/stolen portable communication devices

• US 20090006867A1
• Filed: 06/29/2007
• Published: 01/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Vinokurov, Dmitri, Choyi, Vinod
• Application Number:
  US11/819,832
• Publication Number:
  US 20090006867A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/193
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/88 Detecting or preventing theft or loss
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2143 Clearing memory, e.g. to prevent the data from being stolen

Abstract

A system, device and method for providing data availability for a portable communication device, including various combinations of the following steps: notifying an operator that the portable communication device is missing; triggering encryption of data on the portable communication device; sending a data retrieval command to the portable communication device; authenticating the data retrieval command; retrieving data from the portable communication device; identifying a portion of the data retrieved from the portable communication device that is confidential; encrypting the identified confidential data on the portable communication device; and erasing the identified confidential data from the portable communication device or recovering the portable communication device and decrypting the confidential data on the portable communication device.

Claims

1. A method for providing data availability for a portable communication device, comprising:

notifying an operator that the portable communication device is missing;

sending a data retrieval command to the portable communication device;

authenticating the data retrieval command;

retrieving data from the portable communication device;

identifying a portion of the data retrieved from the portable communication device that is confidential; and

erasing the identified confidential data from the portable communication device.

2. The method for providing data availability for a portable communication device, according to claim 1, wherein the portable communication device is lost.

3. The method for providing data availability for a portable communication device, according to claim 1, wherein the portable communication device is stolen.

4. The method for providing data availability for a portable communication device, according to claim 1, wherein erasing the identified confidential data from the portable communication device comprises totally eliminating the data from the portable communication device.

5. The method for providing data availability for a portable communication device, according to claim 1, wherein erasing the identified confidential data from the portable communication device comprises corrupting the data on the portable communication device.

6. The method for providing data availability for a portable communication device, according to claim 1, wherein the portable communication device is selected from the list consisting of a smart telephone, a personal data assistant, and a laptop computer.

7. The method for providing data availability for a portable communication device, according to claim 1, wherein retrieving the data includes encrypting the data.

8. The method for providing data availability for a portable communication device, according to claim 7, wherein encrypting the data is performed using a public key stored on the portable communication device.

9. The method for providing data availability for a portable communication device, according to claim 7, wherein retrieving the data further comprises decrypting the data.

10. The method for providing data availability for a portable communication device, according to claim 9, wherein decrypting the data is performed using a private key stored at a location of the operator.

11. The method for providing data availability for a portable communication device, according to claim 1, wherein the portable communication device includes an operating system.

12. The method for providing data availability for a portable communication device, according to claim 1, wherein the identified confidential data is stored on removable data storage media.

13. The method for providing data availability for a portable communication device, according to claim 1, wherein authenticating the data retrieval command is performed using a secret shared by the operator and an owner of the portable communication device.

14. A method for providing data availability for a portable communication device, comprising:

notifying an operator that the portable communication device is missing;

sending a data retrieval command;

authenticating the data retrieval command;

triggering encryption of data on the portable communication device;

identifying confidential data on the portable communication device;

encrypting the identified confidential data on the portable communication device;

recovering the portable communication device; and

decrypting the confidential data on the portable communication device.

15. The method for providing data availability for a portable communication device, according to claim 14, wherein the data is encrypted using a public key stored on the portable communication device.

16. The method for providing data availability for a portable communication device, according to claim 14, wherein the data is decrypted using a private key stored at a location of the operator.

17. The method for providing data availability for a portable communication device, according to claim 16, wherein the data is encrypted using a public key, and the private key and the public key are a matched pair.

18. The method for providing data availability for a portable communication device, according to claim 17, wherein the matched pair is unique for a defined set of users.

19. The method for providing data availability for a portable communication device, according to claim 14, further comprising identifying that a trigger used for triggering encryption of data on the portable communication device is an external trigger and authenticating the external trigger.

20. A method for providing data availability for a portable communication device, comprising:

notifying an operator that the portable communication device is missing;

triggering encryption of data on the portable communication device;

identifying confidential data on the portable communication device;

encrypting the identified confidential data on the portable communication device;

retrieving the identified confidential data from the portable communication device; and

erasing the identified confidential data from the portable communication device.

21. A system for providing data availability for a portable communication device, comprising:

a means for notifying an operator that the portable communication device is missing;

a means for triggering encryption of data on the portable communication device;

a means for identifying confidential data on the portable communication device;

a means for encrypting the identified confidential data on the portable communication device; and

a means for decrypting the identified confidential data on the portable communication device.