REMOVING AN ACTIVE APPLICATION FROM A REMOTE DEVICE

• US 20110154491A1
• Filed: 12/21/2009
• Published: 06/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Palm, Inc. (TCL Technology Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Hernacki, Brian
• Granted Patent: US 8,522,343 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/23
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/568 eliminating virus, restoring damaged files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/57 Certifying or maintaining trusted computer platforms, e.g. secure boots or power-downs, version controls, system software checks, secure updates or assessing vulnerabilities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1441 Countermeasures against malicious traffic countermeasures against attacks on cryptographic mechanisms H04L9/002
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/37 Managing security policies for mobile devices or for controlling mobile applications

Abstract

A system and a method are disclosed for managing applications on a mobile computing device. A command message is received at the mobile computing device specifying a command and a target application. The command message may have been sent by a application provider server. The command may be a removal command, an enable command, or a disable command. A removal or disable command may be used to remove or disable a problematic target application. The specified command is performed on the target application.

Claims

1. A method for managing applications on a mobile computing device, comprising:

receiving a command message at the mobile computing device indicating a removal command and a target application;

verifying that the command message originated from a recognized application provider, the verification comprising checking a digital signature of the command message;

removing the target application from the mobile computing device, comprising deleting the target application files from the mobile computing device and updating configuration settings on the mobile computing device to indicate that the target application has been removed; and

sending a result message indicating whether the removing the target application from the mobile computing device was successful.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the target application has been identified as a problematic application by an application provider.

3. A method for managing applications on mobile computing devices, comprising:

receiving an indication of a problematic application;

querying a database to determine a mobile computing device that has the problematic application installed;

creating a command message, the command message indicating a removal command and the problematic application;

adding a digital signature to the command message indicating that the command message originated with a particular application provider;

sending the command message to the mobile computing device that has the problematic application installed; and

receiving a result message from the mobile computing device.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

updating the database to indicate that the problematic application is no longer installed on the mobile computing device.

5. A method for managing applications on a mobile computing device, comprising:

receiving a command message at the mobile computing device indicating a command and a target application, the command comprising one from the set of a removal command, an enable command, and a disable command; and

performing the command on the target application; and

sending a result message indicating whether the command was successfully performed,

wherein the command message is received from a server having records of which mobile computing devices have the target application installed, and wherein the result message is used by the server to update the records.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the command message comprises a removal command, and wherein performing the command further comprises:

removing the target application from the mobile computing device, the removing comprising deleting the target application files from the mobile computing device.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the command message comprises a disable command, and wherein performing the command further comprises:

disabling the target application from being executed on the mobile computing device, the disabling comprising modifying a configuration setting relating to the target application on the mobile computing device.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

verifying that the command message originated from a recognized application provider, the verification comprising checking a digital signature of the message.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the target application has been identified as a problematic application by an application provider.

10. A computer readable medium configured to store instructions for managing applications on a mobile computing device, the instructions when executed by a processor cause the processor to:

receive a command message at the mobile computing device indicating a command and a target application, the command comprising one from the set of a removal command, an enable command, and a disable command; and

perform the command on the target application; and

send a result message indicating whether the command was successfully performed,

wherein the command message is received from a server having records of which mobile computing devices have the target application installed, and wherein the result message is used by the server to update the records.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the command message comprises a removal command, and wherein performing the command further comprises:

removing the target application from the mobile computing device, the removing comprising deleting the target application files from the mobile computing device.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the command message comprises a disable command, and wherein performing the command further comprises:

disabling the target application from being executed on the mobile computing device, the disabling comprising modifying a configuration setting relating to the target application on the mobile computing device.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 10, further comprising instructions that cause the processor to:

verifying that the command message originated from a recognized application provider, the verification comprising checking a digital signature of the message.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein the target application has been identified as a problematic application by an application provider.

15. A system for managing applications on a mobile computing device, comprising:

a computer processor for executing computer program instructions;

a computer-readable storage medium having computer program instructions, the instructions when executed by the computer processor cause the processor to;

receive a command message at the mobile computing device indicating a command and a target application, the command comprising one from the set of a removal command, an enable command, and a disable command; and

perform the command on the target application; and

send a result message indicating whether the command was successfully performed,

wherein the command message is received from a server having records of which mobile computing devices have the target application installed, and wherein the result message is used by the server to update the records.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the command message comprises a removal command, and wherein performing the command further comprises:

removing the target application from the mobile computing device, the removing comprising deleting the target application files from the mobile computing device.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the command message comprises a disable command, and wherein performing the command further comprises:

disabling the target application from being executed on the mobile computing device, the disabling comprising modifying a configuration setting relating to the target application on the mobile computing device.

18. The system of claim 15, further comprising instructions that cause the processor to:

verifying that the command message originated from a recognized application provider, the verification comprising checking a digital signature of the message.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the target application has been identified as a problematic application by an application provider.