Apparatus and Methods for Preventing Information Disclosure

• US 20140094141A1
• Filed: 07/30/2013
• Published: 04/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Beijing Xiaomi Technology Company Limited (Xiaomi Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Beijing Xiaomi Technology Company Limited (Xiaomi Corp.)
• Inventors: Sun, Peng, Jin, Fan, Wan, Yuzhen, Lin, Junqi
• Granted Patent: US 9,344,882 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/410
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/67 by electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724631 by limiting the access to the user interface, e.g. locking a touch-screen or a keypad
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/082 using revocation of authorisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/12 Detection or prevention of fraud
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/126 Anti-theft arrangements, e.g. protection against subscriber identity module [SIM] cloning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]

Abstract

The present application is directed to apparatuses and methods for preventing information disclosure. According to example embodiments of the present application, after a mobile terminal of a user is lost, a first short message may be sent to the mobile terminal through a short message network. When the mobile terminal determines that the received short message is the first short message, user information stored in the mobile terminal may be erased by the mobile terminal.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal, comprising:

at least one non-transitory storage medium comprising a set of instructions for preventing information disclosure; and

at least one executing unit in communication with the storage medium that is configured to execute the set of instructions stored in the storage medium and is configured to;

connect the mobile terminal to a network;

when the network is a short message network;

receive a short message through the short message network;

determine whether the short message is a pre-defined first short message; and

erase pre-determined information stored in the mobile terminal when the short message is the first short message; and

when the network is an Internet network;

receive a first command sent by a server through the Internet network, wherein the first command is configured to instruct the mobile terminal to erase the pre-determined information stored in the mobile terminal; and

erase the pre-determined information from the mobile terminal.

2. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein to erase the pre-determined information stored in the mobile terminal the at least one executing unit is further configured to:

delete the pre-determined information locally saved in the mobile terminal; and

format a memory card connected with the mobile terminal.

3. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the first short message comprises at least one of a locking password set by the user and a ciphertext corresponding to the locking password set by the user;

and

when the short message is the first short message, the at least one executing unit is further configured to;

lock the mobile terminal in a state unavailable for any operation other than receiving and verifying the at least one of the locking password and the ciphertext.

4. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein after determining that the short message is the first short message, the executing unit is further configured to at least:

make a sound from the mobile terminal;

or

report position information of the mobile terminal to a server.

5. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the first short message is one of:

a short program in a form of text message, being invisible to the user and executable by the mobile terminal; and

a mobile terminal command in a form of text message, being invisible to the user.

6. A method for preventing information disclosure from a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

connecting, by a mobile terminal, the mobile terminal to a network;

when the network is a short message network;

receiving, by mobile terminal, a short message;

determining, by mobile terminal, whether the short message is a pre-defined first short message; and

when the short message is the first short message, erasing, by a mobile terminal, pre-determined information stored in the mobile terminal; and

when the network is an Internet network;

receiving, by mobile terminal, a pre-defined first command sent by a server through the Internet network, wherein the first command is configured to instruct the mobile terminal to erase the pre-determined information stored in the mobile terminal; and

erasing, by mobile terminal, the pre-determined information from the mobile terminal.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein erasing the pre-determined information comprises:

deleting the pre-determined information locally saved in the mobile terminal; and

formatting a memory card connected with the mobile terminal.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the first short message comprises at least one of a locking password set by a user and a ciphertext corresponding to the locking password set by the user;

and

the method further comprises;

when the short message is the first short message, locking, by mobile terminal, the mobile terminal in a state unavailable for any operation other than receiving and verifying the at least one of the locking password and the ciphertext.

9. The method according to claim 6, when the short message is the first short message, the method further comprises performing, by mobile terminal, at least one of the acts of:

making a sound from the mobile terminal; and

reporting position information of the mobile terminal to a server.

10. The method according to claim 6, wherein the first short message is one of:

a short program in a form of text message, being invisible to the user and executable by the mobile terminal; and

a mobile terminal command in a form of text message, being invisible to the user.

11. A server, comprising

at least one non-transitory storage medium comprising a set of instructions for preventing information disclosure;

at least one executing unit in communication with the storage medium that is configured to execute the set of instructions stored in the storage medium and is configured to;

receive a command from a user for erasing pre-determined information stored in a mobile terminal;

establish a network connection with the mobile terminal; and

send a pre-defined instruction to the mobile terminal through the network connection, instructing an operation of erasing the pre-determined information stored in the mobile terminal.

12. The server according to claim 11, wherein:

when the network connection is a short message network, the pre-defined instruction is a pre-defined first short message;

when the network connection is an Internet network connection, the pre-defined instruction is a pre-defined first command.

13. The server according to claim 11, wherein the at least one executing unit is further configured to:

receive a locking password from the user for locking the mobile terminal, wherein the locking password is configured to command the mobile terminal to switch into a state unavailable for any operation command other than receiving and verifying the locking password or a ciphertext of the locking password.

14. The server according to claim 13, wherein the at least one executing unit is further configured to:

add the locking password into the pre-defined instruction in a pre-defined format.

15. The server according to claim 13, wherein the at least one executing unit is further configured to:

encrypt the locking password into a ciphertext; and

add the ciphertext corresponding to the locking password into the pre-defined instruction in a pre-defined format.

16. The server according to claim 11, wherein the at least one executing unit is further configured to:

receive identification information of the user; and

search a telephone number associated with the user.

17. The server according to claim 16, wherein the at least one executing unit is further configured to:

verify a relationship between the telephone number and the mobile terminal by sending a verification message to the mobile terminal through the telephone number; and

save the relationship between the identification information and the telephone number after the telephone number is verified.

18. The server according to claim 11, wherein the at least one executing unit is further configured to:

receive position information of the mobile terminal sent by the mobile terminal in response to the pre-defined instruction.

19. A method for preventing information disclosure from a mobile terminal, comprising:

receiving, by a server, a command from a user for erasing pre-determined information stored in a mobile terminal;

establishing, by a server, a network connection with the mobile terminal; and

sending, by a server, a pre-defined instruction to the mobile terminal through the network connection, instructing the mobile terminal to perform an operation of erasing the pre-determined information stored in the mobile terminal.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein:

when the network connection is a short message network, the pre-defined instruction is a pre-defined first short message;

when the network connection is an Internet network connection, the pre-defined instruction is a pre-defined first command.

21. The method according to claim 19, further comprises:

receiving, by a server, a locking password from the user for locking the mobile terminal, wherein the locking password is configured to command the mobile terminal to switch into a state unavailable for any operation command other than receiving and verifying the locking password or a ciphertext of the locking password.

22. The method according to claim 21, further comprises:

adding, by a server, the locking password into the pre-defined instruction in a pre-defined format.

23. The method according to claim 21, further comprises:

encrypting, by a server, the locking password into the ciphertext; and

adding, by a server, the ciphertext corresponding to the locking password into the pre-struction in a pre-defined format.

24. The method according to claim 19, further comprises:

receiving, by a server, identification information of the user; and

searching, by a server, a telephone number associated with the user.

25. The method according to claim 24, further comprises:

verifying, by a server, a relationship between the telephone number and the mobile terminal by sending a verification message to the mobile terminal through the telephone number; and

saving, by a server, the relationship between the identification information and the telephone number after the telephone number is verified.

26. The method according to claim 19, further comprises:

receiving, by a server, position information of the mobile terminal sent by the mobile terminal in response to the short message.