MOBILE DEVICE SECURITY

• US 20150035645A1
• Filed: 07/31/2013
• Published: 02/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cellco Partnership, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: SHANMUGAM, Sankar, FELT, Michelle, VENUGOPAL, Arulvadivel, GADDAM, Venkateswara Rao, KOTYALA, Ravi, PAPADOPOLO, Alexander, RAZZANO, Neil Thomas, STRALEY, John Edwin
• Granted Patent: US 9,230,377 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/5.61
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/00 Security arrangements for protecting computers, components thereof, programs or data against unauthorised activity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/35 communicating wirelessly
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6209 to a single file or object, e.g. in a secure envelope, encrypted and accessed using a key, or with access control rules appended to the object itself
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2137 Time limited access, e.g. to a computer or data
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/22 in combination with an identity check of the pass holder
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/065 Continuous authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

Systems and methods for providing mobile device security are disclosed. In some implementations, a request for access to a security mechanism is received at a user terminal. A short-range radio connection of the user terminal at a time of receiving the request for access is identified responsive to the request. A memory of the user terminal is accessed to determine whether the identified short-range radio connection corresponds to a user-identified secure radio connection. Upon determining that the radio connection corresponds to the user-identified secure radio connection, the user is granted access to the security mechanism without soliciting the user of the user terminal for a predetermined security input. Upon determining that the radio connection does not correspond to the user-identified secure radio connection, the user is solicited for the predetermined security input.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a user terminal, a request for access to a security mechanism;

responsive to the request, identifying a short-range radio connection of the user terminal at a time of receiving the request for access;

accessing a memory of the user terminal to determine whether the identified short-range radio connection corresponds to a user-identified secure radio connection;

upon determining that the short-range radio connection corresponds to the user-identified secure radio connection, granting a user of the user terminal access to the security mechanism without soliciting the user for a predetermined security input; and

upon determining that the short-range radio connection does not correspond to the user-identified secure radio connection, soliciting the user for the predetermined security input.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the user-identified secure radio connection includes a Wi-Fi connection associated with a home or office of the user, and

the security mechanism includes a secure interface to enable user access to data or applications on the user terminal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the user-identified secure radio connection includes a Wi-Fi connection associated with a home or office of the user, and

the security mechanism includes a secure application on the user terminal.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing the memory of the user terminal to determine whether the identified short-range radio connection corresponds to the user-identified secure radio connection comprises determining whether the identified short-range radio connection is associated with a user-identified device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein:

the user-identified device comprises a microphone or speaker residing within a vehicle of the user.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein:

the user-identified device comprises an exercise or fitness measuring device of the user.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined security input comprises a first password having a first number of characters.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

upon determining that the short-range radio connection corresponds to the user-identified secure radio connection, soliciting the user for a second password having a second number of characters prior to granting the user access to the security mechanism, wherein the first number exceeds the second number.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

upon determining that the short-range radio connection corresponds to the user-identified secure radio connection, granting a user of the user terminal access to the security mechanism without soliciting the user for any password.

10. A method comprising:

receiving, at a mobile device, a radio signal including geographic location information;

storing, at the mobile device, the geographic location information and a timestamp associated with a time of receipt of the radio signal;

receiving, at the mobile device and from a security reader, a request for authentication information for granting access through a physical security checkpoint;

responsive to the request for the authentication information, providing the security reader with the geographic location information and the timestamp associated with the time of receipt of the radio signal; and

modifying access rights of a user of the mobile device at the physical security checkpoint upon determination that the geographic location information and the timestamp associated with the time of receipt of the radio signal satisfy a predetermined criterion.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining a current time prior to providing the security reader with the geographic location information and the timestamp; and

determining a time difference between the current time and a time of the timestamp, wherein the geographic location information is provided to the security reader in response to the time difference being below a threshold time difference.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the security reader is provided with the timestamp for verifying, at the security reader, that a time difference between a current time and a time of the timestamp is below a threshold time difference.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein modifying the access rights of the user of the mobile device at the physical security checkpoint comprises:

providing the user with permission to pass through the physical security checkpoint or to undergo a simplified security check at the physical security checkpoint.

14. A non-transitory machine-readable medium storing instructions for a machine to:

receive, at a user terminal, a request for access to a security mechanism;

responsive to the request, identify a short-range radio connection of the user terminal at a time of receiving the request for access;

access a memory of the user terminal to determine whether the identified short-range radio connection corresponds to a user-identified secure radio connection;

upon determining that the short-range radio connection corresponds to the user-identified secure radio connection, grant a user of the user terminal access to the security mechanism without soliciting the user for a predetermined security input; and

upon determining that the short-range radio connection does not correspond to the user-identified secure radio connection, solicit the user for the predetermined security input.

15. The machine-readable medium of claim 14, wherein:

the user-identified secure radio connection includes a Wi-Fi connection associated with a home or office of the user, and

the security mechanism includes a secure interface to enable user access to data or applications on the user terminal.

16. The machine-readable medium of claim 14, wherein:

the user-identified secure radio connection includes a Wi-Fi connection associated with a home or office of the user, and

the security mechanism includes a secure application on the user terminal.

17. The machine-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the instructions to access the memory of the user terminal to determine whether the identified short-range radio connection corresponds to the user-identified secure radio connection comprise instructions to determine whether the identified short-range radio connection is associated with a user-identified device.

18. The machine-readable medium of claim 17, wherein:

the user-identified device comprises a microphone or speaker residing within a vehicle of the user.

19. The machine-readable medium of claim 17, wherein:

the user-identified device comprises an exercise or fitness measuring device of the user.

20. The machine-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the predetermined security input comprises a first password having a first number of characters.