AUTHENTICATION OF MOBILE APPLICATIONS

• US 20150365407A1
• Filed: 06/17/2014
• Published: 12/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Lobo, Alwyn R., Jagana, Venkata R., Rajagopal, Gopinath, Rambabu, Parvatina
• Granted Patent: US 9,762,657 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/12 Detection or prevention of fraud
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/128 Anti-malware arrangements, e.g. protection against SMS fraud or mobile malware
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide a system, method and computer program product for authenticating a mobile application. According to one embodiment the method comprises registering, by a computer processor of a computer system, the mobile application, wherein the registration includes receiving and storing information associated with the mobile application, receiving, by the computer processor, one or more application details associated with the mobile application from a computing device, comparing, by the computer processor, the received one or more application details associated with the mobile application with the stored information associated with the mobile application, generating, by the computer processor, a notification based on the comparison to indicate authenticity of the mobile application and sending the notification to the computing device.

Claims

1. A method of authenticating a mobile application, the method comprising:

registering, by a computer processor of a computer system, the mobile application, wherein the registration includes receiving and storing information associated with the mobile application;

receiving, by the computer processor, one or more application details associated with the mobile application from a computing device;

comparing, by the computer processor, the received one or more application details associated with the mobile application with the stored information associated with the mobile application;

generating, by the computer processor, a notification based on the comparison to indicate authenticity of the mobile application; and

sending, by the computer processor, the notification to the computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the information associated with the mobile application is received from a mobile application provider.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the information comprises at least one of a first unique identity identifying the mobile application provider uniquely, a second unique identity identifying the mobile application uniquely, a version number of the mobile application, a build number of the mobile application and a checksum of the mobile application.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more application details comprises at least one of a first unique identity identifying the mobile application provider uniquely, a second unique identity identifying the mobile application uniquely, a version number of the mobile application, a build number of the mobile application and a checksum of the mobile application.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising using the one or more application details associated with the mobile application to identify the information associated with the mobile application stored for use in the comparing step.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating of the notification based on the comparison to indicate if the mobile application is authentic comprises generating the notification to indicate the mobile application being authentic if the one or more application details match with the information.

7. A system comprising:

a memory having computer readable instructions; and

a processor for executing the computer readable instructions, the instructions including;

registering a mobile application, wherein the registration includes receiving and storing information associated with the mobile application;

receiving one or more application details associated with the mobile application from a computing device;

comparing the received one or more application details associated with the mobile application with the stored information associated with the mobile application;

generating a notification based on the comparison to indicate authenticity of the mobile application; and

sending the notification to the computing device.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the instructions further include receiving the information associated with the mobile application from a mobile application provider.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the information comprises at least one of a first unique identity identifying the mobile application provider uniquely, a second unique identity identifying the mobile application uniquely, a version number of the mobile application, a build number of the mobile application and a checksum of the mobile application.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the one or more application details comprises at least one of a first unique identity identifying the mobile application provider uniquely, a second unique identity identifying the mobile application uniquely, a version number of the mobile application, a build number of the mobile application and a checksum of the mobile application.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the instructions further include using the one or more application details associated with the mobile application to identify the information associated with the mobile application stored for use in the comparing step.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the instructions further include generating the notification to indicate the mobile application being authentic if the one or more application details match with the information.

13. A computer program product for authenticating a mobile application, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage medium having program code embodied therewith, the program code executable by a processor for;

registering the mobile application, wherein the registration includes receiving and storing information associated with the mobile application;

receiving one or more application details associated with the mobile application from a computing device;

comparing the received one or more application details associated with the mobile application with the stored information associated with the mobile application;

generating a notification based on the comparison to indicate authenticity of the mobile application; and

sending the notification to the computing device.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the information associated with the mobile application is received from a mobile application provider.

15. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the information comprises at least one of a first unique identity identifying the mobile application provider uniquely, a second unique identity identifying the mobile application uniquely, a version number of the mobile application, a build number of the mobile application and a checksum of the mobile application.

16. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the one or more application details comprises at least one of a first unique identity identifying the mobile application provider uniquely, a second unique identity identifying the mobile application uniquely, a version number of the mobile application, a build number of the mobile application and a checksum of the mobile application.

17. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the program code is further executable by the processor for using the one or more application details associated with the mobile application to identify the information associated with the mobile application stored for use in the comparing step.

18. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the generating of the notification based on the comparison to indicate if the mobile application is authentic comprises generating the notification to indicate the mobile application being authentic if the one or more application details match with the information.