PROTECTION OF CONFIDENTIAL DATA BEING DISPLAYED OR INPUT IN A MOBILE DEVICE

• US 20170213048A1
• Filed: 01/21/2016
• Published: 07/27/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CA, Inc. (d/b/a CA Technologies) (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: CA, Inc. (d/b/a CA Technologies) (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kaladgi, Ruqiya Nikhat, Sawant, Yashwant Ramkishan, Kaladgi, Mohammed Mujeeb, Kaladgi, Jameel Ahmed
• Granted Patent: US 9,904,799 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/84 output devices, e.g. displays or monitors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0304 Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/062 Adjustment of illumination source parameters
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2358/00 Arrangements for display data security
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/10 Intensity circuits

Abstract

A display is presented on a screen of a mobile device having an electromagnetic radiation source. The electromagnetic radiation source is activated while confidential data is being input in an input field of the display. The electromagnetic radiation source is deactivated after completion of the confidential data in the input field of the display.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

presenting a display on a screen of a mobile device having an electromagnetic radiation source;

activating the electromagnetic radiation source while confidential data is being input in an input field of the display; and

deactivating the electromagnetic radiation source after completion of the confidential data in the input field of the display.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein presenting the display comprises presenting the display by a mobile application executing on the mobile device,

wherein the electromagnetic radiation source is activated, by an operating system executing on the mobile device, in response to a screen focus of the display changing to include the input field.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic radiation source is activated in response to determining that a location of the mobile device is such that an external imaging device can visually capture an image of the mobile device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic radiation source is activated in response to determining that a location of the mobile device is such that an external imaging device can visually capture the confidential data being input into the input field.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein activating the electromagnetic radiation source comprises activating a front-facing electromagnetic radiation source on the mobile device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein activating the electromagnetic radiation source comprises varying an intensity of electromagnetic radiation being emitted from the electromagnetic radiation source based, at least in part, on an amount of ambient light around the mobile device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic radiation source comprises a visible light source.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein activating the electromagnetic radiation source causes the electromagnetic radiation source to emit a blinking light emission.

9. A mobile device comprising:

a light source;

a screen;

a processor; and

a machine-readable medium having program code executable to cause the mobile device to;

present a display on the screen;

activate the light source while confidential data is being input in an input field of the display; and

deactivate the light source after completion of the confidential data in the input field of the display.

10. The mobile device of claim 9,

wherein the program code executable to cause the mobile device to present the display comprises program code executable to cause the mobile device to present the display by a mobile application executable on the mobile device,

wherein the program code executable to cause the mobile device to activate the light source comprises program code executable to cause the mobile device to:

activate, by an operating system executable on the mobile device, the light source, in response to a screen focus of the display changing to include the input field.

11. The mobile device of claim 9, wherein the light source is activated in response to a determination that a location of the mobile device is such that the screen is visible to an external imaging device.

12. The mobile device of claim 9, wherein the light source is activated in response to a determination that a location of the mobile device is such that an external imaging device can visually capture the confidential data being input into the input field.

13. The mobile device of claim 9, wherein the light source is front-facing on the mobile device.

14. The mobile device of claim 9, wherein the program code executable to cause the mobile device to activate the light source comprises program code executable to cause the mobile device to vary an intensity of light being emitted from the light source based, at least in part, on an amount of ambient light around the mobile device.

15. The mobile device of claim 9, wherein the input comprises text-based input.

16. The mobile device of claim 9, wherein the program code executable to cause the mobile device to activate the light source causes the light source to emit a blinking light emission.

17. One or more machine-readable storage media having program code stored therein, the program code comprising instructions to:

present a display on a screen of a mobile device having a light source, wherein the display includes an input field to receive confidential data;

determine whether a location of the mobile device is such that an external imaging device can visually capture the confidential data being input into the input field;

in response to a determination that the location of the mobile device is such that the external imaging device can visually capture the confidential data, determine whether a screen focus of the display includes the input field;

in response to the screen focus of the display including the input field, activate the light source; and

deactivate the light source after submission of the confidential data in the input field is complete.

18. The one or more machine-readable storage media of claim 17, wherein the program code comprising instructions to activate the light source comprises program code comprising instructions to activate a front-facing electromagnetic radiation source on the mobile device.

19. The one or more machine-readable storage media of claim 17, wherein the program code comprising instructions to activate the light source comprises program code comprising instructions to vary an intensity of light being emitted from the light source based, at least in part, on an amount of ambient light around the mobile device.

20. The one or more machine-readable storage media of claim 17, wherein the program code comprising instructions to activate the light source causes the light source to emit a blinking light emission.