METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PREVENTING CAPTURE OF SENSITIVE INFORMATION BY PROXIMATE DEVICES

• US 20180176366A1
• Filed: 12/16/2016
• Published: 06/21/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: MUKHERJEE, Biswaroop
• Granted Patent: US 10,771,974 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/107 wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/108 when the policy decisions are valid for a limited amount of time
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72463 to restrict the functionality of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/2281 Call monitoring, e.g. for law enforcement purposes; Call tracing; Detection or prevention of malicious calls
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A method for disabling one or more features at a computing device, the method including receiving, at the computing device, a first signal, the first signal directing the computing device to enter a monitoring mode; detecting, while in the monitoring mode, a second signal, the second signal indicating the computing device can operate normally; reporting to a system administrator receipt of the second signal; detecting a third signal at the computing device while in the monitoring mode, the third signal indicating an exclusion zone; responsive to the detecting of the third signal: disabling one or more features on the computing device; and reporting detection of the third signal to the system administrator.

Claims

1. A method for disabling one or more features at a computing device, the method comprising:

receiving, at the computing device, a first signal, the first signal directing the computing device to enter a monitoring mode;

monitoring, after receipt the first signal, for at least one of a second signal or a third signal;

detecting, while in the monitoring mode, the second signal, the second signal indicating the computing device can operate normally;

reporting to a system administrator receipt of the second signal;

detecting the third signal at the computing device while in the monitoring mode, the third signal indicating an exclusion zone;

responsive to the detecting of the third signal;

disabling one or more features on the computing device; and

reporting detection of the third signal to the system administrator.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

disabling one or more features on the computing device upon receiving the first signal; and

enabling the one or more disabled features upon detection of the second signal while not receiving the third signal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first signal is received on entry of the computing device into a controlled area.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first signal is received through at least one of a near field communications signal;

a Bluetooth signal;

or a WiFi Signal.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

disabling one or more features on the computing device when no second signal is detected by the computing device for a defined period of time.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more features disabled on the computing device are specified in the third signal.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more features disabled on the computing device are specified in the first signal and stored at the computing device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the disabling is performed by a module on the computing device having higher privilege level that user applications on the computing device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the second signal and the third signal are timely, non-repudiable and non-replayable.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the third signal includes bits to uniquely identify the exclusion zone.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising, upon detecting the third signal:

checking whether the third signal contains a retransmission requirement; and

if the third signal contains a retransmission requirement, broadcasting the third signal from the computing device.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

no longer detecting the third signal; and

requesting, from the system administrator, permission to enable the one or more disabled features.

13. A computing device configured for disabling one or more features, the computing device comprising:

a processor; and

a communications subsystem, wherein the computing device is configured to;

receive a first signal, the first signal directing the computing device to enter a monitoring mode;

monitor, after receipt of the first signal, for at least one of a second signal or a third signal;

detect, while in the monitoring mode, the second signal, the second signal indicating the computing device can operate normally;

report to a system administrator receipt of the second signal;

detect the third signal at the computing device while in the monitoring mode, the third signal indicating an exclusion zone;

responsive to the detection of the third signal;

disable one or more features on the computing device; and

report detection of the third signal to the system administrator,

14. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the computing device is further configured to:

disable one or more features on the computing device upon receiving the first signal; and

enable the one or more disabled features upon detection of the second signal while not receiving the third signal.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium for storing program code, which, when executed on a processor of a computing device are configured to disable one or more features on the computing device, the program code comprising instructions for:

receiving, at the computing device, a first signal, the first signal directing the computing device to enter a monitoring mode;

monitoring, after receipt of the first signal, for at least one of a second signal or a third signal;

detecting, while in the monitoring mode, the second signal, the second signal indicating the computing device can operate normally;

reporting to a system administrator receipt of the second signal;

detecting the third signal at the computing device while in the monitoring mode, the third signal indicating an exclusion zone;

responsive to the detecting of the third signal;

disabling one or more features on the computing device; and

reporting detection of the third signal to the system administrator.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the program code further comprises instructions for:

disabling one or more features on the computing device upon receiving the first signal; and

enabling the one or more disabled features upon detection of the second signal while not receiving the third signal.

17. A system for disabling one or more features on at least one computing device, the system comprising:

the at least one computing device, each computing device having a device administrator module thereon;

a controlled area with a plurality of access points therein; and

a system administrator module communicating with the at least one computing device and the plurality of access points,

wherein the system is configured to;

receive, at the system administrator module, information about the computing devices entering and exiting the controlled area;

receive, at the system administrator module, a request to establish an exclusion zone within the controlled area, the request comprising one more features to be disabled by any device within the exclusion zone;

causing, by the system administrator module, an exclusion zone signal to be transmitted from one or more access points or one or more of the computing devices, the exclusion zone signal indicating to computing devices within range of the exclusion zone signal to disable one or more features on such computing devices; and

verifying, by the system administrator module, that computing devices within the controlled area and near the exclusion zone are secured.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the system administrator module causes a non-exclusion zone signal to be transmitted by access points within the controlled area.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein each computing device of the at least one computing devices reports detection of non-exclusion zone signals and exclusion zone signals to the system administrator module.

20. The system of claim 18, further comprising markers at all entrances to the controlled area, the markers transmitting a signal indicating that the at least one computing device should enter a monitoring mode to monitor for exclusion zone and non-exclusion zone signals.