Securely Sharing Files with User Devices Based on Location

• US 20200134219A1
• Filed: 10/30/2018
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Original Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Inventors: Dhanabalan, Praveen Raja, Pant, Saurabh
• Granted Patent: US 10,915,650 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/176 Support for shared access to files; File sharing support
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0853 using an additional device, e.g. smartcard, SIM or a different communication terminal cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving additional secure or trusted devices H04L9/3234
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0876 based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint
• 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 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication

Abstract

Methods and systems for securely sharing files with user devices based on location are described herein. A computing device may receive, from a user device, a request to share a file. The computing device may determine other user devices at the location of the user device desiring to share a file. Unique tokens and/or unique session identifiers may be generated to facilitate secure sharing of the file, and each token and/or session identifier may correspond to a different user device. The computing device may send, to each different user device, the device'"'"'s corresponding token and/or session identifier. The computing device may also send, to the user device desiring to share the file, the tokens and/or session identifiers for the other user devices. The user device may securely send the file to one or more of the other user devices using the tokens and/or session identifiers.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a server and from a first user device, a request to share a file;

determining, by the server, a plurality of user devices within an area that includes the first user device;

based on receiving the request to share the file, generating a plurality of identification information, each identification information corresponding to a different user device of the plurality of user devices;

sending, by the server and to each user device of the plurality of user devices, the identification information corresponding to the user device; and

sending, by the server and to the first user device, the plurality of identification information to enable the first user device to securely send a file to one or more of the plurality of user devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a plurality of user devices within an area that includes the first user device comprises determining a plurality of user devices within a threshold distance from the first user device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving location information for the plurality of user devices, wherein determining a plurality of user devices within an area that includes the first user device comprises;

determining a geographical location of the first user device; and

based on a comparison of the location information to the geographical location of the first user device, determining the plurality of user devices at the same geographical location as the first user device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the identification information comprises a plurality of unique tokens and a plurality of unique session identifiers;

generating the plurality of identification information comprises;

generating a plurality of unique tokens, each unique token corresponding to a different user device of the plurality of user devices, and

generating a plurality of unique session identifiers, each unique session identifier corresponding to a different user device of the plurality of user devices,

sending the identification information comprises sending, to each user device of the plurality of user devices, the unique token and the unique session identifier corresponding to the user device, and

sending the plurality of identification information comprises sending, to the first user device, the plurality of unique tokens and the plurality of unique session identifiers.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the server and from the first user device, the file to be shared;

storing, by the server, the file to be shared; and

sending, by the server and to a user device at a location remote from the area that includes the first user device, the stored file.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the server and from a user device at a geographical location different from the area that includes the first user device, a request for the file; and

sending, by the server and to the user device at the geographical location different from the area that includes the first user device, the file.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

before sending the identification information to each user device of the plurality of user devices, authenticating, by the server, the plurality of user devices; and

based on the authenticating, generating, for each user device of the plurality of user devices, a secured channel between the server and the user device, wherein sending the plurality of identification information to the first user device comprises sending, to the first user device and via the secured channel between the server and the first user device, the plurality of identification information.

8. A method comprising:

sending, by a first user device and to a server, a request to share a file;

based on sending the request to share the file, receiving, by the first user device and from the server, a plurality of identification information, each identification information corresponding to a different user device of a plurality of user devices;

sending, by the first user device and to a plurality of user devices in proximity of the first user device, identification information requests;

based on sending the identification information requests, receiving, by the first user device and from one or more user devices in proximity of the first user device, one or more identification information; and

based on receiving the one or more identification information, sending, by the first user device and to the one or more user devices in proximity of the first user device, the file.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

comparing, by the first user device, the one or more identification information to the plurality of identification information received from the server; and

based on the comparing, validating, by the first user device, the one or more user devices in proximity of the first user device,

wherein sending the file is based on the validating.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein sending the identification information requests comprises sending the identification information requests via direct connections between the first user device and the plurality of user devices in proximity of the first user device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the direct connections comprise one or more of Bluetooth connections or Wi-Fi Direct connections.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein sending the identification information requests comprises broadcasting the identification information requests via one or more short-range networks.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein receiving the one or more identification information comprises receiving the one or more identification information via one or more short-range networks.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the identification information comprises a plurality of unique tokens and a plurality of unique session identifiers, and wherein receiving the plurality of identification information comprises receiving, by the first user device, from the server, and via a secured channel between the server and the first user device, the plurality of unique tokens and the plurality of unique session identifiers, each unique token corresponding to a different user device of the plurality of user devices and each unique session identifier corresponding to a different user device of the plurality of user devices.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

encrypting, for each user device of the one or more user devices in proximity of the first user device, the file with a unique session identifier corresponding to the user device,

wherein sending the file comprises sending, for each user device of the one or more user devices in proximity of the first user device, the file encrypted with the unique session identifier corresponding to the user device.

16. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

based on a determination to share the file with one or more remote user devices, sending, by the first user device and to the server, the file.

17. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

memory storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to;

receive, from a first user device, a request to share a file;

determine a plurality of user devices within an area that includes the first user device;

based on receiving the request to share the file, generate a plurality of identification information, each identification information corresponding to a different user device of the plurality of user devices;

send, to each user device of the plurality of user devices, the identification information corresponding to the user device; and

send, to the first user device, the plurality of identification information to enable the first user device to securely send a file to one or more of the plurality of user devices.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the memory stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to:

receive location information for the plurality of user devices, wherein determining a plurality of user devices within an area that includes the first user device comprises;

determining a geographical location of the first user device; and

based on a comparison of the location information to the geographical location of the first user device, determining the plurality of user devices at the same geographical location as the first user device.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein:

the identification information comprises a plurality of unique tokens and a plurality of unique session identifiers;

generating the plurality of identification information comprises;

generating a plurality of unique tokens, each unique token corresponding to a different user device of the plurality of user devices,

generating a plurality of unique session identifiers, each unique session identifier corresponding to a different user device of the plurality of user devices,

sending the identification information comprises sending, to each user device of the plurality of user devices, the unique token and the unique session identifier corresponding to the user device, and

sending the plurality of identification information comprises sending, to the first user device, the plurality of unique tokens and the plurality of unique session identifiers.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the memory stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to:

receive, from the first user device, the file to be shared;

store the file to be shared; and

send, to a user device at a location remote from the area that includes the first user device, the stored file.