API system, method and computer program product for accessing content/security analysis functionality in a mobile communication framework

• US 7,392,043 B2
• Filed: 08/11/2003
• Issued: 06/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: McAfee, Inc. (McAfee, LLC), NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: McAfee, Inc. (McAfee, LLC), NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Fujita, Masanori, Ishii, Kenji, Urakawa, Yasutaka, Libenzi, Davide, Kouznetsov, Victor, Pak, Michael C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid; Lester G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Casca; Fred
• Application Number:
  US10/639,088
• Publication Number:
  US 20040209608A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,779 Days
• Field of Search: 713/188, 713/187, 713/200, 713/201, 713/153, 713/154, 714/38, 714/37, 380/270, 717/168, 455/418, 455/414.1, 455/412.1, 455/410, 455/550.1, 455/186.1, 709/206, 709/207, 709/219
• US Class Current: 455/418
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/566 Dynamic detection, i.e. detection performed at run-time, e.g. emulation, suspicious activities
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications

Abstract

A system, method and computer program product are provided for accessing security or content analysis functionality utilizing a mobile communication device. Included is an operating system installed on a mobile communication device capable of communicating via a wireless network. Further provided is an application program installed on the mobile communication device and executed utilizing the operating system for performing tasks. A scanning subsystem remains in communication with the application program via an application program interface. Such scanning subsystem is adapted for accessing security or content analysis functionality in conjunction with the tasks performed by the application program.

Claims

1. A system for accessing at least one of security and content analysis functionality utilizing a mobile communication device, comprising:

an operating system installed on the mobile communication device capable of communicating via a wireless network;

an application program installed on the mobile communication device and executed utilizing the operating system for performing tasks; and

a scanning subsystem in communication with the application program via an application program interface, the scanning subsystem adapted for accessing at least one of security and content analysis functionality in conjunction with the tasks performed by the application program;

wherein the application program is selected from the group consisting of a mail application program, a browser application program, a phone book application program, a message application program, and a Java application, and the tasks are selected from the group consisting of managing electronic mail, browsing a network, managing a plurality telephone numbers, and communicating messages;

wherein the scanning subsystem includes a scanning program that communicates with the application program via the application program interface.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one of security and content analysis includes security analysis.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one of security and content analysis includes content analysis.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one of security and content analysis includes on-demand virus scanning.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one of security and content analysis includes on-access virus scanning.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile communication device includes a cellular telephone.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one of security and content analysis functionality is applied to application data associated with the tasks performed by the application program.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the at least one of security and content analysis functionality includes scanning.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the scanning subsystem includes a re-entrant library.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the scanning subsystem is linked to the application program at run-time.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the application program interface is capable of system environment initialization.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the application program interface is capable of version status information retrieval.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the application program interface is capable of updating the scanning subsystem.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the application program interface is capable of scanning.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the application program interface is capable of configuring the scanning subsystem.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the application program interface includes an open call.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the application program interface includes a data call.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the application program interface includes a close call.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the application program interface is populated into each of a plurality of application programs.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the application program communicates information relating to and in addition to application data, to the scanning subsystem to facilitate the scanning by the scanning subsystem.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the information includes a scanning subsystem action type, a scan data type, a data pointer to a scan target, a first function to retrieve a data size in bytes, a second function to resize scan data, a third function used by the scanning subsystem to retrieve a block of the scan data, a fourth function used to write to the scan data, and a fifth function for scanning subsystem status and progress reporting.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein the scanning subsystem includes a platform-independent scanning subsystem in communication with the operating system of the mobile communication device for scanning purposes, and the application program interface includes a platform-independent application program interface for interfacing the operating system and the scanning subsystem, the platform-independent application program interface including an abstract library for porting the platform-independent scanning subsystem to the mobile communication device and associated operating system.

23. A system for accessing at least one of security and content analysis functionality utilizing a mobile communication device, comprising:

an operating system means installed on the mobile communication device capable of communicating via a wireless network;

an application program means installed on the mobile communication device and executed utilizing the operating system means for performing tasks; and

a scanning subsystem means in communication with the application program means via an application program interface means, the scanning subsystem means adapted for accessing at least one of security and content analysis functionality in conjunction with the tasks performed by the application program means;

wherein the application program means communicates information relating to and in addition to application data, to the scanning subsystem means to facilitate the scanning by the scanning subsystem means;

wherein the application program means is selected from the group consisting of a mail application program, a browser application program, a phone book application program, a message application program, and a Java application, and the tasks are selected from the group consisting of managing electronic mail, browsing a network, managing a plurality telephone numbers, and communicating messages;

wherein the scanning subsystem means includes a scanning program means that communicates with the application program means via the application program interface means.

24. A method for accessing at least one of security and content analysis functionality utilizing a mobile communication device, comprising:

communicating via a wireless network utilizing the mobile communication device equipped with an operating system;

executing an application program installed on the mobile communication device utilizing the operating system for performing tasks; and

accessing at least one of security and content analysis functionality in conjunction with the tasks performed by the application program utilizing a scanning subsystem;

wherein the scanning subsystem is in communication with the application program via an application program interface;

wherein the application program is selected from the group consisting of a mail application program, a browser application program, a phone book application program, a message application program, and a Java application, and the tasks are selected from the group consisting of managing electronic mail, browsing a network, managing a plurality telephone numbers, and communicating messages;

wherein the scanning subsystem includes a scanning program that communicates with the application program via the application program interface.

25. A computer program product embodied on a computer readable medium for accessing at least one of security and content analysis functionality utilizing a mobile communication device, comprising:

computer code for communicating via a wireless network utilizing the mobile communication device equipped with an operating system;

computer code for executing an application program installed on the mobile communication device utilizing the operating system for performing tasks; and

computer code for accessing at least one of security and content analysis functionality in conjunction with the tasks performed by the application program utilizing a scanning subsystem;

wherein the scanning subsystem is in communication with the application program via an application program interface;

wherein the application program is selected from the group consisting of a mail application program, a browser application program, a phone book application program, a message application program, and a Java application, and the tasks are selected from the group consisting of managing electronic mail, browsing a network, managing a plurality telephone numbers, and communicating messages;

wherein the scanning subsystem includes a scanning program that communicates with the application program via the application program interface.

26. An application program interface data structure embodied on a computer readable medium for accessing at least one of security and content analysis functionality utilizing a mobile communication device, comprising:

an interface object for permitting a scanning subsystem to communicate with an application program installed on the mobile communication device;

wherein the scanning subsystem is adapted for accessing at least one of security and content analysis functionality in conjunction with a task performed by the application program;

wherein the application program is selected from the group consisting of a mail application program, a browser application program, a phone book application program, a message application program, and a Java application, and the tasks are selected from the group consisting of managing electronic mail, browsing a network, managing a plurality telephone numbers, and communicating messages;

wherein the scanning subsystem includes a scanning program that communicates with the application program via the interface object.