Non-obtrusive security system for devices

• US 7,971,229 B1
• Filed: 06/29/2007
• Issued: 06/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: McAfee, LLC
• Original Assignee: McAfee, Inc. (McAfee, LLC)
• Inventors: Jayaraghavendran, Vedvyas, Biswas, Indradeep, Chatterji, Varun, Mahajan, Kapil, Kumar, Rishi
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoffman; Brandon S
• Application Number:
  US11/772,065
• Time in Patent Office: 1,460 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 726/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/33 using certificates

Abstract

A security system is provided including providing a device including: storing a security rule for operation of the device when an event occurs; and implementing the security rule upon the occurrence of the event to allow non-obtrusive user access to the device.

Claims

1. A non-obtrusive security system comprising:

storing a security rule for operation of a device when an event occurs, wherein the security rule is provided in conjunction with a security agent operating on the device; and

implementing the security rule upon the occurrence of the event to allow non-obtrusive user access to the device, wherein the device is a mobile device in which a subscriber identity module (SIM) pin is changed by the security agent without knowledge of a user of the mobile device, and wherein the SIM pin is communicated to a server, and wherein as the mobile device is restarted the SIM in is entered into the mobile device without user involvement.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1 further comprising connecting the device to a server wherein implementing the security rule includes providing for obtrusive user access when the device is not in contact with the server.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein providing the device includes providing a security agent and providing for obtrusive user access to the device when the security agent is inactive.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein implementing the security rule includes watching for the event to occur and determining from the security rule an operation to be performed for the event.

5. The system as claimed in claim 1 wherein implementing the security rule includes:

watching for the event to occur;

managing the event to determine the security rule and operation applicable to the event; and

performing the operation in response to the event occurring.

6. A non-obtrusive security system comprising:

storing a security rule for operation of a device when an event occurs, wherein the security rule is provided in conjunction with a security agent operating on the device; and

implementing the security rule upon the occurrence of the event to allow non-obtrusive user access to data in the device, wherein the device is a mobile device in which a subscriber identity module (SIM) pin is changed by the security agent without knowledge of a user of the mobile device, and wherein the SIM in is communicated to a server, and wherein as the mobile device is restarted the SIM pin is entered into the mobile device without user involvement.

7. The system as claimed in claim 6 further comprising connecting the operating system based device to a server wherein implementing the security rule includes providing for obtrusive user access when the operating system based device is not in contact with the server.

8. The system as claimed in claim 6 wherein providing the operating system based device includes providing a intelligent security agent and providing for obtrusive user access when the operating system based device does not have a intelligent security agent.

9. The system as claimed in claim 6 wherein implementing the security rule includes watching for the event to occur and determining from the security rule an operation to be performed for the event.

10. The system as claimed in claim 6 wherein implementing the security rule includes:

watching for a plurality of events to occur including the event wherein the event includes startup, network disconnected, or network connected;

queuing the plurality of events as the plurality of events occurs;

managing the plurality of events to determine the security rule and operations applicable to each of the plurality of events;

queuing the operations to be performed for each of the plurality of events; and

performing the operations in response to each of the plurality of events occurring to respectively cause pre-authentication, prevent authentication, or cause pre-authentication.

11. A non-obtrusive security system comprising:

a device including;

a policy store for storing a security rule for operation of the device when an event occurs, and

a security agent for implementing the security rule upon the occurrence of the event to allow non-obtrusive user access to the device, wherein the device is a mobile device in which a subscriber identity module (SIM) in is changed by the security agent without knowledge of a user of the mobile device, and wherein the SIM pin is communicated to a server, and wherein as the mobile device is restarted the SIM in is entered into the mobile device without user involvement.

12. The system as claimed in claim 11 further comprising:

a server; and

a network connecting the device to the server wherein implementing the security rule includes providing for obtrusive user access when the device is not in contact with the server.

13. The system as claimed in claim 11 wherein the device is for providing for obtrusive user access to the device when the security agent is inactive.

14. The system as claimed in claim 11 wherein the security agent includes an event watcher for watching for the event to occur and determining from the security rule an operation to be performed for the event.

15. The system as claimed in claim 11 wherein the security agent includes:

an event watcher for watching for the event to occur;

an event manager for managing the event to determine the security rule and operation applicable to the event; and

an operations manager for performing the operation in response to the event occurring.

16. A non-obtrusive security system comprising:

an operating system based device including;

a policy store for storing a security rule for operation of the operating system based device when an event occurs, and

an intelligent security agent for implementing the security rule upon the occurrence of the event to allow non-obtrusive user access to data in the operating system based device, wherein the device is a mobile device in which a subscriber identity module (SIM) pin is changed by the security agent without knowledge of a user of the mobile device, and wherein the SIM in is communicated to a server, and wherein as the mobile device is restarted the SIM pin is entered into the mobile device without user involvement.

17. The system as claimed in claim 16 further comprising:

a server; and

a network for connecting the operating system based device to the server wherein implementing the security rule includes providing for obtrusive user access when the operating system based device is not in contact with the server.

18. The system as claimed in claim 16 wherein the operating system based device is for providing for obtrusive user access when the operating system based device does not have the intelligent security agent.

19. The system as claimed in claim 16 wherein the intelligent security agent is for watching for the event to occur and the policy store is for providing information for the intelligent security agent perform an operation to be performed for the event.

20. The system as claimed in claim 16 wherein the intelligent security agent includes:

event watchers for watching for a plurality of events to occur including the event wherein the event includes startup, network disconnected, or network connected;

an event queue for queuing the plurality of events as the plurality of events occurs;

an event manager for managing the plurality of events to determine from the policy store the security rule and operations applicable to each of the plurality of events;

an operations queue for queuing the operations to be performed for each of the plurality of events; and

an operations manager for performing the operations in response to each of the plurality of events occurring to respectively cause pre-authentication, prevent authentication, or re-enable pre-authentication.