Application associating based on cryptographic identification

• US 8,166,487 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2007
• Issued: 04/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Bender, Christopher L., Turi, Andrew Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, VAN H
• Application Number:
  US11/865,373
• Publication Number:
  US 20090089796A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,667 Days
• Field of Search: 719/310, 719/313, 713/153, 713/154, 713/182
• US Class Current: 719/313
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/52 during program execution, e.g. stack integrity ; Preventing unwanted data erasure; Buffer overflow
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/606 by securing the transmission between two devices or processes

Abstract

As each application is loaded for use by an operating system, a message handling application within the operating system associates the applications with relativity metrics for later use in handling interprocess messages. A cryptographic identifier associated with each application is verified and, based on the verifying, each application is associated with a relativity metric. The message handling application receives a message from an origin process. The message handling application then determines a destination process for the message, a relativity metric for the origin process, and a relativity metric for the destination process. Based on an analysis of the relativity metrics of the origin process and the destination process, the message handling application determines whether to forward the message to the destination process.

Claims

1. A method of associating applications with relativity metrics for later use in handling interprocess messages, wherein acts of the method are executed by a processor of a device, the method comprising:

receiving a first executable file for a first application;

if the first executable file comprises a first cryptographic identifier, verifying the first cryptographic identifier using a first cryptographic key;

if the first cryptographic identifier is successfully verified, associating, based on the verifying the first cryptographic identifier, the first application with a first relativity metric, wherein the first cryptographic key used to verify the first cryptographic identifier is associated with the first relativity metric;

receiving a second executable file for a second application;

if the second executable file comprises a second cryptographic identifier, verifying the second cryptographic identifier using a second cryptographic key;

if the second cryptographic identifier is successfully verified, associating, based on the verifying the second cryptographic identifier, the second application with a second relativity metric, wherein the second cryptographic key used to verify the second cryptographic identifier is associated with the second relativity metric;

receiving a message from an origin process, the origin process associated with the first application, wherein an operating system supports execution of the first application on the device;

determining a destination process for the message, the destination process associated with the second application, wherein the operating system supports execution of the second application on the device;

determining that the first relativity metric is associated with the origin process;

determining that the second relativity metric is associated with the destination process;

determining a first tier value defined by the first relativity metric and a second tier value defined by the second relativity metric; and

passing the message to the destination process if the first tier value is equal to or higher than the second tier value, and not passing the message to the destination process if the first tier value is lower than the second tier value.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the associating the first application with the first relativity metric comprises recording an association between the first application and the first relativity metric in a relativity metric correlation record.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the associating the second application with the second relativity metric comprises recording an association between the second application and the second relativity metric in the relativity metric correlation record.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining that the first relativity metric is associated with the origin process comprises:

determining that the origin process is associated with the first application; and

determining that the first application is associated with the first relativity metric.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the verifying the first cryptographic identifier comprises:

providing the first application as input to a hash function to obtain a local digital signature;

decrypting the first cryptographic identifier to obtain a test digital signature;

comparing the local digital signature to the test digital signature; and

if the comparing indicates an equivalence, considering the first cryptographic identifier to have been verified.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

if the first executable file lacks the first cryptographic identifier, associating the first application with the first relativity metric, wherein a lack of the first cryptographic identifier is associated with the first relativity metric.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

if the second executable file lacks the second cryptographic identifier, associating the second application with the second relativity metric, wherein a lack of the second cryptographic identifier is associated with the second relativity metric.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first cryptographic key and the second cryptographic key comprise public keys.

9. A device comprising:

a processor configured to;

receive a first executable file for a first application;

if the first executable file comprises a first cryptographic identifier, verify the first cryptographic identifier using a first cryptographic key;

if the first cryptographic identifier is successfully verified, associate, based on a verification of the first cryptographic identifier, the first application with a first relativity metric, wherein the first cryptographic key used to verify the first cryptographic identifier is associated with the first relativity metric;

receive a second executable file for a second application;

if the second executable file comprises a second cryptographic identifier, verify the second cryptographic identifier using a second cryptographic key;

if the second cryptographic identifier is successfully verified, associate, based on a verification of the second cryptographic identifier, the second application with a second relativity metric, wherein the second cryptographic key used to verify the second cryptographic identifier is associated with the second relativity metric;

receive a message from an origin process, the origin process associated with the first application, wherein an operating system supports execution of the first application on the device;

determine a destination process for the message, the destination process associated with the second application, wherein the operating system supports execution of the second application on the device;

determine that the first relativity metric is associated with the origin process;

determine that the second relativity metric is associated with the destination process;

determine a first tier value defined by the first relativity metric and a second tier value defined by the second relativity metric; and

pass the message to the destination process if the first tier value is equal to or higher than the second tier value, and not pass the message to the destination process if the first tier value is lower than the second tier value.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the processor is configured to associate the first application with the first relativity metric by recording an association between the first application and the first relativity metric in a relativity metric correlation record.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to associate the second application with the second relativity metric by recording an association between the second application and the second relativity metric in the relativity metric correlation record.

12. The device of claim 9, wherein the processor is configured to determine that the first relativity metric is associated with the origin process by:

determining that the origin process is associated with the first application; and

determining that the first application is associated with the first relativity metric.

13. The device of claim 9, wherein the processor is configured to verify the first cryptographic identifier by:

providing the first application as input to a hash function to obtain a local digital signature;

decrypting the first cryptographic identifier to obtain a test digital signature;

comparing the local digital signature to the test digital signature; and

if the comparing indicates an equivalence, considering the first cryptographic identifier to have been verified.

14. The device of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to, if the first executable file lacks the first cryptographic identifier, associate the first application with the first relativity metric, wherein a lack of the first cryptographic identifier is associated with the first relativity metric.

15. The device of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to, if the second executable file lacks the second cryptographic identifier, associate the second application with the second relativity metric, wherein a lack of the second cryptographic identifier is associated with the second relativity metric.

16. The device of claim 9, wherein the first cryptographic key and the second cryptographic key comprise public keys.

17. The device of claim 9, wherein the device comprises a mobile device.

18. A non-transitory computer readable medium containing computer-executable instructions that, when performed by a processor of a device, cause the processor to:

receive a first executable file for a first application;

if the first executable file comprises a first cryptographic identifier, verify the first cryptographic identifier using a first cryptographic key;

if the first cryptographic identifier is successfully verified, associate, based on a verification of the first cryptographic identifier, the first application with a first relativity metric, wherein the first cryptographic key used to verify the first cryptographic identifier is associated with the first relativity metric;

receive a second executable file for a second application;

if the second executable file comprises a second cryptographic identifier, verify the second cryptographic identifier using a second cryptographic key;

if the second cryptographic identifier is successfully verified, associate, based on a verification of the second cryptographic identifier, the second application with a second relativity metric, wherein the second cryptographic key used to verify the second cryptographic identifier is associated with the second relativity metric;

receive a message from an origin process, the origin process associated with the first application, wherein an operating system supports execution of the first application on the device;

determine a destination process for the message, the destination process associated with the second application, wherein the operating system supports execution of the second application on the device;

determine that the first relativity metric is associated with the origin process;

determine that the second relativity metric is associated with the destination process;

determine a first tier value defined by the first relativity metric and a second tier value defined by the second relativity metric; and

pass the message to the destination process if the first tier value is equal to or higher than the second tier value, and not pass the message to the destination process if the first tier value is lower than the second tier value.