Application associating based on cryptographic identification

• US 8,561,083 B2
• Filed: 04/04/2012
• Issued: 10/15/2013
• 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:
  US13/439,217
• Publication Number:
  US 20120198474A1
• Time in Patent Office: 559 Days
• Field of Search: 719/313, 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 and with a first application grouping;

determining that the second relativity metric is associated with the destination process and with a second application grouping; and

passing the message to the destination process if messages are allowed to pass from applications associated with the first application grouping to applications associated with the second application grouping.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising not passing the message to the destination process if messages are not allowed to pass from applications associated with the first application grouping to applications associated with the second application grouping.

3. 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.

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

determining that the first relativity metric is associated with the first application; and

determining that the first application is associated with the first application grouping.

5. 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.

6. 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.

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

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the message comprises at least one of a function invocation, a signal, or a data packet.

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 and with a first application grouping;

determine that the second relativity metric is associated with the destination process and with a second application grouping; and

pass the message to the destination process if messages are allowed to pass from applications associated with the first application grouping to applications associated with the second application grouping.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the processor is configured to not pass the message to the destination process if messages are not allowed to pass from applications associated with the first application grouping to applications associated with the second application grouping.

11. 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.

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

determining that the first relativity metric is associated with the first application; and

determining that the first application is associated with the first application grouping.

13. 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.

14. 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.

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

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

17. The device of claim 9, wherein the message comprises at least one of a function invocation, a signal, or a data packet.

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;

associate processes identified by the first relativity metric with a first set of processes and associate processes identified by the second relativity metric with a second set of processes; and

pass the message to the destination process if messages are allowed to pass from processes of the first set to processes of the second set.

19. The medium of claim 18, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to not pass the message to the destination process if messages are not allowed to pass from applications associated with the first application grouping to applications associated with the second application grouping.

20. The medium of claim 18, wherein the instructions cause the processor 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.

21. The medium of claim 18, wherein the instructions cause the processor to determine that the first relativity metric is associated with the first application grouping by:

determining that the first relativity metric is associated with the first application; and

determining that the first application is associated with the first application grouping.

22. The medium of claim 18, wherein the instructions further cause the processor 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.

23. The medium of claim 18, wherein the instructions further cause the processor 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.

24. The medium of claim 18, wherein the first cryptographic key and the second cryptographic key comprise public keys.

25. The medium of claim 18, wherein the message comprises at least one of a function invocation, a signal, or a data packet.