Method and apparatus for selecting a security policy

• US 8,621,656 B2
• Filed: 07/06/2010
• Issued: 12/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Asokan, Nadarajah, Miettinen, Markus Juhani
• Primary Examiner(s): Zee, Edward
• Application Number:
  US12/830,990
• Publication Number:
  US 20120011559A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,274 Days
• Field of Search: 726/1, 726/34, 726/35, 726/16, 726/20
• US Class Current: 726/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• 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: G06F 2221/2111 Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment

Abstract

An approach is provided for selecting a security policy. A security policy manager determines, at a device, context information associated with a place. The security policy manager then determines a safety score associated with the place based, at least in part, on the context information and selects a security policy for the device based, at least in part, on the safety score.

Claims

1. A method comprising facilitating a processing of and/or processing (1) data and/or (2) information and/or (3) at least one signal, the processing of and/or processing the (1) data and/or (2) information and/or (3) at least one signal based, at least in part, on the following:

context information determined at a device, wherein the context information relates, at least in part, to content acquired at a place, one or more other devices within proximity of the place, or a combination thereof;

at least one determination of a familiarity based, at least in part, on the context information;

at least one determination of a safety score based, at least in part, on the context information; and

at least one selection of a security policy based, at least in part, on the safety score,

wherein the context information includes one or more parameters, and wherein the familiarity is augmented with a trustworthiness weight value associated with the one or more parameters.

2. A method of claim 1, wherein the context information is associated with the place, and wherein the safety score is determined with respect to the place.

3. A method of claim 1, wherein the security policy relates to a locking mechanism of the device, and wherein the processing of and/or processing the (1) data and/or (2) information and/or (3) at least one signal are further based, at least in part, on the following:

at least one selection of the locking mechanism for the device based, at least in part, on the safety score, the security policy, or a combination thereof.

4. A method of claim 3, wherein the processing of and/or processing the (1) data and/or (2) information and/or (3) at least one signal are further based, at least in part, on the following:

one or more configuration parameters of the locking mechanism based, at least in part, on the safety score, the security policy, or a combination thereof.

5. A method of claim 1, wherein the processing of and/or processing the (1) data and/or (2) information and/or (3) at least one signal are further based, at least in part, on the following:

at least one selection from among the one or more other devices based, at least in part, on the context information, the safety score, the security policy, or a combination thereof; and

at least one determination to transmit the content to the selected one or more other devices based, at least in part, on the context information, the safety score, the security policy, or a combination thereof.

6. A method of claim 1, wherein the processing of and/or processing the (1) data and/or (2) information and/or (3) at least one signal are further based, at least in part, on the following:

at least one determination of access to content, one or more applications, one or more features, one or more functions, or a combination thereof of the device based, at least in part, on the safety score, the security policy, or a combination thereof.

7. A method of claim 6, wherein the processing of and/or processing the (1) data and/or (2) information and/or (3) at least one signal are further based, at least in part, on the following:

at least one determination to generate an alert with respect to the access based, at least in part, on the safety score, the security policy, or a combination thereof.

8. A method of claim 1, wherein the processing of and/or processing the (1) data and/or (2) information and/or (3) at least one signal are further based, at least in part, on the following:

at least one determination of one or more proximate devices; and

at least one determination to create a group of one or more other devices based, at least in part, on the safety score, the security policy, or a combination thereof.

9. A method of claim 1, wherein the one or more parameters are related to the familiarity, a trustworthiness, or a combination thereof of at least one of the place, the device, a user of the device, one or more other devices within proximity of the place, and respective other users of the one or more other devices.

10. A method of claim 9, wherein the processing of and/or processing the (1) data and/or (2) information and/or (3) at least one signal are further based, at least in part, on the following:

at least one determination of the safety score to include components of the familiarity, the trustworthiness, or a combination thereof.

11. A method of claim 9, wherein the processing of and/or processing the (1) data and/or (2) information and/or (3) at least one signal are further based, at least in part, on the following:

at least one occurrence frequency of the one or more parameters,

wherein the familiarity of the one or more parameters is based, at least in part, on the at least one occurrence frequency.

12. A method of claim 1, wherein the processing of and/or processing the (1) data and/or (2) information and/or (3) at least one signal are further based, at least in part, on the following:

at least one separation of the context information into one or more context classes; and

at least one determination of the safety score for the one or more context classes.

13. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code for one or more programs,

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following,

determine context information at a device, wherein the context information relates, at least in part, to content acquired at a place, one or more other devices within proximity of the place, or a combination thereof;

determine a familiarity based, at least in part, on the context information;

determine a safety score based, at least in part, on the context information; and

select a security policy based, at least in part, on the safety score,

wherein the context information includes one or more parameters, and wherein the familiarity is augmented with a trustworthiness weight value associated with the one or more parameters.

14. An apparatus of claim 13, wherein the familiarity is determined by comparing values of one or more context parameters included in the context information, the context information is associated with the place, and wherein the safety score is determined with respect to the place.

15. An apparatus of claim 13, wherein the security policy relates to a locking mechanism of the device, and wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

select the locking mechanism for the device based, at least in part, on the safety score, the security policy, or a combination thereof.

16. An apparatus of claim 13, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

select from among the one or more other devices based, at least in part, on the context information, the safety score, the security policy, or a combination thereof; and

determine to transmit the content to the selected one or more other devices based, at least in part, on the context information, the safety score, the security policy, or a combination thereof.

17. An apparatus of claim 13, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

determine access to content, one or more applications, one or more features, one or more functions, or a combination thereof of the device based, at least in part, on the safety score, the security policy, or a combination thereof.

18. An apparatus of claim 17, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

determine to generate an alert with respect to the access based, at least in part, on the safety score, the security policy, or a combination thereof.

19. An apparatus of claim 13, wherein the apparatus is further caused to:

determine to create a group of one or more other devices within proximity the place based, at least in part, on the context information, the safety score, the security policy, or a combination thereof.

20. An apparatus of claim 13, wherein the context information includes one or more parameters related to the familiarity, a trustworthiness, or a combination thereof of at least one of the place, the device, a user of the device, one or more other devices within proximity of the place, and respective other users of the one or more other devices.