Methods and devices for controlling access to computing resources

• US 8,650,550 B2
• Filed: 06/07/2011
• Issued: 02/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Carrara, Michael Anthony, Major, Daniel Jonas
• Primary Examiner(s): Dao, Thuy
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wang, Ben C
• Application Number:
  US13/155,217
• Publication Number:
  US 20120317565A1
• Time in Patent Office: 980 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/130
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3466 Performance evaluation by tracing or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/54 by adding security routines or objects to programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/656 while running
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/658 Incremental updates; Differential updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

Methods and devices for controlling access to resources are disclosed herein. In one example embodiment, the method comprises: executing an application at a first computing device, wherein an attempt to access a computing resource on the computing device is made by the application; determining that the application is not configured to access the computing resource, in response to the attempt; displaying, in a user interface of the computing device, a permission request to allow the application to access the computing resource; and transmitting data from the computing device to the application server, the data notifying the application server that the attempt to access the computing resource was made by the application when the application was not configured to access the computing resource, and the data being usable by the application server to determine whether a corresponding computing resource on at least one different computing device is likely to be accessed when the application is executed on the at least one different computing device.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting data from a first computing device to an application server, the method comprising:

executing an application at the first computing device, wherein an attempt to access a computing resource on the first computing device is made by the application;

determining that the application is not configured to access the computing resource, in response to the attempt;

displaying, in a user interface of the first computing device, a permission request to allow the application to access the computing resource; and

transmitting data from the first computing device to the application server, the data notifying the application server that the attempt to access the computing resource was made by the application when the application was not configured to access the computing resource, and the data being usable by the application server to determine a likelihood that a corresponding computing resource on at least one different second computing device will be accessed by the application when the application is executed on the at least one different second computing device is above a given threshold;

wherein the application server verifies that a number of first computing devices from which the data is transmitted meets or exceeds a predefined threshold before determining that the computing resource on the at least one different second computing device will be accessed by the application when the application is executed on the at least one different second computing device is above the given threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the application is not configured to access the computing resource if an installation manifest associated with the application fails to identify the computing resource as a resource that the application will access on the first computing device when the application is executed.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

downloading the application to the first computing device;

downloading the installation manifest associated with the application to the first computing device; and

installing the application on the first computing device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising allowing the application to access the computing resource if an acceptance of the permission request is received.

5. A first computing device configured to transmit data to an application server, wherein the first computing device comprises a processor configured to:

execute an application, wherein an attempt to access a computing resource on the first computing device is made by the application;

determine that the application is not configured to access the computing resource, in response to the attempt;

display, in a user interface of the first computing device, a permission request to allow the application to access the computing resource; and

transmit data to the application server, the data notifying the application server that the attempt to access the computing resource was made by the application when the application was not configured to access the computing resource, and the data being usable by the application server to determine a likelihood that a corresponding computing resource on at least one different second computing device will be accessed by the application when the application is executed on the at least one different second computing device is above a given threshold;

wherein the application server verifies that a number of first computing devices from which the data is transmitted meets or exceeds a predefined threshold before determining that the computing resource on the at least one different second computing device will be accessed by the application when the application is executed on the at least one different second computing device is above the given threshold.

6. The computing device of claim 5, wherein the first computing device comprises a mobile device.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a processor of a first computing device, cause the processor to perform a method of transmitting data from the first computing device to an application server, and wherein the method comprises:

executing an application at the first computing device, wherein an attempt to access a computing resource on the first computing device is made by the application;

determining that the application is not configured to access the computing resource, in response to the attempt;

displaying, in a user interface of the computing device, a permission request to allow the application to access the computing resource; and

transmitting data from the computing device to the application server, the data notifying the application server that the attempt to access the computing resource was made by the application when the application was not configured to access the computing resource, and the data being usable by the application server to determine a likelihood that a corresponding computing resource on at least one different second computing device will be accessed by the application when the application is executed on the different second computing device is above a given threshold;

wherein the application server verifies that a number of first computing devices from which the data is transmitted meets or exceeds a predefined threshold before determining that the computing resource on the at least one different second computing device will be accessed by the application when the application is executed on the at least one different second computing device is above the given threshold.

8. A method of indicating that a computing resource is accessed by an application, the method performed by a processor of an application server, the method comprising:

receiving, from a first computing device, data indicating that an attempt to access the computing resource on the first computing device was made by the application when the application was not configured to access the computing resource on the first computing device;

verifying that a number of first computing devices from which the data is received meets or exceeds a predefined threshold;

after the verifying, for the computing resource on at least one different second computing device that corresponds to the computing resource on the first computing device, determining that a likelihood that the computing resource on the at least one different second computing device will be accessed by the application when the application is executed on the at least one different second computing device is above a given threshold; and

transmitting, to the at least one different second computing device, data indicating that the likelihood that the computing resource on the at least one different second computing device will be accessed by the application when the application is executed on the at least one different second computing device is above the given threshold.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

computing the number of first computing devices from which the data indicating that an attempt to access a computing resource on the first computing device was made by the application when the application was not configured to access the computing resource on the first computing device is received.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the predefined threshold comprises a number that is configurable at the application server.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the application is not configured to access the computing resource on the first computing device if an installation manifest associated with the application fails to identify the computing resource on the first computing device as a resource that the application will access on the first computing device when the application is executed on the first computing device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises transmitting, to a developer device, a request that the installation manifest associated with the application be updated to indicate that the likelihood that the computing resource will be accessed by the application when the application is executed is above the given threshold.

13. A server device configured to indicate that a computing resource is accessed by an application, the server device comprising a processor configured to:

receive, from a first computing device, data indicating that an attempt to access the computing resource on the first computing device was made by the application when the application was not configured to access the computing resource on the first computing device;

verify that a number of first computing devices from which the data is received meets or exceeds a predefined threshold;

after the verifying, for the computing resource on at least one different second computing device that corresponds to the computing resource on the first computing device, determine that a likelihood that the computing resource on the at least one different second computing device will be accessed by the application when the application is executed on the at least one different second computing device is above a given threshold; and

transmit, to the at least one different second computing device, data indicating that the likelihood that the computing resource on the at least one different second computing device will be accessed by the application when the application is executed on the at least one different second computing device is above the given threshold.

14. The server device of claim 13, wherein the server device comprises an application server.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a processor of a server device, cause the processor to perform a method of indicating that a computing resource is accessed by an application, wherein the method comprises:

receiving, from a first computing device, data indicating that an attempt to access the computing resource on the first computing device was made by the application when the application was not configured to access the computing resource on the first computing device;

verifying that a number of first computing devices from which the data is received meets or exceeds a predefined threshold;

after the verifying, for the computing resource on at least one different second computing device that corresponds to the computing resource on the first computing device, determining that a likelihood that the computing resource on the at least one different second computing device will be accessed by the application when the application is executed on the at least one different second computing device is above a given threshold; and

transmitting, to the at least one different second computing device, data indicating that the likelihood that the computing resource on the at least one different second computing device will be accessed by the application when the application is executed on the at least one different second computing device is above the given threshold.

16. A method of managing access to a computing resource, the method comprising:

determining at least one computing resource on a second computing device that an application is configured to access when the application is executed;

for a computing resource on the second computing device that the application is not configured to access when the application is executed;

receiving, at the second computing device, data from an application server that indicates that a likelihood that the computing resource will be accessed by the application when the application is executed on the second computing device is above a given threshold, the application server having verified that a number of first computing devices, from which the application server received data indicating that an attempt to access the computing resource on each of the first computing devices was made, meets or exceeds a predefined threshold, and

determining, based on the data, that the likelihood that the computing resource on the second computing device, that the application is not configured to access when the application is executed, will be accessed by the application when the application is executed on the second computing device is above the given threshold; and

displaying, in a user interface of the second computing device, a first permission request to allow the application to access the computing resource on the second computing device that the application is not configured to access when the application is executed.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

downloading an installation manifest associated with the application to the second computing device, the installation manifest identifying the at least one computing resource on the second computing device that the application is configured to access when the application is executed, and the installation manifest failing to identify the computing resource on the second computing device that the application is not configured to access when the application is executed.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising displaying at least one second permission request to allow the application to access the at least one computing resource on the second computing device that the application is configured to access when the application is executed, the first permission request being visually distinguishable when displayed in the user interface of the second computing device from the at least one second permission request.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the displaying is performed during an installation of the application on the second computing device.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising allowing the application to access the computing resource on the second computing device that the application is not configured to access when the application is executed, if the first permission request is accepted.

21. A second computing device configured to manage access to a computing resource, the second computing device comprising a processor configured to:

determine at least one computing resource on the second computing device that an application is configured to access when the application is executed;

for a computing resource on the second computing device that the application is not configured to access when the application is executed;

receive, at the second computing device, data from an application server that indicates that a likelihood that the computing resource will be accessed by the application when the application is executed on the second computing device is above a given threshold, the application server having verified that a number of first computing devices, from which the application server received data indicating that an attempt to access the computing resource on each of the first computing devices was made, meets or exceeds a predefined threshold, and

determine, based on the data, that the likelihood that the computing resource on the second computing device, that the application is not configured to access when the application is executed, will be accessed by the application when the application is executed on the second computing device is above the given threshold; and

display, in a user interface of the second computing device, a first permission request to allow the application to access the computing resource on the second computing device that the application is not configured to access when the application is executed.

22. The computing device of claim 21, wherein the second computing device comprises a mobile device.

23. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a processor of a second computing device, cause the processor to perform a method of managing access to a computing resource, wherein the method comprises:

determining at least one computing resource on the second computing device that an application is configured to access when the application is executed;

for a computing resource on the second computing device that the application is not configured to access when the application is executed;

receiving, at the second computing device, data from an application server that indicates that a likelihood that the computing resource will be accessed by the application when the application is executed on the second computing device is above a given threshold, the application server having verified that a number of first computing devices, from which the application server received data indicating that an attempt to access the computing resource on each of the first computing devices was made, meets or exceeds a predefined threshold, and

determining, based on the data, that the likelihood that the computing resource on the second computing device, that the application is not configured to access when the application is executed, will be accessed by the application when the application is executed on the second computing device is above the given threshold; and

displaying, in a user interface of the second computing device, a first permission request to allow the application to access the computing resource on the second computing device that the application is not configured to access when the application is executed.

24. A system for managing access to a computer resource, wherein the system comprises:

a first computing device configured to transmit data to an application server, wherein the first computing device comprises a first processor configured to;

execute an application, wherein an attempt to access a computing resource on the first computing device is made by the application;

determine that the application is not configured to access the computing resource, in response to the attempt;

display, in a user interface of the first computing device, a permission request to allow the application to access the computing resource on the first computing device; and

transmit data to the application server, the data notifying the application server that the attempt to access the computing resource was made by the application when the application was not configured to access the computing resource;

the application server, comprising a second processor configured to;

receive, from the first computing device, data indicating that the attempt to access the computing resource on the first computing device was made by the application when the application was not configured to access the computing resource on the first computing device;

verify that a number of first computing devices from which the data is received meets or exceeds a predefined threshold;

after the verifying, for the computing resource on at least one different second computing device that corresponds to the computing resource on the first computing device, determine that a likelihood that the computing resource on the at least one different second computing device will be accessed by the application when the application is executed on the at least one different second computing device is above a given threshold; and

transmit, to the at least one different second computing device, data indicating that the likelihood that the computing resource on the at least one different second computing device will be accessed by the application when the application is executed on the at least one different second computing device is above the given threshold; and

the different second computing device, comprising a third processor configured to;

determine at least one computing resource on the different second computing device that the application is configured to access when the application is executed;

for a computing resource on the different second computing device that the application is not configured to access when the application is executed;

receive, at the different second computing device, application server data that indicates that the likelihood that the computing resource on the different second computing device will be accessed by the application when the application is executed on the different second computing device is above the given threshold, and

determine, based on the application server data, that the likelihood that the computing resource on the different second computing device, that the application is not configured to access when the application is executed, will be accessed by the application when the application is executed on the different second computing device is above the given threshold; and

display, in a user interface of the different second computing device, a permission request to allow the application to access the computing resource on the different second computing device that the application is not configured to access when the application is executed.