Configuring and providing profiles that manage execution of mobile applications

• US 8,719,898 B1
• Filed: 09/30/2013
• Issued: 05/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Original Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Inventors: Barton, Gary, Lang, Zhongmin, Desai, Nitin, Walker, James Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): PERUNGAVOOR, VENKATANARAY
• Application Number:
  US14/041,923
• Publication Number:
  US 20140109177A1
• Time in Patent Office: 218 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 726/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/604 Tools and structures for managing or administering access control systems
• 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 21/629 to features or functions of an application
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/88 Detecting or preventing theft or loss
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2143 Clearing memory, e.g. to prevent the data from being stolen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/452 Remote windowing, e.g. X-Window System, desktop virtualisation protocols for virtual reality H04L67/131
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45533 Hypervisors; Virtual machine monitors
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0815 providing single-sign-on or federations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/205 involving negotiation or determination of the one or more network security mechanisms to be used, e.g. by negotiation between the client and the server or between peers or by selection according to the capabilities of the entities involved negotiation of communication capabilities H04L69/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/30 Security of mobile devices; Security of mobile applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/37 : Managing security policies for mobile devices or for controlling mobile applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/63 : Location-dependent; Proximity-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 : Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

Various aspects of the disclosure relate to configuring and providing policies that manage execution of mobile applications. In some embodiments, a user interface may be generated that allows an IT administrator or other operator to set, change and/or add to policy settings. The policy settings can be formatted into a policy file and be made available for download to a mobile device, such as via an application store or to be pushed to the mobile device as part of a data push service. The mobile device, based on the various settings included in the policy file, may perform various actions to enforce the security constraints that are represented by the policy. The various settings that can be included in a policy are numerous and some examples and variations thereof are described in connection with the example embodiments discussed herein.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

displaying, by one or more computing devices, a user interface that displays one or more policy settings for a managed application that is to be made available for download to a mobile device, wherein each of the one or more policy settings provides a constraint to be enforced by the mobile device prior to the managed application being provided access to at least one resource that is accessible through an access gateway;

receiving input via the user interface that creates or modifies a user authorization or user identification setting of the one or more policy settings, wherein the user authorization or user identification setting specifies a condition for authorizing or identifying a user in connection with the managed application being provided access to said at least one resource, and wherein the user authorization or user identification setting includes data specifying a ticket that is configured to provide authorization to create an application specific virtual private network (VPN) tunnel with the access gateway without requiring the user to provide credentials, an expiration period for the ticket, a manner in which the user is to log-on, or a certificate that is usable by the mobile device when responding to certificate challenges;

producing a policy file for the managed application that includes the user authorization or user identification setting; and

providing the policy file such that the policy is available for download to the mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the policy file is an Extensible Markup Language (XML) file or a JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) file, and wherein the policy file includes one or more key/value pairs organized as a dictionary, wherein one key/value pair of the one or more key/value pairs corresponds to the user authorization or user identification setting.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the user authorization or user identification setting includes a setting group or category identifier;

a setting dictionary name;

a setting type;

a range of possible setting values;

a default setting value;

a setting friendly name string;

a setting unit display string; and

a help text string.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface is configured to accept input specifying the ticket the expiration period for the ticket, the manner in which the user is to log-on, or the certificate.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the user authorization or user identification setting includes data specifying one or more conditions that must be satisfied by the mobile device in order for the mobile device to provide the user with single-sign on (SSO) functionality for authenticating the user with the access gateway.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the one or more conditions includes a location of the mobile device or an install of another application on the mobile device.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving additional input specifying one or more additional policy settings, wherein said one or more additional policy settings includes an additional user authorization or user identification setting that specifies a constraint different from the one or more constraints that are specified by the user authorization or user identification setting;

producing an additional policy file for the managed application that includes the one or more additional policy settings, wherein the additional policy file is assigned to a first user role; and

providing said additional policy file for download in accordance with a requesting user that is assigned the first user role;

wherein the policy file is assigned to a second user role different from the first user role.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing the policy file includes publishing the policy file to an application store that also publishes the managed application.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the policy file includes pushing the policy file to the mobile device based on the mobile device being registered with a push service.

10. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor; and

memory storing executable instructions configured to, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to;

display a user interface that displays one or more policy settings for a managed application that is to be made available for download to a mobile device, wherein each of the one or more policy settings provides a constraint to be enforced by the mobile device prior to the managed application being provided access to at least one resource that is accessible through an access gateway;

receive input via the user interface that creates or modifies a user authorization or user identification setting of the one or more policy settings, wherein the user authorization or user identification setting specifies a condition for authorizing or identifying a user in connection with the managed application being provided access to said at least one resource, and wherein the user authorization or user identification setting includes data specifying a ticket that is configured to provide authorization to create an application specific virtual private network (VPN) tunnel with the access gateway without requiring the user to provide credentials, an expiration period for the ticket, a manner in which the user is to log-on, or a certificate that is usable by the mobile device when responding to certificate challenges;

produce a policy file for the managed application that includes the user authorization or user identification setting; and

provide the policy file such that the policy is available for download to the mobile device.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the policy file is an Extensible Markup Language (XML) file or a JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) file, and wherein the policy file includes one or more key/value pairs organized as a dictionary, wherein one key/value pair of the one or more key/value pairs corresponds to the user authorization or user identification setting.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the user authorization or user identification setting includes a setting group or category identifier;

a setting dictionary name;

a setting type;

a range of possible setting values;

a default setting value;

a setting friendly name string;

a setting unit display string; and

a help text string.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the user interface is configured to accept input specifying the ticket, the expiration period for the ticket, the manner in which the user is to log-on, or the certificate.

14. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the user authorization or user identification setting includes data specifying one or more conditions that must be satisfied by the mobile device in order for the mobile device to provide the user with single-sign on (SSO) functionality for authenticating the user with the access gateway.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the one or more conditions includes a location of the mobile device or an install of another application on the mobile device.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the providing the policy file includes publishing the policy file to an application store that also publishes the managed application.

17. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein providing the policy file includes pushing the policy file to the mobile device based on the mobile device being registered with a push service.

18. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions configured to, when executed, cause at least one computing device to:

display a user interface that displays one or more policy settings for a managed application that is to be made available for download to a mobile device, wherein each of the one or more policy settings provides a constraint to be enforced by the mobile device prior to the managed application being provided access to at least one resource that is accessible through an access gateway;

receive input via the user interface that creates or modifies a user authorization or user identification setting of the one or more policy settings, wherein the user authorization or user identification setting specifies a condition for authorizing or identifying a user in connection with the managed application being provided access to said at least one resource, and wherein the user authorization or user identification setting includes data specifying a ticket that is configured to provide authorization to create an application specific virtual private network (VPN) tunnel with the access gateway without requiring the user to provide credentials, an expiration period for the ticket, a manner in which the user is to log-on, or a certificate that is usable by the mobile device when responding to certificate challenges;

produce a policy file for the managed application that includes the user authorization or user identification setting; and

provide the policy file such that the policy is available for download to the mobile device.

19. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 18, wherein the policy file is an Extensible Markup Language (XML) file or a JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) file, and wherein the policy file includes one or more key/value pairs organized as a dictionary, wherein one key/value pair of the one or more key/value pairs corresponds to the user authorization or user identification setting.

20. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 18, wherein the user interface is configured to accept input specifying the ticket, the expiration period for the ticket, the manner in which the user is to log-on, or the certificate.