In-line filtering of insecure or unwanted mobile device software components or communications

• US 8,819,772 B2
• Filed: 01/11/2013
• Issued: 08/26/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CA, Inc. (d/b/a CA Technologies) (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Appthority Incorporated (Gen Digital Inc.)
• Inventors: Bettini, Anthony John, Watkins, Kevin, Guerra, Domingo J., Price, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Dada, Beemnet
• Assistant Examiner(s): BEHESHTI SHIRAZI, SAYED ARESH
• Application Number:
  US13/740,061
• Publication Number:
  US 20130347094A1
• Time in Patent Office: 592 Days
• Field of Search: 726/1, 726/24, 726/25, 726/28, 713/164, 717/132, 709/219, 709/223, 709/227
• US Class Current: 726/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/577 Assessing vulnerabilities and evaluating computer system security
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/033 Test or assess software
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0227 Filtering policies mail message filtering H04L51/212
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0245 Filtering by information in the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1433 Vulnerability analysis
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1441 Countermeasures against malicious traffic countermeasures against attacks on cryptographic mechanisms H04L9/002
• 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

Techniques for in-line filtering of insecure or unwanted mobile components or communications (e.g., insecure or unwanted behaviors associated with applications for mobile devices (“apps”), updates for apps, communications to/from apps, operating system components/updates for mobile devices, etc.) for mobile devices are disclosed. In some embodiments, in-line filtering of apps for mobile devices includes intercepting a request for downloading an application to a mobile device; and modifying a response to the request for downloading the application to the mobile device. In some embodiments, the response includes a notification that the application cannot be downloaded due to an application risk policy violation.

Claims

1. A system for in-line filtering of applications for mobile devices, comprising:

a hardware processor of an inline filtering device configured to;

intercept a request for downloading an application to a mobile device;

quarantine the application at the inline filtering device until receipt of an acknowledgement of potential threats associated with the application are presented in a display on the mobile device, wherein the application is blocked from completing a transfer to the mobile device while it is quarantined at the inline filtering device, wherein the quarantining of the application comprises;

perform an application analysis of the application based on a risk profile, wherein the risk profile is based on an application risk policy that includes custom rules for scanning of the application based on security requirements;

generate a risk score based on the application analysis of the application based on the risk profile, wherein the generation of the risk score comprises;

check an application cache comprising;

 

determine whether the application has been previously analyzed; and

 

in the event that the application has been previously analyzed, return the previously determined risk score of the application;

extract metadata associated with the application, the metadata comprising application permissions, file and version name, author of the application, application ID, package name, or any combination thereof;

query public application market data relating to the application, the public application market data including application description, application ranking in a store, vendor reputation of the application, or any combination thereof; and

perform a disassembly/byte code pass comprising;

 

determine whether the application performs a function based on an inspection of byte code or assembly language of the application, the function including sending text/SMS messages without user'"'"'s permission, using GPS/location services without user'"'"'s permission, or any combination thereof; and

modify a response to the request for downloading the application to the mobile device using the hardware processor; and

a memory coupled to the hardware processor and configured to provide the hardware processor with instructions.

2. The system recited in claim 1, wherein the response includes a notification that the application cannot be downloaded due to an application risk policy violation.

3. The system recited in claim 1, wherein the hardware processor is further configured to:

filter traffic in-line from the mobile device to the Internet;

determine that the filtered traffic from the mobile device includes the request for downloading the application to the mobile device; and

determine the response to the application request based on the application risk policy, wherein the application risk policy is configured for an enterprise, and wherein the mobile device is associated with the enterprise.

4. The system recited in claim 1, wherein the hardware processor is further configured to:

determine the response based on an application risk assessment for the application, wherein the application risk assessment is based at least in part on a behavior associated with the application.

18. The system recited in claim 1, wherein quarantine the application at the inline filtering device includes throttling the request for downloading the application to the mobile device pending determination of a result of a risk analysis of the application based on the application risk policy.

19. The system recited in claim 1, wherein the hardware processor is further configured to:

generate a hash value of the request for downloading the application to the mobile device based on resource information embedded in the request, wherein the hash value can be used to verify a risk analysis of the application based on the application risk policy.

20. The system recited in claim 1, wherein the communication from the mobile device includes an application search request from the mobile device to a private application market.

21. The system recited in claim 1, wherein the generation of the risk score further comprises:

determine whether the application includes previously known malware, exhibits new malware behaviors, poses a privacy or security risk, or any combination thereof.

5. A system for in-line filtering of applications for mobile devices, comprising:

a hardware processor of an inline filtering device configured to;

perform in-line filtering using the hardware processor of traffic from a mobile device to the Internet;

identify an application request from the in-line filtering of traffic from the mobile device to the Internet, wherein the application request includes a request to download an application to the mobile device;

quarantine the application at the inline filtering device until receipt of an acknowledgement of potential threats associated with the application are presented in a display on the mobile device, wherein the application is blocked from completing a transfer to the mobile device while it is quarantined at the inline filtering device, wherein the quarantining of the application comprises;

perform an application analysis of the application based on a risk profile, wherein the risk profile is based on an application risk policy that includes custom rules for scanning of the application based on security requirements;

generate a risk score based on the application analysis of the application based on the risk profile, wherein the generation of the risk score comprises;

check an application cache comprising;

 

determine whether the application has been previously analyzed; and

 

in the event that the application has been previously analyzed, return the previously determined risk score of the application;

extract metadata associated with the application, the metadata comprising application permissions, file and version name, author of the application, application ID, package name, or any combination thereof;

query public application market data relating to the application, the public application market data including application description, application ranking in a store, vendor reputation of the application, or any combination thereof; and

perform a disassembly/byte code pass comprising;

 

determine whether the application performs a function based on an inspection of byte code or assembly language of the application, the function including sending text/SMS messages without user'"'"'s permission, using GPS/location services without user'"'"'s permission, or any combination thereof; and

modify a response to the application request that is communicated to the mobile device using the hardware processor; and

a memory coupled to the hardware processor and configured to provide the hardware processor with instructions.

6. The system recited in claim 5, wherein the modified response includes a notification that the application cannot be downloaded due to an application risk policy violation.

7. The system recited in claim 5, wherein the hardware processor is further configured to:

determine the response to the application request based on the application risk policy.

8. The system recited in claim 5, wherein the hardware processor is further configured to:

intercept application requests from a plurality of mobile devices.

9. A method of in-line filtering of applications for mobile devices, comprising:

performing in-line filtering using a hardware processor of an inline filtering device of traffic from a mobile device to the Internet;

identifying an application request from the in-line filtering of traffic from the mobile device to the Internet, wherein the application request includes a request to download an application to the mobile device;

quarantining the application at the inline filtering device until receipt of an acknowledgement of potential threats associated with the application are presented in a display on the mobile device, wherein the application is blocked from completing a transfer to the mobile device while it is quarantined at the inline filtering device, wherein the quarantining of the application comprises;

performing an application analysis of the application based on a risk profile, wherein the risk profile is based on an application risk policy that includes custom rules for scanning of the application based on security requirements;

generating a risk score based on the application analysis of the application based on the risk profile, wherein the generation of the risk score comprises;

checking an application cache comprising;

determining whether the application has been previously analyzed; and

in the event that the application has been previously analyzed, returning the previously determined risk score of the application;

extracting metadata associated with the application, the metadata comprising application permissions, file and version name, author of the application, application ID, package name, or any combination thereof;

querying public application market data relating to the application, the public application market data including application description, application ranking in a store, vendor reputation of the application, or any combination thereof; and

performing a disassembly/byte code pass comprising;

determining whether the application performs a function based on an inspection of byte code or assembly language of the application, the function including sending text/SMS messages without user'"'"'s permission, using GPS/location services without user'"'"'s permission, or any combination thereof; and

modifying a response to the application request that is communicated to the mobile device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the modified response includes a notification that the application cannot be downloaded due to an application risk policy violation.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining the response to the application request based on the application risk policy.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

intercepting application requests from a plurality of mobile devices.

13. A system for in-line filtering of insecure or unwanted mobile device communications for mobile devices, comprising:

a hardware processor of an inline filtering device configured to;

intercept a communication from a mobile device at an in-line filtering device; and

determine whether the communication from the mobile device includes an insecure or unwanted mobile device communication using the hardware processor;

throttle the communication at the inline filtering device until receipt of an acknowledgement of potential threats associated with the communication are presented in a display on the mobile device, wherein the communication is blocked from completing a transfer of a response to the communication to the mobile device while it is throttled at the inline filtering device, wherein the throttling of the communication comprises;

perform an application analysis of the application based on a risk profile, wherein the risk profile is based on an application risk policy that includes custom rules for scanning of the application based on security requirements;

generate a risk score based on the application analysis of the application based on the risk profile, wherein the generation of the risk score comprises;

check an application cache comprising;

 

determine whether the application has been previously analyzed; and

 

in the event that the application has been previously analyzed, return the previously determined risk score of the application;

extract metadata associated with the application, the metadata comprising application permissions, file and version name, author of the application, application ID, package name, or any combination thereof;

query public application market data relating to the application, the public application market data including application description, application ranking in a store, vendor reputation of the application, or any combination thereof; and

perform a disassembly/byte code pass comprising;

 

determine whether the application performs a function based on an inspection of byte code or assembly language of the application, the function including sending text/SMS messages without user'"'"'s permission, using GPS/location services without user'"'"'s permission, or any combination thereof; and

a memory coupled to the hardware processor and configured to provide the hardware processor with instructions.

14. The system recited in claim 13, wherein the determination that the communication from the mobile device includes an insecure or unwanted mobile device communication is based on a traffic policy for mobile device communications.

15. The system recited in claim 13, wherein the hardware processor is further configured to:

block the communication from the mobile device if it is determined that the communication from the mobile device is an insecure or unwanted mobile device communication based on a traffic policy for mobile device communications.

16. The system recited in claim 13, wherein the communication from the mobile device includes an application search request from the mobile device to a public application market.

17. The system recited in claim 13, wherein the communication from the mobile device includes an application search request from the mobile device to a public application market notification, and wherein the hardware processor is further configured to:

modify a response to the application search request to filter applications listed in the response based on the application risk policy, wherein the modified response includes a notification that one or more applications responsive to the application search request were removed from the response due to violation of the application risk policy.