Method for securely communicating information about the location of a compromised computing device

• US 8,839,460 B2
• Filed: 09/11/2008
• Issued: 09/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Shirlen, Martyn Ryan, Hofmann, Richard Gerard
• Primary Examiner(s): Hailu, Teshome
• Assistant Examiner(s): Getachew, Abiy
• Application Number:
  US12/208,626
• Publication Number:
  US 20090228981A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,196 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/224, 709/227, 726/23, 713/23, 713/150
• US Class Current: 726/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/55 Detecting local intrusion or implementing counter-measures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/554 involving event detection and direct action
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/73 by creating or determining hardware identification, e.g. serial numbers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/88 Detecting or preventing theft or loss
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1441 Countermeasures against malicious traffic countermeasures against attacks on cryptographic mechanisms H04L9/002

Abstract

A method for securely reporting location information after an attack on a computing device is presented. Such information may be reported to a requesting entity in a manner almost transparent to an attacker. Several exemplary embodiments of systems wherein the method may be used are presented.

Claims

1. A method of securely communicating location information from a computing device, comprising:

receiving a location request from a requesting entity if it is determined that the computing device has been attacked;

acquiring location information at the computing device;

forming a response based on mathematically transforming a combination of a non-deterministic value and at least a portion of the location information and at least a portion of a hardware key; and

providing the response to the requesting entity.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein forming the response comprises mathematically transforming the portion of a hardware key and at least a portion of the location information.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the mathematical transformation is a one-way hash function.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the location is a geographic location.

5. A method of securely receiving information about a location of a computing device at a requesting entity, comprising:

forming a location request at the requesting entity if it is determined that the computing device has been attacked;

providing the location request to the computing device;

receiving a response from the computing device based on a mathematical transformation of a combination of a non-deterministic value and at least a portion of the location of the computing device and at least a portion of a hardware key; and

determining the location of the computing device from the response.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the location request at the requesting entity is formed only if the requesting entity determines that an attack on the computing device is of a serious nature.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the location is a geographic location.

8. A computing device, comprising:

logic configured to receive a location request from a requesting entity, the location

request based on a determination that the computing device has been attacked;

logic configured to acquire location information of the computing device;

logic configured to form a response based on a mathematical transformation of a combination of a non-deterministic value and at least a portion of the location information and at least a portion of a hardware key; and

logic configured to provide the response to the requesting entity.

9. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the response comprises a mathematical transformation of the portion of a hardware key and at least a portion of the location information.

10. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the mathematical transformation is a one-way hash function.

11. A requesting device, comprising:

logic configured to form a location request, the location request based on a determination that a computing device has been attacked;

logic configured to provide the location request to a the computing device;

logic configured to receive a response from the computing device based on a mathematical transformation of a combination of a non-deterministic value and at least a portion of the location of the computing device and at least a portion of a hardware key; and

logic configured to determine the location of the computing device from the response.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the location request at the requesting entity is formed only if the requesting entity determines that an attack on the computing device is of a serious nature.

13. A computing device, comprising:

means for receiving a location request from a requesting entity,

the location request based on a mathematical transformation of a combination of a non-deterministic value and at least a portion of a determination that the computing device has been attacked;

means for acquiring location information at the computing device;

means for forming a response based on the location information and at least a portion of a hardware key; and

means for providing the response to the requesting entity.

14. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the means for forming the response comprises means for mathematically transforming the portion of a hardware key and at least a portion of the location information.

15. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the mathematical transformation is a one-way hash function.

16. A requesting device, comprising:

means for forming a location request at the requesting device, the location request based on a determination that the computing device has been attacked;

means for providing the location request to the computing device;

means for receiving a response from the computing device based on a mathematical transformation of a combination of a non-deterministic value and at least a portion of the location of the computing device and at least a portion of a hardware key; and

means for determining the location of the computing device from the response.

17. The requesting entity of claim 16, wherein the location request at the requesting entity is formed only if the requesting entity determines that an attack on the computing device is of a serious nature.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising code, which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform operations for securely communicating location information from a computing device, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising:

code for receiving a location request from a requesting entity, the location request based on a determination that the computing device has been attacked;

code for acquiring location information at the computing device;

code for forming a response based on a mathematical transformation of a combination of a non-deterministic value and at least a portion of the location information and at least a portion of a hardware key; and

code for providing the response to the requesting entity.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the code for forming the response comprises code for mathematically transforming the portion of a hardware key and at least a portion of the location information.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the mathematical transformation is a one-way hash function.

21. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising code, which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform operations for securely receiving information about a location of a computing device at a requesting entity, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising:

code for forming a location request at the requesting entity, the location request based on a determination that the computing device has been attacked;

code for providing the location request to the computing device;

code for receiving a response from the computing device based on a mathematical transformation of a combination of a non-deterministic value and at least a portion of the location of the computing device and at least a portion of a hardware key; and

code for determining the location of the computing device from the response.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the location request at the requesting entity is formed only if the requesting entity determines that an attack on the computing device is of a serious nature.