Providing a managed browser

• US 8,898,732 B2
• Filed: 10/01/2013
• Issued: 11/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Original Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Inventors: Qureshi, Waheed
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, JASON T
• Application Number:
  US14/043,164
• Publication Number:
  US 20140298442A1
• Time in Patent Office: 420 Days
• Field of Search: 726/1, 726/4, 726/8, 726/10
• US Class Current: 726/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/00 Security arrangements for protecting computers, components thereof, programs or data against unauthorised activity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/41 where a single sign-on provides access to a plurality of computers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/53 by executing in a restricted environment, e.g. sandbox or secure virtual machine
• 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 2221/2143 Clearing memory, e.g. to prevent the data from being stolen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5005 to service a request
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4633 Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/50 Network service management, e.g. ensuring proper service fulfilment according to agreements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/762 triggered by the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0815 providing single-sign-on or federations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46

Abstract

Methods, systems, computer-readable media, and apparatuses for providing a managed browser are presented. In various embodiments, a computing device may load a managed browser. The managed browser may, for instance, be configured to provide a managed mode in which one or more policies are applied to the managed browser, and an unmanaged mode in which such policies might not be applied and/or in which the browser might not be managed by at least one device manager agent running on the computing device. Based on device state information and/or one or more policies, the managed browser may switch between the managed mode and the unmanaged mode, and the managed browser may provide various functionalities, which may include selectively providing access to enterprise resources, based on such state information and/or the one or more policies.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

loading, by a computing device, a managed browser, the managed browser being configured to provide at least one managed mode in which one or more policies are applied to the managed browser, the one or more policies being configured to limit at least one function of the managed browser;

receiving, by the computing device, from a user of the computing device, a single sign-on (SSO) credential that is associated with at least one user account;

obtaining, by the computing device, enterprise data from one or more enterprise resources based on the SSO credential; and

providing, by the computing device, access to the obtained enterprise data via the managed browser,

wherein obtaining the enterprise data from the one or more enterprise resources based on the SSO credential includes;

receiving an authentication challenge from at least one enterprise resource of the one or more enterprise resources;

determining, based on at least one policy of the one or more policies, whether to provide the SSO credential to the at least one enterprise resource in response to the authentication challenge; and

based on determining to provide the SSO credential to the at least one enterprise resource in response to the authentication challenge, providing the SSO credential to the at least one enterprise resource,

wherein providing access to the obtained enterprise data via the managed browser includes enforcing at least one policy of the one or more policies based on the SSO credential,

wherein the at least one enforced policy of the one or more policies is configured to limit access to the obtained enterprise data, and

wherein enforcing the at least one policy of the one or more policies includes imposing one or more behavior limitations on the managed browser based on identity information associated with the SSO credential and state information associated with the computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the managed browser is configured to provide secure browsing and caching of data obtained from at least one enterprise resource.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the SSO credential is an authentication credential that is configured to be used in accessing at least two different enterprise resources.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

based on determining not to provide the SSO credential to the at least one enterprise resource in response to the authentication challenge, generating, by the computing device, an authentication prompt configured to receive at least one authentication credential from the user of the computing device.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein enforcing the at least one policy of the one or more policies further includes obtaining the at least one policy of the one or more policies from a policy server based on the SSO credential.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein enforcing the at least one policy of the one or more policies further includes selecting at least one applicable policy based on the identity information associated with the SSO credential.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one policy of the one or more policies is configured to selectively disable one or more functions of the managed browser based on the SSO credential and the state information associated with the computing device.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing device is configured to connect to the one or more enterprise resources and at least one enterprise service via at least one virtual private network connection, and

wherein the at least one enterprise service includes an authentication service that uses one or more certificates stored on the computing device.

17. The method of claim 2, wherein providing secure browsing and caching of the data obtained from the at least one enterprise resource includes caching the data obtained from the at least one enterprise resource in one or more encrypted caches.

5. A computing device, comprising:

at least one processor; and

memory storing computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computing device to;

load a managed browser, the managed browser being configured to provide at least one managed mode in which one or more policies are applied to the managed browser, the one or more policies being configured to limit at least one function of the managed browser;

receive, from a user of the computing device, a single sign-on (SSO) credential that is associated with at least one user account;

obtain enterprise data from one or more enterprise resources based on the SSO credential; and

provide access to the obtained enterprise data via the managed browser,

wherein obtaining the enterprise data from the one or more enterprise resources based on the SSO credential includes;

receiving an authentication challenge from at least one enterprise resource of the one or more enterprise resources;

determining, based on at least one policy of the one or more policies, whether to provide the SSO credential to the at least one enterprise resource in response to the authentication challenge; and

based on determining to provide the SSO credential to the at least one enterprise resource in response to the authentication challenge, providing the SSO credential to the at least one enterprise resource,

wherein providing access to the obtained enterprise data via the managed browser includes enforcing at least one policy of the one or more policies based on the SSO credential,

wherein the at least one enforced policy of the one or more policies is configured to limit access to the obtained enterprise data, and

wherein enforcing the at least one policy of the one or more policies includes imposing one or more behavior limitations on the managed browser based on identity information associated with the SSO credential and state information associated with the computing device.

6. The computing device of claim 5, wherein the managed browser is configured to provide secure browsing and caching of data obtained from at least one enterprise resource.

7. The computing device of claim 5, wherein the SSO credential is an authentication credential that is configured to be used in accessing at least two different enterprise resources.

8. The computing device of claim 5, wherein the memory stores additional computer-readable instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the computing device to:

based on determining not to provide the SSO credential to the at least one enterprise resource in response to the authentication challenge, generating, by the computing device, an authentication prompt configured to receive at least one authentication credential from the user of the computing device.

9. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause a computing device to:

load a managed browser, the managed browser being configured to provide at least one managed mode in which one or more policies are applied to the managed browser, the one or more policies being configured to limit at least one function of the managed browser;

receive, from a user of the computing device, a single sign-on (SSO) credential that is associated with at least one user account;

obtain enterprise data from one or more enterprise resources based on the SSO credential; and

provide access to the obtained enterprise data via the managed browser,

wherein obtaining the enterprise data from the one or more enterprise resources based on the SSO credential includes;

receiving an authentication challenge from at least one enterprise resource of the one or more enterprise resources;

determining, based on at least one policy of the one or more policies, whether to provide the SSO credential to the at least one enterprise resource in response to the authentication challenge; and

based on determining to provide the SSO credential to the at least one enterprise resource in response to the authentication challenge, providing the SSO credential to the at least one enterprise resource,

wherein providing access to the obtained enterprise data via the managed browser includes enforcing at least one policy of the one or more policies based on the SSO credential,

wherein the at least one enforced policy of the one or more policies is configured to limit access to the obtained enterprise data, and

wherein enforcing the at least one policy of the one or more policies includes imposing one or more behavior limitations on the managed browser based on identity information associated with the SSO credential and state information associated with the computing device.

10. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 9, wherein the managed browser is configured to provide secure browsing and caching of data obtained from at least one enterprise resource.

11. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 9, wherein the SSO credential is an authentication credential that is configured to be used in accessing at least two different enterprise resources.

12. The one or more non-transitory computer-readable media of claim 9, having additional instructions stored thereon that, when executed, further cause the computing device to:

based on determining not to provide the SSO credential to the at least one enterprise resource in response to the authentication challenge, generating, by the computing device, an authentication prompt configured to receive at least one authentication credential from the user of the computing device.