Apparatus and methods for preventing information disclosure

• US 9,344,882 B2
• Filed: 07/30/2013
• Issued: 05/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Beijing Xiaomi Technology Company Limited (Xiaomi Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Beijing Xiaomi Technology Company Limited (Xiaomi Corp.)
• Inventors: Wan, Yuzhen, Sun, Peng, Jin, Fan, Lin, Junqi
• Primary Examiner(s): Ngo, Chuong A
• Application Number:
  US13/954,411
• Publication Number:
  US 20140094141A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,022 Days
• Field of Search: 455410-4122
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/67 by electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724631 by limiting the access to the user interface, e.g. locking a touch-screen or a keypad
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/082 using revocation of authorisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/12 Detection or prevention of fraud
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/126 Anti-theft arrangements, e.g. protection against subscriber identity module [SIM] cloning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]

Abstract

The present application is directed to apparatuses and methods for preventing information disclosure. According to example embodiments of the present application, after a mobile terminal of a user is lost, a first short message may be sent to the mobile terminal through a short message network. When the mobile terminal determines that the received short message is the first short message, user information stored in the mobile terminal may be erased by the mobile terminal.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal, comprising:

at least one non-transitory storage medium comprising a set of instructions for preventing information disclosure; and

at least one executing unit in communication with the storage medium that is configured to execute the set of instructions stored in the storage medium and is configured to;

connect the mobile terminal to a network;

when the network is an Internet network, and the mobile terminal receives a message through the Internet network;

determine that the message is a pre-defined command based on a format of the message, wherein the pre-defined command comprises at least one of a locking password set by a user or a ciphertext corresponding to the locking password;

lock the mobile terminal in a state unavailable for any operation other than receiving and verifying the at least one of the locking password or the ciphertext, and

erase pre-determined information stored in the mobile terminal; and

when the network is a short message network, and the mobile terminal receives a message from the short message network;

determine that the message is a pre-defined short message based on the format of the message, wherein the pre-defined short message comprises the at least one of the locking password set by the user or the ciphertext corresponding to the locking password;

lock the mobile terminal in the state unavailable for any operation other than receiving and verifying the at least one of the locking password or the ciphertext, and

erase the pre-determined information stored in the mobile terminal.

2. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein to erase the pre-determined information stored in the mobile terminal the at least one executing unit is further configured to:

delete the pre-determined information locally saved in the mobile terminal; and

format a memory card connected with the mobile terminal.

3. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein when the mobile terminal receives the pre-defined command or the pre-defined short message, the executing unit is further configured to conduct at least one of:

making a sound from the mobile terminal;

or

reporting position information of the mobile terminal to a server.

4. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the pre-defined short message is one of:

a short program in a form of text message, being invisible to the user and executable by the mobile terminal;

or

a mobile terminal command in a form of text message, being invisible to the user.

5. A method for preventing information disclosure from a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

connecting, by a mobile terminal, the mobile terminal to a network;

when the network is an Internet network, and the mobile terminal receives a message from the Internet network;

determining, by the mobile terminal, that the message is a pre-defined command based on a format of the message, wherein the pre-defined command comprises at least one of a locking password set by a user or a ciphertext corresponding to the locking password;

locking, by the mobile terminal, the mobile terminal in a state unavailable for any operation other than receiving and verifying the at least one of the locking password or the ciphertext, and

erasing, by the mobile terminal, pre-determined information stored in the mobile terminal; and

when the network is a short message network, and the mobile terminal receives a message from the short message network;

determining, by the mobile terminal, that the message is a pre-defined short message based on the format of the message, wherein the pre-defined short message comprises the at least one of the locking password set by the user or the ciphertext corresponding to the locking password;

locking, by the mobile terminal, the mobile terminal in the state unavailable for any operation other than receiving and verifying the at least one of the locking password or the ciphertext, and

erasing, by the mobile terminal, the pre-determined information stored in the mobile terminal.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein erasing the pre-determined information comprises:

deleting the pre-determined information locally saved in the mobile terminal; and

formatting a memory card connected with the mobile terminal.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein when the mobile terminal receives the pre-defined command or the pre-defined short message, the method further comprises performing, by the mobile terminal, at least one of:

making a sound from the mobile terminal;

or

reporting position information of the mobile terminal to a server.

8. The method according to claim 5, wherein the pre-defined short message is one of:

a short program in a form of text message, being invisible to the user and executable by the mobile terminal;

or

a mobile terminal command in a form of text message, being invisible to the user.

9. A server, comprising

at least one non-transitory storage medium comprising a set of instructions for preventing information disclosure;

and

at least one executing unit in communication with the storage medium that is configured to execute the set of instructions stored in the storage medium and is configured to;

receive a command from a user to erase pre-determined information stored in a mobile terminal;

establish a network connection with the mobile terminal;

determine whether the network connection is through an Internet network or through a short message network;

when the network is the Internet network, send a message in a form of a pre-defined instruction to the mobile terminal through the Internet network, wherein the pre-defined instruction comprises at least one of a locking password set by the user or a ciphertext corresponding to the locking password and is configured to instruct the mobile terminal to;

identify message as the pre-defined instruction based on a format of the message;

lock the mobile terminal in a state unavailable for any operation other than receiving and verifying the at least one of the locking password or the ciphertext, and

erase the pre-determined information stored in the mobile terminal; and

when the network is the short message network, send a message in a form of a pre-defined short message to the mobile terminal through the short message network, wherein the pre-defined short message comprises the at least one of the locking password set by the user or the ciphertext corresponding to the locking password and is configured to instruct the mobile terminal to;

identify the message as the pre-defined short message based on the format of the message,

lock the mobile terminal in the state unavailable for any operation other than receiving and verifying the at least one of the locking password or the ciphertext, and

erase the pre-determined information stored in the mobile terminal.

10. The server according to claim 9, wherein the at least one executing unit is further configured to:

receive the locking password from the user, and

the pre-defined instruction is further configured to instruct the mobile terminal to format a memory card connected with the mobile terminal.

11. The server according to claim 10, wherein the at least one executing unit is further configured to:

add the locking password into the pre-defined instruction in a pre-defined format.

12. The server according to claim 10, wherein the at least one executing unit is further configured to:

encrypt the locking password into a ciphertext; and

add the ciphertext corresponding to the locking password into the pre-defined instruction in a pre-defined format.

13. The server according to claim 9, wherein the at least one executing unit is further configured to:

receive identification information of the user; and

search a telephone number associated with the user.

14. The server according to claim 13, wherein the at least one executing unit is further configured to:

verify a relationship between the telephone number and the mobile terminal by sending a verification message to the mobile terminal through the telephone number; and

save the relationship between the identification information and the telephone number after the telephone number is verified.

15. The server according to claim 9, wherein the at least one executing unit is further configured to:

receive position information of the mobile terminal sent by the mobile terminal in response to the pre-defined instruction.

16. A method for preventing information disclosure from a mobile terminal, comprising:

receiving, by a computer server, a command from a user for erasing pre-determined information stored in a mobile terminal;

establishing, by a computer server, a network connection with the mobile terminal;

determining, by a computer server, whether the network connection is through an Internet network or through a short message network;

when the network is the Internet network, sending, by a computer server, a message in a form of a pre-defined instruction to the mobile terminal through the Internet network, wherein the pre-defined instruction comprises a locking password set by the user and a ciphertext corresponding to the locking password and is configured to instruct the mobile terminal to;

identify the message as the predefined instruction based on a format of the message,

lock the mobile terminal in a state unavailable for any operation other than receiving and verifying at least one of the locking password and the ciphertext, and

erase the pre-determined information stored in the mobile terminal; and

when the network is the short message network, sending, by a computer server, a message in a form of a pre-defined short message to the mobile terminal through the short message network, wherein the pre-defined short message comprises at least one of the locking password set by the user or the ciphertext corresponding to the locking password and is configured to instruct the mobile terminal to;

identify the message as the pre-defined short message based on the format of the message;

lock the mobile terminal in the state unavailable for any operation other than receiving and verifying the at least one of the locking password and the ciphertext, and

erase the pre-determined information stored in the mobile terminal.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprises:

receiving, by a server, the locking password from the user,

wherein the predefined instruction is further configured to instruct the mobile terminal to format a memory card connected with the mobile terminal.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprises:

adding, by a server, the locking password into the pre-defined instruction in a pre-defined format.

19. The method according to claim 17, further comprises:

encrypting, by a server, the locking password into the ciphertext; and

adding, by a server, the ciphertext corresponding to the locking password into the pre-defined instruction in a pre-defined format.

20. The method according to claim 16, further comprises:

receiving, by a server, identification information of the user; and

searching, by a server, a telephone number associated with the user.

21. The method according to claim 20, further comprises:

verifying, by a server, a relationship between the telephone number and the mobile terminal by sending a verification message to the mobile terminal through the telephone number; and

saving, by a server, the relationship between the identification information and the telephone number after the telephone number is verified.

22. The method according to claim 16, further comprises:

receiving, by a server, position information of the mobile terminal sent by the mobile terminal in response to the short message.