Function-level lock for mobile device security

• US 9,495,527 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2013
• Issued: 11/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Hirase, Yoshiya
• Primary Examiner(s): Armouche, Hadi
• Assistant Examiner(s): HOLMES, ANGELA R
• Application Number:
  US14/144,347
• Publication Number:
  US 20150186661A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,051 Days
• Field of Search: 726/28
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/32 using biometric data, e.g. fingerprints, iris scans or voiceprints
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database

Abstract

One embodiment provides an electronic mobile device comprising one or more mobile applications. Each mobile application has at least one corresponding graphical user interface (GUI) screen for display on the mobile device. The mobile device includes a security system. For each mobile application, the security system maintains corresponding security data, wherein the corresponding security data represents one or more secure components of a corresponding GUI screen. The security system generates a GUI screen for a mobile application based on corresponding security data, wherein each secure component of the UI screen is locked. User access to a locked component of the GUI screen is permitted only after successful user verification.

Claims

1. An electronic mobile device, comprising:

a mobile application, wherein the mobile application has a corresponding graphical user interface (GUI) screen for display on the electronic mobile device;

one or more processors; and

a non-transitory processor-readable memory device storing instructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause the one or more processors to perform operations including;

registering one or more defined security areas of the mobile application by;

generating a corresponding GUI component hierarchy tree comprising a hierarchy of GUI components included in the corresponding GUI screen in response to an interaction with the corresponding GUI screen, wherein each GUI component of a hierarchy of GUI components is displayed in the corresponding GUI screen;

determining which one or more GUI components of the corresponding GUI screen are selected for locking based on the corresponding GUI component hierarchy tree; and

maintaining corresponding security data on at least one database, wherein the corresponding security data represents one or more defined security areas of the mobile application, and each defined security area includes at least one GUI component of the corresponding GUI screen selected for locking; and

securing the one or more defined security areas by;

in response to receiving a request to draw the corresponding GUI screen, drawing the corresponding GUI screen based on the corresponding security data and the corresponding GUI component hierarchy tree, wherein each GUI component of the corresponding GUI screen selected for locking is locked; and

permitting access to a locked GUI component of the corresponding GUI screen only in response to successful verification.

2. The electronic mobile device of claim 1, wherein:

the at least one database corresponds to the mobile application, and the corresponding security data comprises one or more fingerprint identifications representing the one or more defined security areas of the mobile application.

3. The electronic mobile device of claim 1, wherein the securing the one or more defined security areas further comprises:

unlocking a locked GUI component of the corresponding GUI screen to permit access to the locked GUI component only in response to successful verification.

4. The electronic mobile device of claim 1, wherein the securing the one or more defined security areas further comprises:

prompting for verification in response to interaction with a locked GUI component of the corresponding GUI screen.

5. The electronic mobile device of claim 1, wherein the determining which one or more GUI components of the corresponding GUI screen are selected for locking further comprises:

detecting number of times a GUI component of the corresponding GUI screen is interacted with; and

traversing through the corresponding GUI component hierarchy tree based on the number of times the GUI component is interacted with to allow selection of one or more GUI components to be included in a defined security area of the mobile application.

6. The electronic mobile device of claim 2, wherein the registering one or more defined security areas of the mobile application further comprises:

generating a corresponding fingerprint identification for each defined security area of the mobile application based on the corresponding GUI component hierarchy tree, wherein the corresponding fingerprint identification comprises at least one of the following;

a component identification of a GUI component of the corresponding GUI screen selected for locking, and an application identification of the mobile application; and

maintaining each fingerprint identification generated on the at least one database.

7. The electronic mobile device of claim 2, wherein the securing the one or more defined security areas further comprises:

retrieving the one or more fingerprint identifications from the at least one database; and

determining whether the corresponding GUI screen includes one or more defined security areas based on the one or more fingerprint identifications and the corresponding GUI component hierarchy tree.

8. The electronic mobile device of claim 1, wherein:

access to a non-locked GUI component of the corresponding GUI screen is permitted without verification.

9. A method, comprising:

registering one or more defined security areas of a mobile application by;

generating a corresponding GUI component hierarchy tree comprising a hierarchy of GUI components included in a corresponding graphical user interface (GUI) screen of the mobile application in response to an interaction with the corresponding GUI screen, wherein each GUI component of a hierarchy of GUI components is displayed in the corresponding GUI screen;

determining which one or more GUI components of the corresponding GUI screen are selected for locking based on the corresponding GUI component hierarchy tree; and

maintaining corresponding security data, wherein the corresponding security data represents one or more defined security areas of the mobile application, and each defined security area includes at least one GUI component of the corresponding GUI screen selected for locking; and

securing the one or more defined security areas by;

in response to receiving a request to draw the corresponding GUI screen, drawing the corresponding GUI screen based on the corresponding security data and the corresponding GUI component hierarchy tree, wherein each GUI component of the corresponding GUI screen selected for locking is locked; and

permitting access to a locked GUI component of the corresponding GUI screen only in response to successful verification.

10. The method of claim 9,

wherein the corresponding security data comprises one or more fingerprint identifications representing the one or more defined security areas of the mobile application.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the securing the one or more defined security areas further comprises:

unlocking a locked GUI component of the corresponding GUI screen to permit access to the locked GUI component only in response to successful verification.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the securing the one or more defined security areas further comprises:

prompting for verification in response to interaction with a locked GUI component of the corresponding GUI screen.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the determining which one or more GUI components of the corresponding GUI screen are selected for locking further comprises:

detecting number of times a GUI component of the corresponding GUI screen is interacted with; and

traversing through the corresponding GUI component hierarchy tree based on the number of times the GUI component is interacted with to allow selection of one or more GUI components to be included in a defined security area of the mobile application.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the registering one or more defined security areas of the mobile application further comprises:

generating a corresponding fingerprint identification for each defined security area of the mobile application based on the corresponding GUI component hierarchy tree, wherein the corresponding fingerprint identification comprises at least one of the following;

a component identification of a GUI component of the corresponding GUI screen selected for locking, and an application identification of the mobile application; and

maintaining each fingerprint identification generated on the at least one database.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the securing the one or more defined security areas further comprises:

retrieving the one or more fingerprint identifications from the at least one database; and

determining whether the corresponding GUI screen includes one or more defined security areas based on the one or more fingerprint identifications and the corresponding GUI component hierarchy tree.

16. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

permitting access to a non-locked GUI component of the corresponding GUI screen without verification.

17. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium that includes a program that when executed by a processor performs a method comprising:

registering one or more defined security areas of a mobile application by;

generating a corresponding GUI component hierarchy tree comprising a hierarchy of GUI components included in a corresponding graphical user interface (GUI) screen of the mobile application in response to an interaction with the corresponding GUI screen, wherein each GUI component of a hierarchy of GUI components is displayed in the corresponding GUI screen;

determining which one or more GUI components of the corresponding GUI screen are selected for locking based on the corresponding GUI component hierarchy tree; and

maintaining corresponding security data, wherein the corresponding security data represents one or more defined security areas of the mobile application, and each defined security area includes at least one GUI component of the corresponding GUI screen selected for locking; and

securing the one or more defined security areas by;

in response to receiving a request to draw the corresponding GUI screen, drawing the corresponding GUI screen based on the corresponding security data and the corresponding GUI component hierarchy tree, wherein each GUI component of the corresponding GUI screen selected for locking is locked; and

permitting access to a locked GUI component of the corresponding GUI screen only in response to successful verification.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17,

wherein the corresponding security data comprises one or more fingerprint identifications representing the one or more defined security areas of the mobile application.

19. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the securing the one or more defined security areas further comprises:

unlocking a locked GUI component of the corresponding GUI screen to permit access to the locked GUI component only in response to successful verification;

prompting for verification only in response to interaction with a locked component of the corresponding GUI screen; and

permitting access to a non-locked component of the corresponding GUI screen without verification.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the determining which one or more GUI components of the corresponding GUI screen are selected for locking further comprises:

detecting number of times a GUI component of the corresponding GUI screen is interacted with; and

traversing through the corresponding GUI component hierarchy tree based on the number of times the GUI component is interacted with to allow selection of one or more GUI components to be included in a defined security area of the mobile application.