Methods and systems for persistent cross-application mobile device identification

• US 9,521,551 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Issued: 12/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The 41st Parameter, Inc. (Experian plc)
• Original Assignee: The 41st Parameter, Inc. (Experian plc)
• Inventors: Eisen, Ori, Yalov, Raz
• Primary Examiner(s): Ajibade Akonai, Olumide T
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mastrodonato, Margaret G
• Application Number:
  US13/831,085
• Publication Number:
  US 20130273879A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,370 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/53 by executing in a restricted environment, e.g. sandbox or secure virtual machine
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/73 by creating or determining hardware identification, e.g. serial numbers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2129 Authenticate client device independently of the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0876 based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/069 using certificates or pre-shared keys
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/086 using security domains

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for persistent cross-application mobile device identification. A mobile device may have a plurality of sandboxes in memory containing applications. The mobile device may have a shared storage which may be accessible by applications from different sandboxes. A storage location identifier may be used to access information in shared storage. A universal device identifier may be stored in the shared storage to identify the mobile device and may be accessible by multiple applications and updates to applications. The universal device identifier may be used to track the mobile device for advertising, fraud detection, reputation tracking, or other purposes.

Claims

1. A method for identifying a mobile device, comprising:

designating a first secure memory space in a memory of a mobile device as a first sandbox for confining a first application;

designating a second secure memory space in the memory of the mobile device as a second sandbox for confining a second application;

executing the first application in the first sandbox, the first application restricted from accessing the second secure memory space;

executing the second application in the second sandbox, the second application restricted from accessing the first secure memory space;

partitioning off a section of the memory in the mobile device to be designated as a persistent shared storage controlled by a shared storage manager, wherein the persistent shared storage is accessible by a plurality of applications executing in their respective, confined sandboxes, wherein the plurality of applications include the first application executing in the first sandbox and the second application executing in the second sandbox;

determining, with aid of a processor, whether a universal device identifier of the mobile device exists on the mobile device, wherein the universal device identifier uniquely identifies the mobile device and is used to track fraudulent activities associated with the mobile device across the plurality of applications executing in their respective, confined sandboxes in the memory of the mobile device;

generating the universal device identifier on the mobile device in response to a determination that the universal device identifier does not exist on the mobile device;

storing the universal device identifier in the persistent shared storage on the mobile device;

creating a storage location identifier associated with the universal device identifier, wherein the storage location identifier is used to access the universal device identifier stored in the persistent shared storage;

sharing the storage location identifier with the plurality of applications executing in their respective, confined sandboxes;

receiving independent requests for the universal device identifier from each of the first application and the second application of the plurality of applications;

retrieving the universal device identifier from the persistent shared storage;

providing the same universal device identifier to the first application and the second application; and

identifying a potential fraudulent transaction based at least partly on the universal device identifier.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing business logic using the universal device identifier.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein retrieving the universal device identifier includes using the storage location identifier.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the universal device identifier is an alphanumeric string.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing advertisement tracking of the mobile device using the universal device identifier.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein performing advertising tracking comprises following usage patterns of the mobile device across applications.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising sharing information between the plurality of applications installed on the mobile device, with aid of the universal device identifier.

8. A system for identifying a mobile device, comprising:

a memory comprising;

a first secure memory space designated as a first sandbox for confining a first application;

a second secure memory space designated as a second sandbox for confining a second application; and

a partitioned section of the memory designated as a persistent shared storage;

a shared storage manager configured to control access to the persistent shared storage by a plurality of applications executing in their respective sandboxes, the plurality of applications comprising the first application executing in the first sandbox and the second application executing in the second sandbox; and

a processor configured to execute software instructions to cause the mobile device to;

executing the first application in the first sandbox, the first application restricted from accessing the second secure memory space;

executing the second application in the second sandbox, the second application restricted from accessing the first secure memory space;

determine whether a universal device identifier of the mobile device exists on the mobile device, wherein the universal device identifier uniquely identifies the mobile device and is used to track fraudulent activities associated with the mobile device across the plurality of applications executing in their respective, confined sandboxes;

generate the universal device identifier on the mobile device in response to a determination that the universal device identifier does not exist on the mobile device;

store the universal device identifier in the persistent shared storage on the mobile device;

create storage location identifier associated with the universal device identifier, wherein the storage location identifier is used to access the universal device identifier stored in the persistent shared storage;

share the storage location identifier with the plurality of applications executing in their respective, confined sandboxes;

receive independent requests for the universal device identifier from each of the first application and the second application of the plurality of applications;

retrieve the universal device identifier from the persistent shared storage;

provide the same universal device identifier to the first application and the second application; and

identify a potential fraudulent transaction based at least partly on the universal device identifier.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the storage location identifier uniquely identifies a location in the persistent shared storage that stores the universal device identifier.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the storage location identifier is an alphanumeric string.

11. The system of claim 8, further comprising an operating system that manages the sandboxes.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the universal device identifier identifying the mobile device is directly accessible by the plurality of applications executing in their respective, confined sandboxes.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the universal device identifier is accessible via the storage location identifier for the universal device identifier.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the universal device identifier is an alphanumeric string unique to the mobile device.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the universal device identifier comprises the time of creation of the universal device identifier.

16. A non-transitory storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon, the computer-executable instructions readable by a computing system comprising one or more computing devices, wherein the computer-executable instructions are executable on the computing system in order to cause the computing system to perform operations, comprising:

designating, by the computer system, a first secure memory space in a memory of a mobile device as a first sandbox for confining a first application;

designating, by the computer system, a second secure memory space in the memory of the mobile device as a second sandbox for confining a second application;

executing, by the computer system, the first application in the first sandbox, the first application restricted from accessing the second secure memory space;

executing, by the computer system, the second application in the second sandbox, the second application restricted from accessing the first secure memory space;

partitioning, by the computer system, off a section of the memory in the mobile device to be designated as a persistent shared storage controlled by a shared storage manager, wherein the persistent shared storage is accessible by a plurality of applications executing in their respective, confined sandboxes, wherein the plurality of applications include the first application executing in the first sandbox and the second application executing in the second sandbox;

determining, by the computer system, whether a universal device identifier of the mobile device exists on the mobile device, wherein the universal device identifier uniquely identifies the mobile device and is used to track fraudulent activities associated with the mobile device across the plurality of applications executing in their respective, confined sandboxes in the memory of the mobile device;

generating, by the computer system, the universal device identifier on the mobile device in response to a determination that the universal device identifier does not exist on the mobile device;

storing, by the computer system, the universal device identifier in the persistent shared storage on the mobile device;

creating, by the computer system, a storage location identifier associated with the universal device identifier, wherein the storage location identifier is used to access the universal device identifier stored in the persistent shared storage;

sharing, by the computer system, the storage location identifier with the plurality of applications executing in their respective, confined sandboxes;

receiving, by the computer system, independent requests for the universal device identifier from the first application and the second application of the plurality of applications;

retrieving, by the computer system, the universal device identifier from the persistent shared storage;

providing, by the computer system, the same universal device identifier to the first application and the second application; and

identifying a potential fraudulent transaction based at least partly on the universal device identifier.