Security enhancement through application access control

• US 9,691,051 B2
• Filed: 06/11/2012
• Issued: 06/27/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Box Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Box Incorporated
• Inventors: Rexer, Peter, Patil, Aniket
• Primary Examiner(s): Xia, Xuyang
• Application Number:
  US13/493,783
• Publication Number:
  US 20130311894A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,842 Days
• Field of Search: 715741
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/604 Tools and structures for managing or administering access control systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/629 to features or functions of an application
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

Security enhancement through application access control for cloud-based services and/or storage accounts is disclosed. In one aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure include a method, which may be implemented on a system, for providing, via the collaboration environment, applications for use by a user in the collaboration environment. The applications are selectable by a user, through the collaboration environment, for use in interaction and engagement with other users in the collaboration environment in collaboration sessions. The applications that are visible or available for use by the user is configurable by another user (e.g., administrator or IT specialist) with appropriate permissions, though a designated console.

Claims

1. A method of enhancing security in a collaboration environment through application access control, the method comprising:

receiving, on a console associated with a web-based collaboration system in the collaboration environment, settings associated with one or more available applications for collaboration, wherein the one or more available applications are configurable by a user with appropriate permissions via the web-based collaboration system;

providing, by the web-based collaboration system, the one or more available applications to a first collaborator and a second collaborator included in multiple collaborators of the collaboration environment, wherein providing the one or more available applications includes making the one or more available applications selectable by the first collaborator and the second collaborator;

receiving, from the first collaborator, a selection associated with an application of the one or more available applications via one of multiple user devices associated with the first collaborator;

integrating, by the web-based collaboration system, the application for use by the first collaborator via the web-based collaboration system;

applying, by the web-based collaboration system, security settings to accounts associated with the multiple collaborators configured by the user with the appropriate permissions, wherein the security settings include setting exceptions based on one or more of content or location-based criteria associated with the first collaborator, and include allowing or restricting access by a mobile device from the multiple user devices associated with the first collaborator;

identifying that the application includes default settings enforced on accounts associated with the first collaborator and the second collaborator of the multiple collaborators, wherein the default settings include either edit access or view access for the first collaborator and the second collaborator enforced by the web-based collaboration system, wherein the application is included in the one or more available applications for collaboration by the first collaborator and the second collaborator of the multiple collaborators; and

upon detecting an attempt to delete the application from the web-based collaboration system by the second collaborator in the multiple collaborators, preventing deletion of the application, wherein the application includes the default settings.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, the user with the appropriate permissions comprises an administrator of an organization to which the multiple collaborators belong;

wherein, the administrator configures the one or more available applications for availability to the multiple collaborators of the organization.

3. The method of claim 1,

wherein the one or more available applications are configured to be available by the first collaborator or the user with the appropriate permissions through the console and wherein the one or more available applications are customizable to the multiple collaborators or the user with the appropriate permissions.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the web-based collaboration system, instructions directing the web-based collaboration system to configure components or features of the one or more available applications.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein, a number of the one or more available applications that can be selected by the first collaborator is configurable by the user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein, the one or more available applications include one or more of:

document editing and viewing applications, image or photo editing applications, browser extension applications, mobile device applications, annotation tools, file sharing applications, third-party applications, native applications created by a host of the collaboration environment, or enterprise-specific applications.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the security settings are configurable via the console.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the security settings, when applied by the web-based collaboration system, include a pass code lock and attributes associated with the pass code lock.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein, the security settings are configurable by a collaborator in the multiple collaborators.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the one or more available applications includes

making the one or more available applications selectable by the multiple such that the one or more available applications are visible to the multiple collaborators.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving mobile security settings to configure the one or more available applications for mobile access by the multiple collaborators via the web-based collaboration system;

enforcing, by the web-based collaboration system, the mobile security settings when the collaboration environment is accessed using a mobile device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein, the security settings include a number of the one or more available applications associated with an application type.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein, the security settings include a number of the one or more available applications associated with an application type, and further wherein the application type includes at least one of:

a sync client application, a phone application, a tablet application, and a browser application.

14. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon, which when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

responsive to receiving settings associated with one or more available applications via a console associated with a web-based collaboration system in a collaboration environment;

provide, by the web-based collaboration system in the collaboration environment, the one or more available applications to a first collaborator and a second collaborator included in the multiple collaborators of the collaboration environment,

wherein the providing includes making the one or more available applications selectable by the multiple collaborators,

wherein the one or more available applications are configurable via the web-based collaboration system,

wherein the settings are initiated by a user having appropriate permissions in the collaboration environment;

responsive to receiving from the first collaborator included in the multiple collaborators a selection associated with an application of the one or more available applications via one of multiple user devices associated with the first collaborator;

integrate the selected application for use by the first collaborator of the multiple collaborators through the web-based collaboration system;

applying, by the web-based collaboration system, mobile security settings configured by the user with the appropriate permissions to accounts associated with the multiple collaborators, wherein the security settings include setting exceptions based on one or more of content or location-based criteria associated with the first collaborator, and include allowing or restricting access by a mobile device from the multiple user devices associated with the first collaborator;

enforcing the mobile security settings on the accounts associated with the multiple collaborators;

identifying that the selected application includes default settings enforced on accounts associated with the first collaborator and the second collaborator of the multiple collaborators of the collaboration environment, wherein the default settings include either edit access or view access for the first collaborator and the second collaborator enforced by the web-based collaboration system, wherein the application is included in the one or more available applications for collaboration by the first collaborator and the second collaborator of the multiple collaborators; and

upon detecting an attempt to delete the application from the web-based collaboration system by the second collaborator in the multiple collaborators, preventing deletion of the application, wherein the application includes the default settings.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein, the mobile security settings are configurable through the console by the user.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein, the mobile security settings include a pass code lock and attributes associated with the pass code lock.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the console is specific to users with administrative rights.

18. A method of enhancing security of corporate content in a cloud environment through configurable use of native and third-party applications, the method comprising:

receiving settings associated with the native and the third-party applications, the settings including an identification of the third-party applications that are allowable for use by collaborators in accessing the corporate content in the cloud environment;

wherein, the third-party applications are made allowable via selection by a user having appropriate administrative permissions through a console associated with a web-based collaboration system of the cloud environment;

presenting a list of the third-party applications that are allowable to a first collaborator and a second collaborator included in the collaborators,

wherein the third-party applications on the list are selectable by the collaborators for use in accessing the corporate content in the cloud environment;

wherein the list of the third-party applications that are selectable by the collaborators is specific to an enterprise to which the corporate content relates;

receiving a selection from the first collaborator of the collaborators, the selection indicating a set of third-party applications of the third-party applications on the list that are selected for use by the first collaborator in accessing the corporate content in the cloud environment via one of multiple user devices associated with the first collaborator;

integrating, the set of third-party applications for use by the first collaborator via the web-based collaboration system;

applying security settings to accounts associated with the collaborators configured by the user with the appropriate permissions, wherein the security settings include setting exceptions based on the accessed corporate content or location-based criteria associated with the first collaborator included in the collaborators, and include allowing or restricting access by a mobile device from the multiple user devices associated with the first collaborator;

identifying that the selected set of third-party applications include default settings enforced on accounts associated with the first collaborator and the second collaborator of the collaborators of the cloud environment, wherein the default settings include either edit access or view access for the first collaborator and the second collaborator enforced by the web-based collaboration system, wherein the selected set of third-party applications are included on the list of the third-party applications for collaboration by the first collaborator and the second collaborator of the collaborators; and

upon detecting an attempt to delete a application from the selected set of third-party applications by the second collaborator in the collaborators, preventing deletion of the application, wherein the application includes the default settings.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

providing the set of third-party applications to the first collaborator for use in the cloud environment;

wherein, different sets of the third-party applications in the list of the third-party applications are provided to the collaborators.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein, the user with the appropriate administrative permissions is an administrative user in the enterprise.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein, the selection further includes an indication of whether a third-party application from the selected set of third-party applications is to be disabled, available, or added by default.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein, use and installation of the application from the selected set of third-party applications to access the corporate content via the cloud environment is configurable via the console.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein, a number of instances of the native applications able to be used or installed by a collaborator in the collaborators is configurable via the console.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein, the native applications include a synchronization client to synchronize or download corporate content or update to the corporate content via the cloud environment.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein, a number of synchronization clients allowed per collaborator is configurable and reconfigurable.

26. The method of claim 22, wherein, the native applications include a smart phone application or a mobile application to access the corporate content via the cloud environment using a smart phone or mobile device.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein, a number of mobile applications allowed per user is configurable and reconfigurable.

28. The method of claim 22, wherein, the native applications include a tablet application to access the corporate content via the cloud environment using a tablet device.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein, a number of tablet applications allowed per user is configurable and reconfigurable.

30. The method of claim 22, wherein, the native applications include a browser application to access the corporate content via the cloud environment using a web browser.