Method for protecting an electronic terminal, corresponding computer program and electronic terminal

• US 9,805,191 B2
• Filed: 12/10/2013
• Issued: 10/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Banks And Acquirers International Holding
• Original Assignee: Ingenico Group
• Inventors: Voelckel, Jean-Marc, Soussana, Isaac
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Anthony
• Application Number:
  US14/652,330
• Publication Number:
  US 20150302194A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,421 Days
• Field of Search: 726 22- 25
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/554 involving event detection and direct action
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/88 Detecting or preventing theft or loss
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/034 Test or assess a computer or a system

Abstract

A method is provided for protecting an electronic terminal. The method includes: activating a state of monitoring the terminal; in the state of monitoring, detecting a manipulation of the terminal, generating the passage of the terminal to a so-called suspect state, representative of a risk of attempted fraudulent use of the terminal; in the suspect state, triggering a reaction by the terminal, the reaction of the terminal including updating an alert level representative of a probability of attempted fraudulent use of the terminal, and a implementing at least one reactive action dependent on the alert level.

Claims

1. A method for protecting an electronic terminal comprising:

activating a state of surveillance of said terminal when a current value of at least one piece of information characterizing a context of said terminal is situated in a predefined range of values of said information, and assigning a minimum value to a level of alert;

in said state of surveillance, detecting a first handling of said terminal and passing said terminal into a suspect state, representing a risk of an attempt at fraudulent use of said terminal; and

in said suspect state, triggering a reaction by said terminal, wherein said reaction of said terminal comprises updating the level of alert, which represents a probability of an attempt at fraudulent use of said terminal and implementing at least one reactive action according to said level of alert, wherein updating the level of alert comprises;

in response to detecting of the first handling, updating the level of alert to a first value and implementing a first reactive action according to said first value; and

in response to detecting a second, subsequent handling, updating the level of alert from the first value to a second value, and implementing a second, different reactive action according to said second value.

2. The method for protecting an electronic terminal according to claim 1 wherein said detecting a handling of said terminal comprises a sub-act of comparing the current value of at least one piece of further information characterizing a context of said terminal with a further predefined range of values of said further information.

3. The method for protecting an electronic terminal according to claim 1, wherein said first and second handlings belong to the group of events consisting of:

an action on an input control component of an interface of said terminal;

an overturning of said terminal;

a partial rotation of said terminal;

a shift of said terminal;

a pressure on a portion of a casing of the terminal;

a combination of at least two of said events.

4. The method for protecting an electronic terminal according claim 1, wherein said piece of information belongs to the group consisting of:

a piece of information coming from a time-stamp;

an orientation of said terminal;

a localizing of said terminal;

an acceleration or a speed of movement of said terminal;

a combination of at least two of the pieces of information in the group.

5. The method for protecting an electronic terminal according to claim 1, wherein the method furthermore comprises deactivating said state of surveillance.

6. The method for protecting an electronic terminal according to claim 1, wherein said first and second reactive actions belong to the group consisting of:

an at least partial blocking of said terminal;

an erasure of at least one part of sensitive data of said terminal;

a falsification and/or a corruption of at least one part of the sensitive data of said terminal;

a sending of a warning message;

a recording by said terminal of at least one piece of information representing said handling;

a combination of at least two of said actions of said group.

9. The method for protecting an electronic terminal according claim 2, wherein said piece of further information belongs to the group consisting of:

a piece of information coming from a time-stamp;

an orientation of said terminal;

a localizing of said terminal;

an acceleration or a speed of movement of said terminal;

a combination of at least two of the pieces of information in the group.

10. The method for protecting an electronic terminal according claim 2, wherein said piece of further information belongs to the group consisting of:

a piece of information coming from a time-stamp;

an orientation of said terminal;

a localizing of said terminal;

an acceleration or a speed of movement of said terminal;

a combination of at least two of the pieces of information in the group.

7. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising a computer program product stored thereon and comprising program code instructions to implement a method for protecting an electronic terminal, when said program is executed on a computer, wherein the instructions comprise:

instructions that configure the terminal to activate a state of surveillance of said terminal when a current value of at least one piece of information characterizing a context of said terminal is situated in a predefined range of values of said information, and assigning a minimum value to a level of alert;

instructions that configure the terminal to, in said state of surveillance, detect a first handling of said terminal and passing said terminal into a suspect state, representing a risk of an attempt at fraudulent use of said terminal; and

instructions that configure the terminal to, in said suspect state, trigger a reaction by said terminal, wherein said reaction of said terminal comprises updating the level of alert, which represent a probability of an attempt at fraudulent use of said terminal and implementing at least one reactive action according to said level of alert, wherein updating the level of alert comprises;

in response to detecting of the first handling, updating the level of alert to a first value and implementing a first reactive action according to said first value; and

in response to detecting a second, subsequent handling, updating the level of alert from the first value to a second value, and implementing a second, different reactive action according to said second value.

8. An electronic terminal comprising:

means for activating a state of surveillance of said terminal when a current value of at least one piece of information characterizing a context of said terminal is situated in a predefined range of values of said information, and assigning a minimum value to a level of alert;

in said state of surveillance, means for detecting a first handling of said terminal, generating the passage of said terminal into a suspect state, representing a risk of an attempt at fraudulent use of said terminal; and

in said suspect state, means for triggering a reaction by said terminal, wherein said means for triggering a reaction by said terminal comprise means for updating the level of alert, which represent a probability of an attempt at fraudulent use of said terminal, and means for implementing at least one reactive action as a function of said level of alert, wherein updating the level of alert comprises;

in response to detecting of the first handling, updating the level of alert to a first value and implementing a first reactive action according to said first value; and

in response to detecting a second, subsequent handling, updating the level of alert from the first value to a second value, and implementing a second, different reactive action according to said second value.