PROTECTION OF USER DATA IN HOSTED APPLICATION ENVIRONMENTS

• US 20140137181A1
• Filed: 11/15/2012
• Published: 05/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Christodorescu, Mihai, Pendarakis, Dimitrios, Singh, Kapil K.
• Granted Patent: US 9,245,126 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/105 Arrangements for software license management or administration, e.g. for managing licenses at corporate level
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/53 by executing in a restricted environment, e.g. sandbox or secure virtual machine
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/60 Protecting data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources

Abstract

A method of converting an original application into a cloud-hosted application includes splitting the original application into a plurality of application components along security relevant boundaries, mapping the application components to hosting infrastructure boundaries, and using a mechanism to enforce a privacy policy of a user. The mapping may include assigning each application component to a distinct virtual machine, which acts as a container for its assigned component.

Claims

1. A system configured to convert an original application into a distributed application, the system comprising:

a memory storing a computer program; and

a processor configured to execute the program,

wherein the program is configured to;

generate a manifest identifying all external entities a user of the application is to communicate with and what private information of the user each entity is allowed to access,

split the original application into a plurality of application components along security relevant boundaries according to the manifest,

map the application components to hosting infrastructure boundaries, and use a mechanism to enforce a privacy policy of the user.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the program performs the split by parsing computer code of the original application for boundary program labels that define respective boundaries of each application component within the original application, and generating a distinct process for each boundary program label.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the program performs the map by mapping each application component to a distinct virtual machine.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the mechanism used by the program is assignment of a firewall between at least two of the application components.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the mechanism used by the program is assignment of a firewall between at least one of the application components and at least one external application.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the external application is a website.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the program is configured to deploy the application in a cloud.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the program deploys the application by starting each application component in its own virtual machine.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the program enforces restrictions on transfer of information between at least two of the components and at least one external entity based on the policy and a manifest.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the policy is a computer data structure that indicates information that is to be shared with each external entity, and the manifest is a computer data structure that indicates which the external entities configured to communicate with each application component and part of the information required by each application component.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the program enforces the restrictions by generating rules for a firewall from the policy and the manifest.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein the program associates a licensing agreement that the user must agree to before it uses the application.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the licensing agreement includes a distinct section for each application component present in the application.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein a structure of the licensing agreement is machine readable such that the licensing agreement is readable by a natural language processing tools.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the program presents the licensing agreement to the user before enabling the user access to the application.

16. A system configured to manage a distributed application comprising a plurality of application components, the system comprising:

a memory storing a computer program; and

a processor configured to execute the program,

wherein the program is configured to start a new virtual machine for each application component,

wherein each virtual machine runs a distinct one of the application components,

wherein at least one of the application components without permission to communicate information of a user to an external application, sends a message to the user requesting permission for the information to be output to the external application, updates a privacy policy of the user based on a response of the user to the message, and outputs the information to the external application only when the privacy policy indicates that output of the information to the external application is allowed.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein at least one of the application components generates at least one rule for a firewall based on the privacy policy and information requirements of the external application.

18. The system of claim 16, where the message includes a licensing agreement having a distinct section for each application component.

19. A system configured to manage a distributed application comprising a plurality of application components, the system comprising:

a memory storing a computer program; and

a processor configured to execute the program,

wherein the program is configured to start a new virtual machine for each application component,

wherein each virtual machine runs a distinct one of the application components, and

wherein at least one of the virtual machines receives a manifest from an external application indicating information from a user that is required by the external application, sends a message to the user requesting permission for the external application to access the information, and outputs the information to the external application only when a response to the message by the user indicates that output of the information to the external application is allowed.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein at least one of the virtual machines updates a privacy policy of the user based on the response and generates a rule for a firewall between at least one of the components and the external application based on the updated privacy policy and the manifest.

21. The system of claim 19, where the message includes a licensing agreement having a distinct section for each application component.