Mobile device tracking prevention method and system

• US 9,813,873 B2
• Filed: 07/02/2014
• Issued: 11/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avast Software SRO (Gen Digital Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Avast Software NV (Gen Digital Inc.)
• Inventors: Ben-Itzhak, Yuval, Levi, Shaul, Mironchyk, Pavel
• Primary Examiner(s): Dean, Jr., Joseph
• Application Number:
  US14/322,634
• Publication Number:
  US 20150024787A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,224 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/18 for broadcast or conference , e.g. multicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1845 broadcast or multicast in a specific location, e.g. geocast protocols for adapting network applications to user terminal location H04L67/52; services specially adapted for wireless communication networks making use of the location of users or terminals H04W4/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72463 to restrict the functionality of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/06 including a wireless LAN interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/30 Security of mobile devices; Security of mobile applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/63 Location-dependent; Proximity-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/027 using movement velocity, acceleration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/006 with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities

Abstract

A mobile device tracking prevention method and system includes monitoring a mobile device for movement, determining whether an operating state of a wireless module of the mobile device should be adjusted when movement of the mobile device is detected, and controlling the operating state of the wireless module based on the determination. One or more of the actual geographic location of the mobile device, network IDs broadcasted by nearby network access points, and signal strengths of the access points as detected by the mobile device can be monitored to detect movement of the mobile device. Changes to any of these may be indicative of movement of the mobile device, which may serve as the basis for enabling or disabling the wireless module to prevent tracking of the mobile device without sacrificing user productivity.

Claims

1. A mobile device tracking prevention method, comprising:

using a mobile device to receive data being broadcasted via at least one network access point, the mobile device having a wireless module configured to access the at least one network access point, the broadcasted data including at least one service set identifier (“

SSID”

) that corresponds to a network access point of the at least one network access point;

monitoring, using the wireless module, for at least one change to the broadcasted data occurring within a predefined time, the at least one change to the broadcasted data including a change in the total number of SSIDs included in the broadcasted data; and

automatically controlling an operating state of the wireless module such that the module is enabled in the absence of the change in the total number of SSIDs included in the broadcasted data, and is disabled on detection of the change in the total number of SSIDs included in the broadcasted data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one change to the broadcasted data further includes a change in a strength of at least one access point signal carrying at least a portion of the broadcasted data.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, when the wireless module is disabled, the module is disabled for only a predefined period of time.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising re-enabling the wireless module to be re-enabled after the predefined period of time.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device comprises one of a smartphone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a notebook computer, and a personal digital assistant.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless module is one of a Bluetooth, a WiFi, a GSM, and an NFC module.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the at least one network access point is a WiFi access point.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising causing the mobile device to present a user notification whenever the operating state of the wireless module is adjusted.

9. A mobile device tracking prevention method, comprising:

monitoring the geographic location of a mobile device with respect to a signal coverage area of a trusted network access point, the mobile device having a wireless module configured to access the trusted access point, the trusted access point being associated with an SSID, the monitoring being effected based at least in part on the SSIDs included in broadcasted data received at the wireless module;

detecting changes to the geographic location of the mobile device to determine whether the mobile device has one of exited and entered the signal coverage area, the changes including at least one change in the total number of SSIDs included in the broadcasted data; and

automatically controlling an operating state of the wireless module based on the detected changes such that the wireless module is enabled when the mobile device enters the signal coverage area, and disabled when the mobile device exits the signal coverage area so as to be incapable of communicating with any public access points while the mobile device is outside of the signal coverage area.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein monitoring the geographic location of the mobile device is further effected using at least one of a geographic positioning system (“

GPS”

), at least one accelerometer sensor, and at least one mobile cell attribute technique.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

determining whether the wireless module has been disabled for at least a predefined first time; and

causing the wireless module to be re-enabled when the wireless module has been disabled for at least the predefined first time.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising, after causing the wireless module to be re-enabled, identifying whether the wireless module accesses the trusted access point within a predefined second time.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising causing the wireless module to be disabled if the wireless module fails to access the trusted access point within the predefined second time.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising, during access to the trusted access point by the wireless module, storing the geographic location of the mobile device as an in-range location.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein detecting changes to the geographic location is based on the in-range location.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the mobile device comprises one of a smartphone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a notebook computer, and a personal digital assistant.

17. The method of claim 9, wherein the wireless module is one of a Bluetooth, a WiFi, a GSM, and an NFC module.

18. The method of claim 9, wherein the trusted network access point is a trusted WiFi access point.

19. The method of claim 9, further comprising causing the mobile device to present a user notification whenever the operating state of the wireless module is adjusted.

20. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory medium storing computer executable program logic to cause at least one data processing device of a mobile device to:

receive data being broadcasted via at least one network access point, the mobile device having a wireless module configured to access the at least one network access point, the broadcasted data including at least one SSID that corresponds to a network access point of the at least one network access point;

monitor for at least one change to the broadcasted data occurring within a predefined time, the at least one change to the broadcasted data including a change in the total number of SSIDs included in the broadcasted data; and

automatically control an operating state of the wireless module such that the module is enabled in the absence of the change in the total number of SSIDs included in the broadcasted data, and is disabled on detection of the change in the total number of SSIDs included in the broadcasted data.

21. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory medium storing computer executable program logic to cause at least one data processing device of a mobile device to:

monitor the geographic location of the mobile device with respect to a signal coverage area of a trusted network access point, the mobile device having a wireless module configured to access the trusted access point, the trusted access point being associated with an SSID, the monitoring being effected based at least in part on the SSIDs included in broadcasted data received at the wireless module;

detect changes to the geographic location of the mobile device to determine whether the mobile device has one of exited and entered the signal coverage area, the changes including at least one change in the total number of SSIDs included in the broadcasted data; and

automatically control an operating state of the wireless module based on the detected changes such that the wireless module is enabled when the mobile device enters the signal coverage area, and disabled when the mobile device exits the signal coverage area so as to be incapable of communicating with any public access points while the mobile device is outside of the signal coverage area.

22. A mobile device tracking prevention system, comprising:

at least one data processing device of a mobile device, configured to;

receive data being broadcasted via at least one network access point, the mobile device having a wireless module configured to access the at least one network access point, the broadcasted data including at least one SSID that corresponds to a network access point of the at least one network access point;

monitor for at least one change to the broadcasted data occurring within a predefined time, the at least one change including a change in the total number of SSIDs included in the broadcasted data; and

automatically control an operating state of the wireless module such that the module is enabled in the absence of the change in the total number of SSIDs included in the broadcasted data, and is disabled on detection of the change in the total number of SSIDs included in the broadcasted data.

23. A mobile device tracking prevention system, comprising:

at least one data processing device of a mobile device, configured to;

monitor the geographic location of the mobile device with respect to a signal coverage area of a trusted network access point, the mobile device having a wireless module configured to access the trusted network access point, the trusted access point being associated with an SSID, the monitoring being effected based at least in part on the SSIDs included in broadcasted data received at the wireless module;

detect changes to the geographic location of the mobile device to determine whether the mobile device has one of exited and entered the signal coverage area, the changes including at least one change in the total number of SSIDs included in the broadcasted data; and

automatically control an operating state of the wireless module based on the detected changes such that the wireless module is enabled when the mobile device enters the signal coverage area, and disabled when the mobile device exits the signal coverage area so as to be incapable of communicating with any public access points while the mobile device is outside of the signal coverage area.