Patent application number | Description | Published |
20110047033 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MOBILE DEVICE REPLACEMENT - This disclosure describes a system and method for providing relevant offers for a user to replace a mobile communication device in the event that the device is lost, stolen, or otherwise in need of replacement, such as when a device has its SIM card removed or replaced, is inactive for a period of time, is unresponsive to a server monitoring the device, or when other customizable events occur. The disclosed system can determine if and when a mobile communication device may need replacement, and can generate relevant offers to replace the device based upon the user's current device and other factors. The system may also optimize offers to increase the likelihood of acceptance based upon previously accepted offers. In order to provide a comprehensive set of replacement options for a user, the system can aggregate offers from third parties. | 02-24-2011 |
20110047594 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MOBILE COMMUNICATION DEVICE APPLICATION ADVISEMENT - This disclosure is directed to a system and method for providing advisement about applications on mobile communication devices such as smartphones, netbooks, and tablets. A server gathers data about mobile applications, analyzes the applications, and produces an assessment that may advise users on a variety of factors, including security, privacy, battery impact, performance impact, and network usage. The disclosure helps users understand the impact of applications to improve the experience in using their mobile device. The disclosure also enables a server to feed information about applications to other protection systems such as application policy systems and network infrastructure. The disclosure also enables advisement about applications to be presented in a variety of forms, such as through a mobile application, as part of a web application, or integrated into other services via an API. | 02-24-2011 |
20110047597 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SECURITY DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS - Disclosed herein is a system and method for efficiently gathering information about applications for mobile communication devices (e.g., smartphones, netbooks, and tablets). This disclosure is also directed to a server producing assessments for applications by analyzing data from multiple sources. To gather information, a device sends information about an application to a server, which stores some or all of the information and may request additional information, if necessary. The server collects information from many devices, including devices that have varied configurations and different operating systems, by only collecting the appropriate information from each device. The server gathers the appropriate data to perform in-depth, granular mobile application analysis while minimizing overhead on devices, wireless networks, and the server. The server may collect portions of data from multiple devices, combining them on the server to produce an assessment for an application. | 02-24-2011 |
20110047620 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SERVER-COUPLED MALWARE PREVENTION - This disclosure is directed to a system and method for preventing malware, spyware and other undesirable applications from affecting mobile communication devices (e.g., smartphones, netbooks, and tablets). A mobile communication device uses a server to assist in identifying and removing undesirable applications. When scanning an application, a device transmits information about the application to a server for analysis. The server receives the information, produces an assessment for the application, and transmits the assessment to the device. By performing analysis on a server, the invention allows a device to reduce the battery and performance cost of protecting against undesirable applications. The servers transmits notifications to devices that have installed applications that are discovered to be undesirable. The server receives data about applications from many devices, using the combined data to minimize false positives and provide comprehensive protection against known and unknown threats. | 02-24-2011 |
20110145920 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ADVERSE MOBILE APPLICATION IDENTIFICATION - A system and method identifies mobile applications that can have an adverse effect on a mobile device or mobile network. In an implementation, a server monitors behavioral data relating to a mobile application and applies a model to determine if the application has an adverse effect or has the potential to cause an adverse effect on a mobile device or a network the mobile device may connect to. A mobile device may monitor behavioral data, apply a model to the data, and transmit a disposition to the server. The server may aggregate behavioral data or disposition information from multiple devices. The server may transmit or make available the disposition information to a subscriber through a web interface, API, email, or other mechanism. After identifying that an application may have an adverse effect, the server may enact corrective actions, such as generating device or network configuration data. | 06-16-2011 |
20110241872 | MOBILE DEVICE GEOLOCATION - GPS receivers are included in many mobile communications devices; however, there are circumstances where GPS is unavailable or undesirable to use. In an implementation, a device identifies nearby wireless signals, such as Wi-Fi access points and cell towers, and compares them to a database of known signals to determine an approximate location for the device. Because such a database can be large and change rapidly, it may not be appropriate to store the database entirely on a device. Instead, a server may store the database. In an implementation, to minimize the time required to determine a device's location, the device may first transmit location-related information to a server and receive a subset of the database corresponding to an area near the device so that future locations nearby can be determined without needing to communicate with the server. | 10-06-2011 |
20120110174 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR A SCANNING API - Application programs for mobile communication devices are stored in a data store. The applications may be collected from any number of different sources such as through an application programming interface (API), from web crawling, from users, or combinations of these. The applications are analyzed and the analysis results reported. The applications may be “continuously” analyzed so that any changes in assessments can be reported. If an application for which an analysis is sought is not in the data store, information about a different, but related application may be provided. | 05-03-2012 |
20120233695 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SERVER-COUPLED APPLICATION RE-ANALYSIS TO OBTAIN TRUST, DISTRIBUTION AND RATINGS ASSESSMENT - A system and method for preventing malware, spyware and other undesirable applications from affecting mobile communication devices uses a server to assist in identifying and removing undesirable applications. When scanning an application, a device transmits information about the application to a server for analysis. The server receives the information, produces a characterization assessment and can also provide a characterization re-assessment for the application, or data object, and transmits the assessment to the device. By performing analysis on a server, the invention allows a device to reduce the battery and performance cost of protecting against undesirable applications. The servers transmit notifications to devices that have installed applications that are discovered to be undesirable. The server can accumulate this data and then perform a characterization re-assessment of a data object it has previously assessed to provide an assessment based upon one of trust, distribution and ratings information. | 09-13-2012 |
20120240236 | CRAWLING MULTIPLE MARKETS AND CORRELATING - A crawler program collects and stores application programs including application binaries and associated metadata from any number of sources such as official application marketplaces and alternative application marketplaces. An analysis including comparisons and correlations are performed among the collected data in order to detect and warn users about pirated or maliciously modified applications. | 09-20-2012 |
20120290640 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SERVER-COUPLED APPLICATION RE-ANALYSIS - To prevent malware, spyware and other undesirable applications from affecting mobile communication devices (e.g., smartphones, netbooks, and tablets), a device uses a server to assist in identifying and removing undesirable applications. When scanning an application, a device transmits information about the application to a server for analysis. The server receives the information, produces a categorization assessment and can provide a categorization re-assessment, and transmits the assessment to the device. By performing analysis on a server, a device can reduce its battery and performance cost of protecting against undesirable applications. The server transmits notifications to devices that have installed applications that are discovered to be undesirable. The server receives data about applications from many devices, using the combined data to minimize false positives and provide comprehensive protection against known and unknown threats. The server can accumulate this data and perform a categorization re-assessment of a data object previously assessed. | 11-15-2012 |
20120324568 | MOBILE WEB PROTECTION - On a mobile communications device, visiting a link from a messaging application or web browser may result in an undesired action, such as visiting a phishing site, downloading malware, causing unwanted charges, using too much battery, or the device being exploited. In an implementation, a mobile application intercepts a request including an identifier associated with an action to be performed by another application on the device and evaluates the identifier to determine when the request should be permitted, blocked, or conditionally permitted. The client may use local data or make a request to a server to evaluate the identifier. In an implementation, server communications are optimized to minimize latency by caching evaluation results on the device, proactively priming the device's DNS cache, optimizing when DNS lookups are performed, and adapting evaluation policy based on factors such as the source of the request, and the currently active network connection. | 12-20-2012 |
20130047034 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MOBILE DEVICE PUSH COMMUNICATIONS - Pushing data to mobile devices can be problematic because mobile platforms may support a number push services, each of which have different cost and reliability characteristics. The problem of being able to push data to multiple different types of mobile devices from a single server is solved by a push service aggregator supporting multiple push services. Upon receiving a push request, one or more push services are selected for pushing data to a client. The selection may be based on a delivery profile included with the push request, information about the client, past performance of the push services, current status of the push services, or combinations of these. The status of the push may be tracked and monitored so as to retry in the case of non-delivery. | 02-21-2013 |
20130086682 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PREVENTING MALWARE ON A MOBILE COMMUNICATION DEVICE - A server receives from a mobile communication device information about a data object (e.g., application) on the device when the device cannot assess the data object. The server uses the information along with other information stored at the server to assess the data object. Based on the assessment, the device may be permitted to access the data object or the device may not be permitted to access the data object. The other information stored at the server can include data objects known to be bad, data objects known to be good, or both. | 04-04-2013 |
20130117846 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SERVER-COUPLED APPLICATION RE-ANALYSIS TO OBTAIN CHARACTERIZATION ASSESSMENT - This disclosure is directed to a system and method for preventing malware, spyware and other undesirable applications from affecting mobile communication devices (e.g., smartphones, netbooks, and tablets). A mobile communication device uses a server to assist in identifying and removing undesirable applications. When scanning an application, a device transmits information about the application to a server for analysis. The server receives the information, produces a characterization assessment and can also provide a characterization re-assessment for the application, or data object, and transmits the assessment to the device. By performing analysis on a server, the invention allows a device to reduce the battery and performance cost of protecting against undesirable applications. The servers transmits notifications to devices that have installed applications that are discovered to be undesirable. The server receives data about applications from many devices, using the combined data to minimize false positives and provide comprehensive protection against known and unknown threats. The server can accumulate this data and then perform a characterization re-assessment of a data object it has previously assessed. | 05-09-2013 |
20130130649 | PROVIDING ACCESS LEVELS TO SERVICES BASED ON MOBILE DEVICE SECURITY STATE - A mobile device's level of access to services provided by a service provider is based on a current security state assessment of the mobile device. Mobile devices are granted different access levels to services based on the security state of the device. A security component can assess the current security state of the mobile device by processing security data generated by the mobile device. In a specific embodiment, the security component is at the mobile device. In another specific embodiment, the security component is at a server. | 05-23-2013 |
20130133070 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ATTACK AND MALWARE PREVENTION - The present invention is a system and method for detecting and preventing attacks and malware on mobile devices such as a cell phones, smartphones or PDAs, which are significantly limited in power consumption, computational power, and memory. The invention enables mobile devices to analyze network data, executable data files, and non-executable data files in order to detect and prevent both known and unknown attacks and malware over vectors that are not typically protected by desktop and server security systems. Security analysis is performed by a combination of “known good,” “known bad,” and decision components. The invention identifies known good executables and/or known characteristics of network data or data files that must be present in order for the data to be considered good. Furthermore, known good and known bad identifier databases may be stored on a server which may be queried by a mobile device. | 05-23-2013 |
20130133071 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ATTACK AND MALWARE PREVENTION - The present invention is a system and method for detecting and preventing attacks and malware on mobile devices such as a cell phones, smartphones or PDAs, which are significantly limited in power consumption, computational power, and memory. The invention enables mobile devices to analyze network data, executable data files, and non-executable data files in order to detect and prevent both known and unknown attacks and malware over vectors that are not typically protected by desktop and server security systems. Security analysis is performed by a combination of “known good,” “known bad,” and decision components. The invention identifies known good executables and/or known characteristics of network data or data files that must be present in order for the data to be considered good. Furthermore, known good and known bad identifier databases may be stored on a server which may be queried by a mobile device. | 05-23-2013 |
20130237191 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DEVICE BROADCAST OF LOCATION INFORMATION WHEN BATTERY IS LOW - Location information associated with a computing device may be transmitted from the computing device to a server. The transmitting of the location information may be performed in response to the battery of the computing device being at a low level. The location information may comprise a location of the computing device or information to identify the location of the computing device. As such, when the battery of the computing device approaches a low level, the location of the computing device may be transmitted from the computing device to a server. Thus, if the battery of the computing device is depleted, a user may obtain the last known location of the computing device that was transmitted when the battery was at a low level. The location information may also be used to identify the last known location for and to apply a security policy to the computing device. | 09-12-2013 |
20130237204 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR UPLOADING LOCATION INFORMATION BASED ON DEVICE MOVEMENT - Systems and methods for uploading location information based on device movement are disclosed. In some embodiments, location information may be received or determined by a mobile communications device. The location information may be associated with a physical location of the mobile communications device. A rate of movement of the mobile communications device may be identified. In some embodiments, the location information may be transmitted or uploaded from the mobile communications device to a server. The frequency of the transmitting or uploading of the location information may be based on the rate of movement of the mobile communications device. | 09-12-2013 |
20130263260 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ASSESSING AN APPLICATION TO BE INSTALLED ON A MOBILE COMMUNICATION DEVICE - A system and method checks for harmful behavior of an application to be installed on a mobile communication device. A server computer receives from the mobile communication device data pertaining to the application to be installed and information pertaining to the mobile communication device. The server processes the data and information to determine an assessment for the application to be installed. The assessment is provided to the mobile communication device and the assessment is displayed on the device if the assessment is one of dangerous and potentially dangerous. | 10-03-2013 |
20130304850 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR REMOTELY CONTROLLING A LOST MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS DEVICE - Systems and methods for remotely controlling a lost mobile communications device are disclosed. Authorization credentials may be received and a command request for an action to be performed by a lost mobile communications device may further be received. A command corresponding to the command request may be transmitted to the lost mobile communications device. In response to the transmission of the command, information about the lost mobile communications device may be received and interpreted to determine whether the transmitted command was performed or not performed by the lost mobile communications device. A notification may be provided based on whether or not the command was performed by the lost mobile communications device. | 11-14-2013 |
20130318568 | Assessing a data object based on application data associated with the data object - A server receives from a mobile communication device application data identifying a data object accessible by the mobile communication device. The server uses at least some of the application data to assess the data object. The application data can include, for example, behavioral data, metadata, parts of the data object, information indicating the data object is installed on the mobile communication device, or combinations of these. | 11-28-2013 |
20130324090 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING OFFERS FOR MOBILE DEVICES - Profile information associated with a mobile communications device belonging to a user is stored at a server system. Upon the server system receiving an indication that the mobile communications device needs to be replaced, the profile information is reviewed. Based on the review of the profile, an offer is generated to replace the mobile communications device. | 12-05-2013 |
20140024345 | ASSESSING THE SECURITY STATE OF A MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS DEVICE - Methods for assessing the current security state of a mobile communications device. A security component installed in either the server or the mobile communications device is configured to assess the current security state by processing security data generated by the mobile communications device. If the security data is not current, then security events on the mobile communications device are evaluated to determine a severity level for the security events, and this determination is used to assess the current security state of the mobile communications device. | 01-23-2014 |
20140038564 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR LOCKING AND DISABLING A DEVICE IN RESPONSE TO A REQUEST - A computing device may be locked and contact information associated with an owner of the computing device may be displayed. For example, a request to lock the computing device may be received. In response to such a request, at least some of the functionality of the computing device may be disabled. For example, control input or input keys of the computing device may be at least partially disabled. Furthermore, contact information may be shown on the display of the computing device. For example, the phone number, address, email address, or other information of the owner of the computing device may be displayed. | 02-06-2014 |
20140038641 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR DISPLAYING LOCATION INFORMATION OF A DEVICE - Location information associated with a computing device may be periodically transmitted to a server. A user of the computing device may transmit a request to the server when the computing device is no longer able to communicate with the server. For example, the user request may be associated with locating the computing device. In response to the request, the user may be shown the latest received location information of the computing device. The last received location information may be displayed in a web page. | 02-06-2014 |
20140040981 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR APPLYING A SECURITY POLICY TO A DEVICE BASED ON LOCATION - A security policy may be applied to a mobile communications device based on a location of the mobile communications device. For example, a first location of the mobile communications device may be obtained and a first security policy may be applied to the mobile communications device based on the first location. Furthermore, a change in the location of the mobile communications device may be detected. For example, the location of the mobile communications device may change from the first location to a second location. In response to the mobile communications device now being located at the second location, a second security policy may be applied to the mobile communications device. Thus, different security policies may be applied to a mobile communications device as the current location of the mobile communications device changes. | 02-06-2014 |
20140045457 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR APPLYING A SECURITY POLICY TO A DEVICE BASED ON A COMPARISON OF LOCATIONS - Location information associated with a computing device may be received by a server. The server may compare the current location of the computing device with a set of locations associated with the computing device. The comparison may result in a determination that the computing device is in a location that has been identified in the set of locations. In response to such a determination, a particular security policy may be applied to the computing device. For example, the server may transmit a command to the computing device to apply a security policy associated with the location. | 02-13-2014 |
20140045534 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR TRANSMITTING A COMMUNICATION BASED ON A DEVICE LEAVING OR ENTERING AN AREA - Location information associated with a computing device may be received by a server. For example, the location information may indicate the current physical location of the computing device. The server may compare the current location of the computing device with a set of locations associated with the computing device. The comparison may result in a determination that the computing device has entered or left a location area. In response to such a determination, a communication may be transmitted to a user of the computing device. For example, an email may be transmitted to the user. The email may include information describing that the computing device has entered or left the location area. | 02-13-2014 |
20140075365 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR VISUALLY MONITORING THE PROGRESS OF A SECURITY OPERATION OF AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE - Security is enhanced for a user of an electronic device by providing a method for visually monitoring the progress of a security operation on an electronic device that provides a plurality of objects including at least one of an application, a document, a file, an image, and a record. When a security operation is launched for at least some of the plurality of objects, an operation window is displayed on the electronic device's display screen. The operation window includes a first operation icon corresponding to a first object on which the security operation is currently being performed. The first operation icon includes a thumbnail icon representing the first object and an operation completion indicator that visually indicates a completion level of the security operation currently being performed on the first object. | 03-13-2014 |
20140095298 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR GENERATING EFFECTIVE OFFERS TO REPLACE MOBILE DEVICES - A mobile communications device needs to be replaced. An evaluation is made as to which offers were effective in replacing devices of the same type as the mobile communications device. Based on the evaluation, an offer is generated to replace the mobile communications device with a replacement mobile communications device. | 04-03-2014 |
20140128021 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR USING CONTEXT MODELS TO CONTROL OPERATION OF A MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS DEVICE - User activity on a mobile device is monitored and collected, and a resource usage model is constructed. The resource usage model describes a set of contexts in which the mobile device, and is the basis for determining a first exhaustion point for a resource. Based on the monitored activity, a prediction of a second exhaustion point for the resource time is made. If the second exhaustion point is prior to the first exhaustion point, usage of the resource is reduced. | 05-08-2014 |
20140189808 | MULTI-FACTOR AUTHENTICATION AND COMPREHENSIVE LOGIN SYSTEM FOR CLIENT-SERVER NETWORKS - Embodiments are directed to a system and method for authenticating a user of a client computer making a request to a server computer providing access to a network resource through an authentication platform that issues a challenge in response to the request requiring authentication of the user identity through a reply from the client computer, determining one or more items of context information related to at least one of the user, the request, and the client computer, and determining a disposition of the request based on the reply and the one or more items of context information. The reply includes a user password and may be provided by an authorizing client device coupled to the client computer over a wireless communications link. | 07-03-2014 |
20140201655 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR MANAGING AND DISPLAYING ACTIVITY ICONS ON A MOBILE DEVICE - Embodiments are directed to adapting the display of icons on a mobile device using geographical location, temporal context, and frequency of use of an application. Different display screens are provided depending on the context. The visual appearance of an icon is adjusted by changing icon location, size, border, shape, color, or opacity. | 07-17-2014 |
20140201681 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR MANAGING AND DISPLAYING ACTIVITY ICONS ON A MOBILE DEVICE - Embodiments are directed to managing applications and displaying icons on a mobile device through processes that monitor usage of the applications by a user, alter a display of an application icon based on the usage of the application and a context of the mobile device, and suggest substitute or additional applications for installation based on the usage of the application. The context may comprise a location of the device, a time and/or frequency of usage of an application, and an activity associated with the usage of the application. The icon may be minimized or eliminated from display if the usage falls below a defined threshold for a context, or it may be maximized if the usage exceeds the defined threshold for the context. | 07-17-2014 |
20140279111 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR AUTHORIZING A MOBILE PAYMENT TRANSACTION - A method for authorizing a mobile payment transaction is provided. The method includes receiving, by a server, a request to authorize a payment transaction which originates from a mobile payment point of sale (POS) module. In an embodiment, the request includes payment information of the payment transaction and location information of the POS module. When the request is received, an authorizing client device for the payment transaction is identified based on the payment information and a disposition of the request to authorize the payment transaction is determined based on whether the authorizing client device is located within a predetermined proximity to the POS module. | 09-18-2014 |
20140282877 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CHANGING SECURITY BEHAVIOR OF A DEVICE BASED ON PROXIMITY TO ANOTHER DEVICE - The security and convenience of a mobile communication device is enhanced based on a separate key device. If the key device is near the mobile communication device, the mobile communication device may be automatically unlocked without the user having to input an unlock code. The mobile communication device may be automatically unlocked into a first mode having a first level of functionality. If the user inputs a correct unlock code, the mobile communication device may be unlocked into a second mode having a second level of functionality, greater than the first level of functionality. | 09-18-2014 |
20140304165 | MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS DEVICE PAYMENT METHOD UTILIZING LOCATION INFORMATION - A method includes receiving, by a payment server, a request for a payment from a mobile communication device; and, generating, a request to verify the location of the mobile communication device. In response to receiving the location of the mobile communication device, determining whether or not to authorize the requested payment. | 10-09-2014 |
20140310770 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CREATING AND APPLYING CATEGORIZATION-BASED POLICY TO SECURE A MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS DEVICE FROM ACCESS TO CERTAIN DATA OBJECTS - A server creates categorization-based application policies and selects a specific policy to send to a mobile communications device. In one embodiment, the mobile communication device applies the categorization-based application policy received from the server to information about a data object (e.g., application) that the device wants to access (or has accessed). Based on the application of the categorization-based policy, the device may be permitted to access the data object or the device may not be permitted to access the data object. | 10-16-2014 |
20140338006 | METHOD FOR DETECTING A SECURITY EVENT ON A PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND ESTABLISHING AUDIO TRANSMISSION WITH A CLIENT COMPUTER - Mobile devices typically have some form of audio capabilities designed to be operated by the device's user, for example to place phone calls; however, if a device is misplaced or stolen, the user may wish to operate those audio capabilities remotely. Methods are provided for detecting that a security event has occurred on a portable electronic device and then establishing an audio transmission between the device and one or more clients, and in some embodiments, sending a command to initiate the audio transmission. The detection of a security event may be based on, for example, detecting that the device has been turned on, detecting movement of the device, detecting that an incorrect password has been entered, the device camera has been used, contacts have been added or deleted, the SIM card as been removed or replaced, application programs have been installed or uninstalled from the device, or uncharacteristic behavior has been detected. | 11-13-2014 |
20140373184 | MOBILE DEVICE PERSISTENT SECURITY MECHANISM - A security application program provides features to help users recover their stolen mobile communication devices. The security application program may be pre-loaded into a system partition of the mobile device so that the security application program will not be erased during a wipe or factory reset of the mobile device. An owner registration service may be provided to help verify ownership of the mobile device. | 12-18-2014 |