Mobile App Deployment Fingerprint Offset Validation
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Solution Overview
Problem
In distributed computing environments, particularly with pervasive mobile devices, there is no reliable method to ensure that the mobile application deployed is the same as the one governed by access policies, leading to potential tampering or alteration during the deployment process.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that create a fingerprint for uploaded mobile applications, calculate an offset value based on this fingerprint, and store it for validation, ensuring the application remains unaltered by comparing the stored offset value with the recalculated one before deployment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If ad hoc distribution model is used for deploying applications to mobile devices, then deployment ease is improved, but application integrity and reliability deteriorate because there is no way to ensure the deployed application is the same as the one governed by access policies
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by calculating and storing offset values and fingerprints of applications before deployment. These pre-computed verification data are associated with access policies and stored in the policy enforcement point, enabling later validation of the deployed application without requiring complex real-time verification during deployment.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by validating the deployed application against the stored offset value and fingerprint. The mobile device calculates the offset of the deployed application and compares it with the pre-stored offset value from the policy enforcement point. This feedback mechanism ensures the deployed application matches the original application governed by access policies, thereby maintaining application integrity while preserving deployment ease.
2Productivity
If application deployment is performed without verification mechanisms, then deployment speed is improved, but security and control deteriorate due to potential tampering
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces an intermediary verification mechanism using offset values and fingerprints as mediators between the deployed application and the access policies. Instead of direct complex verification, the offset value serves as a lightweight intermediary that can be quickly calculated and compared, enabling fast deployment while maintaining security through the fingerprint-based verification system.
3Reliability
If fingerprint verification is implemented for all deployed applications, then application authenticity is improved, but system complexity increases due to additional validation steps
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts only the essential verification elements (offset value and fingerprint) from the complete application verification process. By storing only these critical components in the policy enforcement point and comparing them against the deployed application, the system maintains application authenticity verification while significantly reducing system complexity compared to verifying the entire application.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of the present invention provide a method, system, and computer program product for ensuring the veracity of a mobile application for deployment in a distributed computing environment. In an embodiment of the invention, a method for ensuring the veracity of a mobile application for deployment in a distributed computing environment is provided. The method includes detecting a mobile application being uploaded for deployment to a mobile computing device in the distributed computing environment, creating and then storing a fingerprint for the uploaded mobile application, calculating an offset value according to the fingerprint for the uploaded mobile application, and storing the offset value for the uploaded mobile application. The method further includes, prior to deploying the uploaded mobile application to the mobile computing device, validating the offset value for the uploaded mobile application to determine that the uploaded mobile application is an unaltered version of the uploaded mobile application.