Application Safety Analysis via Review Mining

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Solution Overview

Problem

Users face challenges in determining whether a software application is safe to install on their devices, as some applications may contain harmful code or be unstable, potentially causing device crashes or rendering them inoperable.

Innovation Solution

A processing system that analyzes user reviews for each version of an application to identify potentially harmful features and prevents installation or upgrades, providing safety indicators and recommendations to users.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If users install applications from application stores, then device functionality is enhanced, but device security and stability are compromised due to harmful code and unstable applications

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedevice functionalityVSAvoiddevice security and stability

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary analysis of application reviews before installation to detect harmful code and stability issues. By analyzing reviews in advance and generating safety indicators prior to installation, the system prevents harmful applications from being installed, thus enhancing device security and stability while allowing functional applications to be installed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If users read application reviews to assess safety, then installation safety improves, but time consumption increases due to manual review analysis

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinstallation safetyVSAvoidtime consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system replaces manual review analysis with automated natural language processing and machine learning algorithms. The processing device automatically analyzes application reviews, identifies harmful patterns, and generates safety indicators, eliminating the need for users to manually read and evaluate reviews while maintaining high installation safety.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Measurement precision

If the system analyzes multiple reviews for each application version, then detection accuracy improves, but processing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedetection accuracyVSAvoidprocessing complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system creates simplified representations or models of review data that capture essential safety patterns without requiring analysis of every individual review. By using aggregated safety indicators and pattern recognition models, the system maintains high detection accuracy while reducing processing complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Data Source

PatentUS10248788B2Detecting harmful applications prior to installation on a user device

Publication Date: 2019.04.02 INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINE CORPORATION

AI summary

Examples of techniques for detecting harmful applications prior to installation on a user device are disclosed. In one example implementation according to aspects of the present disclosure, a computer-implemented method includes: analyzing, by a processing device, a plurality of reviews for each version of a plurality of versions of an application to determine, based on each of the plurality of reviews, whether each version of the plurality of versions is harmful; and responsive to determining that a particular version of the plurality of versions is harmful, preventing a user from installing the particular version.