Application Security Assessment via Server-Side Comparison
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Solution Overview
Problem
Portable electronic devices lack effective security measures to protect against malware and unauthorized applications, as they lack the processing power for antivirus software and are vulnerable to software piracy and hacking in app marketplaces.
Innovation Solution
A crawler program collects and analyzes applications from various sources, using comparisons and correlations to identify and warn users about pirated or malicious applications, determining legitimacy by measuring similarity between metadata and comparing differences between applications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If antivirus software is installed on portable electronic devices, then security protection is improved, but the device lacks sufficient processing power to run such software effectively
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a server as an intermediary that performs the computationally intensive antivirus analysis and application security checks. The portable device sends application data to the server, which then returns security assessments. This mediator approach allows security protection without burdening the device's limited processing power.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical approach of running antivirus software locally on the device with a network-based system where the server performs all security analysis computations. This substitution moves the computational burden from the device's CPU to the server's processing resources.
2Adaptability or versatility
If application marketplaces allow third-party applications, then application variety and user choice are improved, but vulnerability to malware and unauthorized applications increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary security assessment of applications before they are made available to users. The server analyzes applications upfront, creating security profiles and assessments that are stored and used to protect users from malware before they can be installed on devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors and updates security assessments based on new threat intelligence and user reports. When new malware patterns are detected, the server updates its security databases and reassesses applications, providing ongoing feedback to maintain security while preserving application variety.
3Measurement precision
If application comparison and analysis are performed to detect pirated applications, then security detection accuracy is improved, but the complexity of the system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates digital copies and hashes of legitimate applications to use as reference standards for comparison. By generating fingerprint templates from authorized applications, the system can accurately detect pirated or modified versions through pattern matching without requiring complex analysis algorithms on the device.
Data Source
AI summary
An analysis including a comparison is performed of first and second applications and a determination is made regarding whether the first is a counterfeit version of the second application, or vice-versa. Based on the analysis and comparison, and based on an assessment of the first application, an assessment of the second application may be generated.