Companion Device Security Notifications via Credential Mediation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In IT security, compromised devices in networked environments pose a challenge as system administrators often fail to respond in time to prevent further breaches due to the need for immediate attention, especially when they are not present to address warning messages displayed by anti-virus applications.
Innovation Solution
A method for transmitting notifications of non-compliance events from computing devices to companion devices using a combination of local and remote credentials, establishing secure connections, and executing agent applications to enable unattended management of security incidents.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If warning messages are displayed on the device screen, then the system administrator can see security alerts, but the administrator may not be present to see the message in time to prevent compromise
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a companion device as an intermediary that receives and displays security notifications remotely. The notification system acts as a mediator between the monitored device and the administrator, allowing alerts to be delivered to a secondary device that the administrator is more likely to check, thereby solving the problem of missed warnings when the administrator is not present at the primary device.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extends the notification delivery from a single-device dimension to a multi-device dimension. By transmitting notifications to a companion device located in a different physical or logical dimension (remote location, different network segment), the system ensures that security alerts can be received regardless of the administrator's presence at the original device, effectively adding a spatial dimension to notification delivery.
2Ease of operation
If the system administrator is not present at the device, then mobility and flexibility are improved, but security incident response capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The companion device serves as a mediator that bridges the gap between administrator mobility and security monitoring. The notification system allows administrators to remain mobile while ensuring security alerts are delivered to their companion device, maintaining both mobility and security response capability simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The companion device performs multiple functions: it serves as a notification receiver, a remote display device, and a communication bridge. This multi-functionality allows the same device to support both administrator mobility needs and security monitoring requirements, making the system adaptable to various usage scenarios.
3Reliability
If secure connections and credential transmission are implemented, then notification security is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by establishing secure connections and exchanging credentials before actual notification transmission. The companion service application pre-configures secure communication channels and stores credentials in advance, so that when security events occur, notifications can be transmitted immediately through already-established secure pathways without adding complexity at the moment of incident response.
Data Source
AI summary
An example computing device includes a processor to establish a secure connection with a companion device via a companion service application executable by the processor. The processor is also to receive a local credential and a remote credential from the companion device via the companion service application. The processor is further to monitor an aspect of the computing device via an agent application executable by the processor. In response to detecting a non-compliance event via the agent application, the processor is to transmit a notification to the companion device via the agent application using the local credential, the remote credential, or a combination thereof.