Context-Aware Password Manager with Segmented Access Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional password manager applications provide indiscriminate access to all password records, burdening users with finding relevant information and compromising security by making irrelevant records accessible.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a context-aware password manager that uses contextual information such as geolocation, WiFi connections, and time to prioritize and securely display only relevant sensitive information, while keeping irrelevant records inaccessible.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If all password records are made accessible at the user interface, then complete information availability is achieved, but security is compromised and user burden increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the password records into multiple categories or groups based on context relevance. The system divides the complete set of password records into accessible segments (context-relevant) and secured segments (context-irrelevant), allowing selective access without compromising overall security. This resolves the contradiction by providing information availability only where needed while maintaining security boundaries.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by making different portions of the password database accessible under different conditions. Context-relevant password records are made accessible at the user interface, while context-irrelevant records remain secured. This creates localized access rights based on contextual parameters, resolving the contradiction between complete accessibility and security by applying different access qualities to different parts of the data.
2Loss of information
If all password records are displayed at the user interface, then complete information availability is achieved, but user efficiency decreases due to burden of finding relevant information
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary action by pre-filtering and organizing password records based on contextual parameters before presentation to the user. The system proactively identifies and prioritizes context-relevant password records, arranging them for easy access before the user needs them. This resolves the contradiction by eliminating the user burden of searching through all records while maintaining complete accessibility when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts only the necessary subset of password records from the complete database and presents them at the user interface based on contextual relevance. By taking out only the relevant records and leaving the rest secured, the system improves user efficiency by reducing information overload while preserving the ability to access complete information when required through appropriate context changes.
3Reliability
If context-aware filtering is implemented, then user efficiency and security are improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by enabling the password management system to automatically determine context relevance and filter records without requiring complex manual configuration. The system autonomously monitors contextual parameters (location, time, device, application) and dynamically adjusts which password records are accessible. This resolves the contradiction by automating the security filtering process, reducing the perceived complexity for users while maintaining high security standards.
Data Source
AI summary
A method, electronic device, and computer readable storage medium, for secure context-aware management of passwords stored in a password manager application in an electronic device. The password manager application prompts for entry of a password at a first user interface to unlock display of sensitive information in a second user interface. A first portion of the sensitive information is displayed in a prioritized list in the unlocked second user interface, with the second portion of the sensitive information remaining user inaccessible, only while the password manager application is in a certain password access context based on contextual information in the electronic device. The contextual information can be any combination of a current geolocation of the device, a current time, an identification of an access point in a vicinity of the device, and other contextual information.