User Device Sensor Data Reporting for Lost Device Retrieval
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for retrieving lost or stolen user devices and apprehending thieves are inefficient, as they often waste resources and fail to provide nuanced data exfiltration, especially when unauthorized users inadvertently trigger authentication failures.
Innovation Solution
A user device system that determines the likelihood of an authorized user and selectively transmits a subset of sensor data based on this likelihood, balancing resource consumption with data utility and confidentiality, allowing for on-the-fly adaptation of data reporting to optimize resource usage and effectiveness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If all sensor data is continuously exfiltrated from the user device, then the data utility for device retrieval and thief apprehension is improved, but resource consumption (power, memory, bandwidth) increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments sensor data into different types (location data, photographs, audio recordings, accelerometer data, gyroscope data, magnetometer data) and selectively exfiltrates only relevant subsets based on the authentication failure context, rather than continuously transmitting all available data. This segmentation allows the system to optimize resource usage while maintaining data utility for security purposes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial action by transmitting only the necessary subset of sensor data following an authentication failure, rather than continuously transmitting all sensor data. The system determines which specific data types are most relevant to the security incident and transmits only those, reducing overall resource consumption while maintaining effectiveness.
2Reliability
If sensor data exfiltration is triggered by authentication failure, then device retrieval effectiveness is improved, but false triggers from authorised user errors cause resource waste
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic sensor data selection where the subset of data to be exfiltrated is determined based on the specific context of the authentication failure. The system adapts which data types are transmitted based on factors such as the type of authentication failed, device state, and security policies, rather than using a static all-or-nothing approach. This dynamic adaptation reduces false triggering resource waste while maintaining retrieval effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes parameters of data exfiltration based on authentication failure characteristics. Different authentication failure scenarios trigger different data subsets to be transmitted. The system modifies transmission parameters (which data types, data volume, transmission timing) based on the specific failure context, reducing resource waste from false positives while maintaining security effectiveness.
Data Source
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AI summary
A user device determines a likelihood that a current user of the user device is an authorised user. It then selects a subset of a plurality of types of sensor data obtained by the user device, the subset's size being determined in dependence on the determined likelihood. The user device then transmits one or more reports, each report comprising one or more of the selected one or more types of sensor data.