Mobile App Security Management via Risk Profiling
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Solution Overview
Problem
User devices often have unauthorized applications installed, which can degrade performance and damage both the device and network security, due to untrusted sources and malicious software.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that allows a server device to monitor and control applications on user devices by generating user and application profiles, identifying unauthorized applications, and transmitting notifications for removal or disabling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If users install applications from untrusted sources or unknown developers, then application variety and user choice increase, but device security and network security deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by obtaining application profiles and identifying unauthorized applications before they can cause harm. The server device proactively scans, analyzes, and flags potentially malicious applications, and can prevent their installation or execution, thereby securing the device before security incidents occur.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary security management system between users and applications. This system acts as a mediator that evaluates applications through profiling, assesses security risks, and controls application installation/execution, thereby protecting devices while still allowing legitimate application variety.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If applications are monitored and controlled by a server device, then device security and network security improve, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The security management system provides self-service capabilities by automatically obtaining application profiles, analyzing applications, identifying unauthorized software, and managing application installations without requiring extensive manual configuration or intervention. The system serves itself through automated security assessments and enforcement actions.
Solution Approach 2:
The server device performs multiple functions within a single integrated system: it obtains application profiles, analyzes application behavior, identifies unauthorized applications, manages installations, and enforces security policies. This multi-functional approach consolidates complexity into a unified security management platform.
3Measurement precision
If application profiles and user profiles are obtained and analyzed, then unauthorized applications are identified accurately, but processing time and computational resources increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies partial action by focusing security analysis on specific critical aspects of applications rather than examining every detail. It obtains application profiles and analyzes key security-relevant information to identify unauthorized applications, achieving sufficient accuracy without exhaustive processing of all application data.
Data Source
AI summary
A system is configured to receive a list of applications installed on a user device; obtain application profiles that identify risk levels associated with the applications; obtain a user profile that identifies a job level, security risk level, or an access level to confidential information associated with the user of the user device; identify a highest risk level authorized for the user device based on whether the job level is greater than a first threshold, the security risk level is greater than a second threshold, or the access level is greater than a third threshold; determine whether any of the risk levels are greater than the highest risk level; and transmit a notification that one of the applications is to be removed from the user device when one of the risk levels, associated with the one of the applications, is greater than the highest risk level.