Mobile Risk Assessment Engine for Wireless Access Points
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Solution Overview
Problem
The rapid proliferation of mobile computing devices and evolving malicious tactics pose significant challenges for computer security, particularly in managing security on wireless-enabled devices and adapting to new network-based threats and vulnerabilities, with users often having lower security awareness.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that includes a mobile risk assessment engine and a wireless access point risk assessor, which receive queries from endpoint devices, identify pre-existing risk assessment data, and send query result data to characterize pre-assessed risks, facilitating secure connections and risk profiling for endpoint devices by assessing wireless access points and providing feedback for secure communication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If mobile computing devices are rapidly deployed to enable widespread Internet access, then connectivity and accessibility are improved, but security awareness and protection capabilities deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a risk assessment service as an intermediary between mobile devices and wireless networks. This service automatically evaluates network risks, device vulnerabilities, and threat levels, providing security protection without requiring users to have security expertise. The intermediary handles security complexities behind the scenes while maintaining user-friendly connectivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements continuous feedback loops where risk assessment data is collected from multiple sources (network conditions, device state, threat intelligence), analyzed to determine risk levels, and used to dynamically adjust security policies. This feedback mechanism enables adaptive security that responds to changing conditions without user intervention.
2Reliability
If comprehensive security assessment and monitoring are implemented for mobile devices, then security protection is improved, but system complexity and computational requirements worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the security system into distinct modular components: risk assessment service, policy management module, threat intelligence collectors, and device agents. Each component has a specific function and can be independently configured, deployed, and maintained. This segmentation reduces overall system complexity while maintaining comprehensive security coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
A centralized risk assessment service acts as an intermediary that consolidates complex analysis functions, reducing the computational burden on individual mobile devices. The service aggregates data from multiple devices, performs sophisticated risk analysis in the cloud, and returns simplified guidance to devices, thereby reducing local complexity.
3Reliability
If real-time risk assessment and monitoring are performed on wireless access points, then network security is improved, but processing time and computational resources worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary risk assessments of wireless access points before devices connect to them. By pre-evaluating network risk levels, device vulnerabilities, and threat intelligence in advance, the system prepares security policies ahead of time, reducing processing delays during actual connection events and enabling faster secure connectivity.
Data Source
AI summary
A query is received from a particular endpoint device identifying a particular wireless access point encountered by the particular endpoint device. Pre-existing risk assessment data is identified for the identified particular wireless access point and query result data is sent to the particular endpoint device characterizing pre-assessed risk associated with the particular wireless access point. In some instances, the query result data is generated based on the pre-existing risk assessment data. In some instances, pre-existing risk assessment data can be the result of an earlier risk assessment carried-out at least in part by an endpoint device interfacing with and testing the particular wireless access point.