Persistent Visual Warnings for Application Launchers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing computer security systems face challenges in providing persistent and effective visual warnings for potentially harmful applications, as notifications can be easily missed or dismissed by users, and custom shortcuts may not be supported by all application launchers.
Innovation Solution
The system loads an application launcher into a sandbox, monitors its functions, queries a malware detection manager to determine if the application is harmful, and modifies the icon to provide persistent visual warnings, such as changing or overlaying the icon, to notify the user of potential threats.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If toast notifications are used to inform users of potential malware, then users are notified of security threats, but the notifications are easily missed or dismissed by users
Solution Approach 1:
The system modifies the application icon before the user launches the potentially harmful application, providing advance warning visible on the home screen. This preliminary visual modification ensures the warning is present before the user interacts with the application, preventing the notification from being missed or dismissed as occurs with toast notifications.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the color or appearance of the application icon to indicate potential harm. This visual transformation makes the warning persistent and noticeable, unlike transient toast notifications that disappear quickly and can be overlooked by users.
2Ease of operation
If custom shortcuts are used to notify users of potentially harmful applications, then users can be directed to security information, but custom shortcuts are not supported by different application launchers
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses a universal approach by modifying the application icon itself, which is a standard feature supported by all application launchers. This method does not require custom shortcut support or launcher-specific implementations, making it universally compatible across different launcher types while still providing effective security notification.
3Reliability
If persistent visual warnings are implemented by modifying application icons, then users are consistently informed of potentially harmful applications, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system introduces an intermediary component that sits between the application launcher and the application, intercepting the icon display process and applying modifications. This mediator approach provides persistent visual warnings without requiring deep integration into the launcher's core functionality, thereby limiting the increase in system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosed computer-implemented method for providing persistent visual warnings for application launchers may include (i) loading an application launcher into a sandbox, (ii) monitoring one or more functions of an application from the application launcher, (iii) querying a malware detection manager using information obtained from monitoring the functions of the application to determine whether the application is potentially harmful, and (iv) modifying, based on determining that the application is potentially harmful, an icon for the application launched from the sandbox to notify a user that the application is potentially harmful. Various other methods, systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.