Private Mobile App Risk Analysis Using Cryptographic Matching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems lack effective methods to assess and mitigate risks posed by applications on mobile devices, particularly in maintaining privacy and confidentiality while detecting and remediating malicious or risk-enhancing applications across various networks.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that utilize cryptographic representations of application information to compare against a database, determining if an application is a known security risk and automatically remediating it by transmitting warnings, quarantining, or retiring the application, without revealing identifying information, using a mobile device management system and application risk control system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If cryptographic representations are used to compare applications against a database, then security risk detection is improved, but system complexity increases due to cryptographic operations and database management
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-computes and stores cryptographic representations (hashes) of applications in a database before they need to be analyzed. When an application is submitted for risk assessment, its cryptographic representation is immediately compared against the pre-built database, eliminating the need for complex real-time cryptographic analysis and reducing system complexity during operation.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of analyzing the actual application code directly, the system creates and analyzes cryptographic copies (hashes) of the applications. These cryptographic representations serve as simplified proxies that retain the essential identifying characteristics of applications while being much easier to store, compare, and process, thereby reducing system complexity.
2Productivity
If automated remediation is implemented, then productivity is improved through automatic risk mitigation, but loss of information occurs as application identities are not revealed
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses cryptographic representations as intermediaries between the application analysis process and the remediation action. The cryptographic hash serves as a mediator that enables automated comparison and identification of risky applications without requiring the system to handle or store sensitive application identity information, thus automating remediation while preserving privacy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system extracts only the essential cryptographic characteristics of applications needed for security analysis, separating these from the full application identity information. This extraction allows automated remediation to proceed based on cryptographic matches while the complete application identities remain protected and are not revealed during the remediation process.
3Measurement precision
If comprehensive application analysis is performed, then measurement precision of security risk is improved, but loss of time increases due to detailed scanning and evaluation
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary cryptographic hashing of applications and stores these representations in advance. This preliminary action creates a ready-to-use reference database that enables rapid comparison and accurate risk assessment without requiring time-consuming detailed analysis at the time of evaluation, thus improving both speed and precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces complex mechanical analysis of application code with cryptographic hash comparison. Instead of performing detailed mechanical scanning and evaluation of application functionality, the system uses mathematical cryptographic operations to rapidly and accurately identify applications, achieving high measurement precision with minimal time loss.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method for privately performing application security analysis is disclosed. The method generates a cryptographic representation of a company identifier and of application information for an application residing on a mobile device (510). The cryptographic representation is transmitted to an application risk control system (504). Then, the mobile device receives a message from the application risk control system (504) indicating whether the application is permitted or not permitted.