Restricted Accounts on Mobile Platforms
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Solution Overview
Problem
Mobile computing devices lack effective mechanisms to manage user accounts securely, allowing unauthorized access and data segregation issues due to unrestricted access to umbrella accounts across multiple applications.
Innovation Solution
Implementing restricted accounts with access and lifetime restrictions, managed by the mobile platform, which can be created, stored, and deleted based on user-defined criteria, ensuring only authorized applications access specific accounts and limiting their lifespan.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If user accounts are made available device-wide to all applications, then ease of operation is improved, but security deteriorates due to unauthorized access
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments user accounts into different types: standard accounts available to all applications and restricted accounts available only to specific applications. This segmentation allows the system to maintain ease of operation for authorized applications while improving security by limiting access to restricted accounts, thereby resolving the contradiction between widespread accessibility and security.
2Ease of operation
If third-party applications store user credentials locally, then ease of operation is improved, but security deteriorates due to lack of platform management
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a platform-level account management system as an intermediary between applications and user credentials. Instead of allowing third-party applications to store credentials locally, the platform manages all user accounts centrally, providing secure authentication while maintaining ease of operation through unified account management. This intermediary approach resolves the contradiction by centralizing security control while preserving operational convenience.
3Reliability
If access restrictions are implemented on user accounts, then security is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal account management system that handles both standard and restricted accounts using the same platform infrastructure. The account management component provides multi-functional capabilities: it manages authentication for standard accounts, enforces access restrictions for restricted accounts, and provides a unified interface for applications. This universality approach improves security through restricted accounts while minimizing the increase in device complexity by reusing existing platform mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and techniques are provided for restricted accounts on a mobile platform. A request to create a restricted account may be received. The restricted account may be a user account with a restriction. Credentials for the restricted account may be received. A restriction for the restricted account may be received. The restriction may include an access restriction or a lifetime restriction. An access restriction may prevent an application from accessing the restricted account and a lifetime restriction may limit the lifetime of the restricted account. The restricted account may be stored with the credentials and the restriction. A request may be received for a list of user accounts from an application. The restricted account may be determined to include an access restriction that prevents the application from accessing the restricted account. The list of user accounts may be sent to the application and without an identifier for the restricted account.