Sandboxed App Data Sharing via External Service
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Modern software platforms, such as iOS, implement sandboxing that limits application communication and data sharing, preventing direct interaction between applications and restricting data exchange, which hinders efficient management and coordination of sandboxed applications.
Innovation Solution
A method that enables sharing of application management data between sandboxed applications by using an external sharing service, allowing data transmission and processing between sandboxes, facilitating operations like data wiping, encryption, and single sign-on, through a remote or local component.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If sandboxing is implemented to prevent applications from negatively impacting each other, then application security and stability are improved, but application communication and data sharing capabilities deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a sharing service as an intermediary component that operates outside the sandbox restrictions. This service receives data from a first sandboxed application, processes it, and delivers it to a second sandboxed application. The intermediary enables communication between sandboxed applications without compromising the sandbox security model, as the sharing service acts as a controlled gateway that mediates all inter-application data exchanges.
2Reliability
If direct communication between sandboxed applications is restricted, then sandbox security boundaries are maintained, but coordination efficiency between applications deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The sharing service serves as a mediator that maintains sandbox security boundaries while enabling efficient coordination. Applications communicate with the sharing service using standard platform interfaces, and the service handles the complex tasks of data validation, format conversion, and secure delivery between sandboxes, thereby improving coordination efficiency without compromising security.
Solution Approach 2:
The sharing service provides universal communication capabilities that work across different sandboxed applications. It handles various data types and communication patterns through a unified interface, making it a multi-functional solution that can facilitate different kinds of inter-application coordination tasks while maintaining consistent security boundaries.
3Reliability
If data sharing between sandboxed applications is limited to shared keychain, then security restrictions are maintained, but data sharing capability and scope deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The sharing service extends data sharing capabilities beyond the limitations of the shared keychain. While the keychain is restricted to small amounts of data and same-company applications, the sharing service can handle larger data volumes, support multiple application types, and provide more flexible sharing arrangements through its intermediary architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a new dimension to data sharing by introducing an external sharing service that operates outside the traditional sandbox-keychain model. This creates a new layer in the data sharing architecture, allowing applications to share data through a service-mediated channel that is not constrained by the original keychain limitations, effectively adding a new dimension to the data sharing capability.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments may include sharing application management data between sandboxed applications on a device. A method includes sending application management data from a first sandboxed application in a first sandbox on the device to a sharing service external to the first sandbox. The method further includes receiving at a second sandboxed application in a second sandbox on the device, a representation of the application management data. Based on the representation of the application management data, the method includes performing an application management function.