Sandboxed File Transfer via Atomic Move for Security
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current methodologies lack efficient ways to handle files associated with applications in a secured manner, particularly when malicious code is involved, leading to potential system damage.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of sandboxed storage areas isolates files between applications, using atomic move operations and content analysis to prevent damage, ensuring that any malicious activity is contained within designated sandboxes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a file is shared between two applications without sandboxing, then ease of operation is improved, but security is worsened due to potential malicious code execution
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the file system into multiple sandboxed storage areas, each associated with a specific application. When a file needs to be shared, it is copied to an intermediate sandboxed storage area that is accessible to both applications, rather than allowing direct access to either application's private sandbox. This segmentation maintains security boundaries while enabling controlled file sharing.
Solution Approach 2:
An intermediate sandboxed storage area is introduced as a mediator between two applications' private sandboxes. The file is first copied to this intermediate area by the first application, then atomically moved to the second application's sandbox. This intermediary mechanism allows secure file transfer without exposing either application's private sandbox to the other, preventing malicious code from accessing or corrupting foreign application data.
2Reliability
If sandboxed storage areas are implemented for each application, then security is improved, but device complexity is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
Each application automatically manages its own sandboxed storage area without requiring manual configuration or intervention. The system transparently handles file copying, moving, and access control between sandboxes, making the complexity invisible to users and applications. Applications simply interact with their designated sandbox storage area, and the system manages the complex inter-sandbox file transfer operations automatically.
Solution Approach 2:
The sandboxed storage mechanism provides multiple functions: it isolates applications for security, enables controlled file sharing between applications, and manages file transfers atomically to prevent corruption. This universal approach to file management handles both security isolation and collaborative file access through the same sandbox infrastructure, reducing the need for separate complex mechanisms.
3Reliability
If atomic move operation is used for file transfer between sandboxes, then reliability is improved, but productivity is worsened due to additional processing steps
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by first copying the file to an intermediate sandboxed storage area before the final move operation. This preliminary copy ensures that the original file in the first application's sandbox remains intact, and provides a safe intermediate location for the atomic move operation. The atomic move then transfers the file to the second application's sandbox in a single indivisible operation, ensuring integrity without requiring the applications to be aware of the complex transfer process.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques for handling a file associated with a program are described herein. According to an aspect of the invention, in response to a request for accessing a file received through a first program, the file is stored in a first sandboxed storage area, where the file is to be accessed by a second program. An atomic move operation is then performed on the file that atomically moves the file from the first sandboxed storage area to a second sandboxed storage area, where the first sandboxed storage area is not accessible to the first program and second program. The second program is launched to access the file stored in the second sandboxed storage area, where the second sandboxed storage area is a part of a sandbox associated with the second program.