Secure Application Wrapper for Data Request Filtering

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing software applications on mobile devices face challenges in securely managing and controlling data passing between applications, particularly in ensuring that untrusted sources do not compromise the security of data processing requests or messages intended for secure applications.

Innovation Solution

A secure application wrapper is implemented on computing devices to evaluate the source of incoming data processing requests or messages, determining their security level and modifying or blocking them as necessary to prevent untrusted sources from passing unmodified data to secure applications within a managed partition.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If applications are allowed to interact freely and pass information between each other, then user friendliness and convenience are improved, but security of data being passed between applications deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuser friendlinessVSAvoiddata security
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a message broker as an intermediary component that sits between applications and the secure application wrapper. This message broker intercepts all incoming data processing requests, evaluates their security levels, and mediates whether they should be allowed to reach the secure application. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining application interaction freedom while adding a security mediation layer that prevents untrusted data from compromising security.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements preliminary security evaluation by assessing the security level of incoming data processing requests before they are allowed to reach the secure application. The system pre-evaluates trust levels, determines security classifications, and makes authorization decisions in advance, rather than reacting to security threats after they occur. This allows free application interaction while ensuring security checks are performed proactively.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If data from untrusted sources is blocked or modified, then security of the secure application is improved, but functionality and data processing capability deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveapplication securityVSAvoiddata processing capability
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies different security evaluation and processing treatments to different data sources based on their trust levels. Instead of applying a uniform blocking policy to all incoming data, the system evaluates each request's security level and applies appropriate local quality measures - trusted sources may have their data passed through with minimal modification, while untrusted sources have their data filtered, modified, or blocked. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining security while preserving functionality for trusted data sources.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

3Reliability

If a secure application wrapper is implemented to evaluate and control incoming data, then data security is improved, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata securityVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent designs the secure application wrapper and message broker to perform multiple functions within a single architectural framework. The message broker simultaneously handles message routing, security evaluation, trust level determination, and data filtering. The secure application wrapper provides both security enforcement and application management capabilities. This multi-functionality reduces overall system complexity compared to implementing separate specialized components for each function.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentEP3234849B1Controlling incoming data processing requests
Publication Date: 2020.04.29 CITRIX SYSTEMS INC
  • EP3234849B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3234849B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3234849B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Aspects described herein relate to controlling incoming data processing requests or messages and whether the incoming data processing requests are allowed to reach destination applications unmodified. The destination application may be a secure application operating within a secure application wrapper, and the secure application wrapper may determine whether and how much of the request or message is allowed to pass into a managed partition or through the secure application wrapper to reach the secure application for processing.