Secure Display Element

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016125181-A1
Application number	US-201414527639-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 29, 2014
Priority date	Oct 29, 2014
Publication date	May 5, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Techniques for securely displaying sensitive information against attempts to capture such information via screenshots are introduced. Similar to the pieces of a puzzle, a plurality of images that collectively represent a keypad (for example) are generated and each image represents a different part of the characters. The generated images are to be displayed to a human user in a sequential fashion at at least a predetermined minimum frame rate, such that the plurality of images sequentially displayed are perceivable by the human user collectively as the keypad. In each of the plurality of images, at least a part of the characters of the keypad is disguised or concealed, and in some embodiments, to the extent that not a single character of the keypad is recognizable by a human or a machine. Further, bogus data can be selectively inserted to enhance security.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method for securely displaying sensitive information on a mobile computing device, the method comprising:
receiving, at the mobile computing device, an instruction to display a keypad in a predetermined display area of a display device of the mobile computing device to enable a human user of the mobile computing device to enter a personal identifier number (PIN) by use of the keypad, wherein the keypad includes a plurality of characters to enable a user to enter the PIN into the computing device via the keypad; generating, by the computing device, data operable to facilitate a plurality of images to be rendered, each image representing a different part of the plurality of characters, wherein the plurality of images collectively represent the keypad being statically displayed, and wherein said generating includes:
controlling a graphics accelerator of the computing device to alter the keypad so that, in one or more images of the plurality of images, at least one character on the keypad is covered by a bogus data, wherein which character on the keypad is covered by the bogus data varies with time; and
causing the keypad to be displayed to the human user of the mobile computing device by rendering, using a graphics accelerator in the mobile computing device, the plurality of images in the predetermined display area sequentially at at least a predetermined minimum frame rate, such that not all of the plurality of images are displayed at any instant in time but where the predetermined minimum frame rate is such that the plurality of images sequentially displayed are perceivable by the human user collectively as the keypad.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
analyzing, by a processor of the computing device, the plurality of the characters included in the keypad to determine a content category, wherein the content category indicates whether the plurality of characters are (1) alphanumerical, (2) alphabetical, or (3) numerical; and selecting the bogus data from the content category.

3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
converting, by the graphics accelerator of the computing device, results from said controlling into pixel information, wherein said converting is repeatedly performed over the duration of said controlling; and storing the pixel information into a frame buffer of the computing device for display.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein, when the plurality of images are sequentially displayed at or above the predetermined minimum frame rate, an amount of the bogus data for a given character in the plurality of images is less than an amount of real data in the plurality of images for the given character.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein no two bogus data cover the same character in the plurality of images.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of images, when sequentially displayed at at least the predetermined frame rate, are perceivable by a human user collectively as the item of information without being substantially interfered by the bogus data.

7 . A method of securely displaying information on a computing device, the method comprising:
detecting, in the computing device, an instruction to display, on a display coupled to the computing device, an item of information to be secured; altering, by the computing device, the item of information so as to render at least one segment of the item of information with a bogus data at a select number of instances in time, wherein which segment of the item of information is rendered with the bogus data varies with time; converting, by the computing device, results from said altering into pixel information, wherein said converting is repeatedly performed over the duration of said altering; and storing the pixel information into a frame buffer of the computing device for display, the pixel information representing a plurality of images.

8 . The method of claim 7 ,
wherein the plurality of images, when sequentially displayed at at least a predetermined minimum frame rate, are perceivable by a human user collectively as the item of information being statically displayed without being substantially interfered by any bogus data.

9 . The method of claim 7 , wherein, when the plurality of images are sequentially displayed at or above the predetermined minimum frame rate, an amount of the bogus data for a given character in the plurality of images is at or less than a predetermined percentage of an amount of real data in the plurality of images for the given character.

10 . The method of claim 7 , wherein no two bogus data cover the same character in the plurality of images.

11 . The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
analyzing, by a central processor of the computing device, the item of information to determine a content category, wherein the content category indicates whether the item of information is (1) alphanumerical, (2) alphabetical, or (3) numerical; and selecting the bogus data from the content category.

12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein said selecting is to choose, for the bogus data, a font style and a size that are substantially similar to what the bogus data is to cover.

13 . The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
determining the predetermined minimum frame rate based on a computing performance of the computing device; and dynamically adjusting a total number of the segments based an updated computing performance of the computing device.

14 . The method of claim 13 , wherein said dynamically adjusting comprises:
reducing the total number of the segments if an effective minimum frame rate is reducing, but wherein the total number of segments is never reduced below a minimum threshold defined by a minimum security level.

15 . The method of claim 7 , wherein said altering comprises loading an image processing function into a vertex shader of a graphics accelerator, and wherein the image processing function automatically varies over time and based on a computing performance of the computing device.

16 . The method of claim 7 , wherein the item of information is altered so that at least one segment of the item of information is rendered with a bogus data at any instant in time.

17 . A computing device comprising:
a display; an application processor configured to receive an item of information and an instruction to display, on the display, the item of information in a predetermined display area; a graphics processor configured to alter the predetermined display area so as to render at least one segment of the item of information with a bogus data at a select number of instances in time, wherein which segment of the item of information is rendered with the bogus data varies with time; a rasterizer coupled to the graphics processor and configured to convert results from the graphics processor into pixel information, wherein the converting is repeatedly performed over the duration of the graphics processor altering the predetermined display area; and a frame buffer configured to store the pixel information for display, the pixel information representing a plurality of images.

18 . The device of claim 17 , wherein the plurality of images are sequentially displayed on the display at at least a predetermined minimum frame rate, and
wherein the predetermined minimum frame rate is such that the plurality of images sequentially displayed are perceivable by a human user collectively as the item of information free of any bogus data.

19 . The device of claim 17

Assignees

• Square Inc

Inventors

• Dai Zovi Dino

Classifications

• G06F3/04842

  Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements (G06F3/0482 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G06F21/36 Primary

  by graphic or iconic representation · CPC title

• G06Q20/206

  comprising security or operator identification provisions, e.g. password entry · CPC title

• G06F2221/031

  Protect user input by software means · CPC title

• G06F3/04886

  by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus · CPC title