Protecting data owned by an operating system in a multi-operating system mobile environment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9372996-B2
Application number	US-201414278774-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 15, 2014
Priority date	May 15, 2014
Publication date	Jun 21, 2016
Grant date	Jun 21, 2016

Abstract

An approach is provided for protecting data owned by an operating system on a mobile computing device having multiple operating systems. A map specifying protected data regions for the operating systems on the mobile computing device is generated. At least a portion of the map is secured with a shared key. Based on the map and the shared key, and in response to a data cleanup activity being performed by a software utility being executed on another, currently running operating system included in the multiple operating systems, a data region included in the protected data regions is determined to be owned by the operating system. Based on the data region being owned by the operating system and the data region being specified by the map, the data cleanup activity is blocked from being performed on the data region owned by the operating system.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of protecting data owned by an operating system on a mobile computing device having multiple operating systems, the method comprising the steps of:
a computer generating a map specifying protected data regions for the operating systems on the mobile computing device;
the computer securing at least a portion of the map with a shared key;
based at least in part on the map and the shared key, and in response to a data cleanup activity being performed by a software utility being executed on another, currently running operating system included in the multiple operating systems, the computer determining a data region included in the protected data regions is owned by the operating system;
based on the data region being owned by the operating system and the data region being specified by the map, the computer blocking the data cleanup activity from being performed on the data region owned by the operating system;
the computer determining a first disk identifier, a first start offset and a first end offset of the data region, the first disk identifier identifying the data region as being in an internal memory or in an external memory card of the mobile computing device, and the first start and first end offsets specifying start and end memory locations, respectively, of the data region;
the computer retrieving a list of the protected data regions specified by the map;
the computer selecting a protected data region in the list and determining a second disk identifier of the selected protected data region, a second start offset and a second end offset of the selected protected data region, the second disk identifier identifying the selected protected data region as being in the internal memory or in the external memory card of the mobile computing device, and the second start and second end offsets specifying start and end memory locations, respectively, of the selected protected data region; and
the computer determining the first and second disk identifiers match and determining the first start and first end offsets are within boundaries indicated by the second start and second end offsets, wherein the step of determining the data region is owned by the operating system is based in part on the first disk identifier matching the second disk identifier and the first start and first end offsets being within the boundaries indicated by the second start and second end offsets.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of in response to the data cleanup activity being performed by the software utility being executed on the other, currently running operating system, the computer determining the data region is not owned by the currently running operating system, wherein the step of determining the data region is owned by the operating system is based in part on the data region being not owned by the currently running operating system.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
the computer obtaining a user identifier from a user of the mobile computing device;
based on the user identifier, the computer retrieving the shared key from a data structure in the internal memory of the mobile computing device; and
based on the retrieved shared key, the computer retrieving from the data structure a tuple specifying the data region, wherein the step of determining the data region is owned by the operating system is based in part on the shared key being retrieved from the data structure and the tuple specifying the data region being retrieved from the data structure.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
the computer detecting a second data region as being not owned by the currently running operating system;
the computer determining a disk identifier, a start offset and an end offset of the second data region, the disk identifier of the second data region identifying the second data region as being in the internal memory of the mobile computing device or in the external memory card of the mobile computing device, and the start and end offsets of the second data region indicating start and end memory locations, respectively, of the second data region;
the computer determining the disk identifier does not match any corresponding disk identifier of any data region included in the protected data regions and determining the start and end offsets of the second data region are not within boundaries indicated by any start and end offsets of any data region included in the protected data regions, and in response, determining the second data region is not owned by the operating system or by any other operating system of the multiple operating systems that are not currently running in the mobile computing device; and
based on the second data region being not owned by the operating system or by any other operating system of the multiple operating systems that are not currently running in the mobile computing device, the computer completing the data cleanup activity to delete data in the second data region.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of generating the map specifying the protected data regions for the operating systems on the mobile computing device includes the steps of:
the computer receiving a disk identifier, a start offset and an end offset of a new data region;
the computer determining the new data region is a first data region to be included in the protected data regions;
based on the new data region being the first data region to be included in the protected data regions, the computer generating a key specific to the operating system;
based on the new data region being the first data region to be included in the protected data regions, the computer generating a write key specific to the operating system and the shared key;
based on the new data region being the first data region to be included in the protected data regions, the computer finding an unallocated region in the internal memory in the mobile computing device;
based on the new data region being the first data region to be included in the protected data regions, receiving a user identifier key from a user of the mobile computing device;
based on the user identifier key, the computer updating a first data structure in the internal memory in the mobile computing device with the shared key and an offset of a second data structure in the internal memory;
the computer locking the new data region with the key specific to the operating system; and
based on the write key, the computer updating the map with the disk identifier, the start offset and the end offset of the new data region, which indicate the new data region is added to the protected data regions.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of generating the map specifying the protected data regions for the operating systems on the mobile computing device includes the steps of:
the computer receiving a disk identifier, a start offset and an end offset of a new data region;
the computer determining the new data region is not a first data region to be included in the protected data regions;
based on the new data region not being the first data region to be included in the protected data regions, the computer locking the new data region with a key specific to the operating system; and
based on a write key generated for another data region added to the protected data regions, the computer updating the map with the disk identifier, the start offset and the end offset of the new data region, which indicate the new data region is added to the protected data regions.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing at least one support service for at least one of creating, integrating, hosting, maintaining, and deploying computer-readable program code in the computer, the program code being execute

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Dolph Blaine H
• Jha Miku K
• Patil Sandeep R
• Shiraguppi Riyazahamad M
• Sivakumar Gandhi

Classifications

• H04L63/061 Primary

  for key exchange, e.g. in peer-to-peer networks (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key agreement H04L9/0838) · CPC title

• G06F2221/2143

  Clearing memory, e.g. to prevent the data from being stolen · CPC title

• G06F16/215

  Improving data quality; Data cleansing, e.g. de-duplication, removing invalid entries or correcting typographical errors · CPC title

• G06F21/6218 Primary

  to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database · CPC title

• G06F21/60 Primary

  Protecting data · CPC title