System and method for location-based security

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9848291-B2
Application number	US-201514858351-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 18, 2015
Priority date	Sep 18, 2014
Publication date	Dec 19, 2017
Grant date	Dec 19, 2017

Abstract

A mobile computing device, including: a first memory device having first computer-readable instructions tangibly recorded thereon; a first hardware processor configured to execute the first computer-readable instructions recorded on the first memory device; and an RFID component that includes a transceiver configured to receive a proximity signal from at least one RFID reader when the RFID component is within a predetermined range of the at least one RFID reader, and a second memory device configured to store the proximity signal, wherein the first hardware processor is configured to, upon executing the instructions recorded on the first memory device, control at least one operation of the mobile computing device in accordance with the proximity signal received by the transceiver of the RFID component from the at least one RFID reader.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A mobile computing device, comprising:
a first memory device having first computer-readable instructions tangibly recorded thereon;
a first hardware processor configured to execute the first computer-readable instructions recorded on the first memory device; and
an RFID component that includes a transceiver configured to receive a proximity signal from at least one RFID reader when the RFID component is within a predetermined range of the at least one RFID reader, and a second memory device configured to store the proximity signal,
wherein the first hardware processor is configured to, upon executing the instructions recorded on the first memory device, enable access to at least one operation of the mobile computing device in accordance with the proximity signal received by the transceiver of the RFID component from the at least one RFID reader when the transceiver of the RFID component receives the proximity signal while the RFID component is within the predetermined range of the at least one RFID reader, and disable access to the at least one operation of the mobile computing device when the transceiver of the RFID component does not receive the proximity signal while the RFID component is not within the predetermined range of the at least one RFID reader, and
wherein the proximity signal stored in the second memory device of the RFID component includes a control policy identifying the at least one operation of the mobile computing device that the mobile computing device is enabled to access when the RFID component receives the proximity signal while the RFID component is within the predetermined range of the at least one RFID reader, and disabled to access when the RFID component does not receive the proximity signal while the RFID component is not within the predetermined range of the at least one RFID reader.

2. The mobile computing device of claim 1 , wherein the first hardware processor is configured to, in enabling or disabling access to the at least one operation of the mobile computing device, at least one of:
control at least one hardware component of the mobile computing device;
control at least one operating system recorded on the first memory device;
control at least one hypervisor recorded on the first memory device; and
control at least one application program executable on the mobile computing device.

3. The mobile computing device of claim 1 , wherein the control policy includes identifications of operations of the mobile computing device that are performable, and
wherein the first hardware processor is configured to, based on the control policy, enable or disable access to at least one of an executable application stored in the first memory device, a file stored in the first memory device, at least one operating system of the mobile computing device, and a peripheral hardware component with which the mobile computing device is configured to communicate.

4. A system comprising:
the mobile computing device of claim 1 ; and
at least one RFID reader configured to communicate wirelessly with the RFID component of the mobile computing device and transmit the proximity signal to the RFID component of the mobile computing device when the RFID component is within the predetermined range.

5. The mobile computing device of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined range is at least one meter to approximately 20 meters.

6. The mobile computing device of claim 1 , wherein the proximity signal includes location-related data indicating a current physical location of at least one of the RFID component and the at least one RFID reader.

7. The mobile computing device of claim 6 , wherein the first memory device has recorded thereon the control policy for the mobile computing device, the control policy including identifications of operations of the mobile computing device which are performable based on the physical location of the mobile computing device, and
wherein the first hardware processor is configured to compare the location-related data with the control policy, and determine which operations of the mobile computing device are permitted to be performed based on the comparison.

8. The mobile computing device of claim 7 , wherein, based on the comparison of the location-related data with the control policy, the first hardware processor is configured to control a power state of the mobile computing device.

9. The mobile computing device of claim 7 , wherein, based on the comparison of the location-related data with the control policy, the first hardware processor is configured to control access to at least one hardware component of the mobile computing device.

10. The mobile computing device of claim 7 , wherein, based on the comparison of the location-related data with the control policy, the first hardware processor is configured to enable or disable access to at least one of an executable application stored in the first memory device, a file stored in the first memory device, at least one operating system of the mobile computing device, and a peripheral hardware component with which the mobile computing device is configured to communicate.

11. The mobile computing device of claim 7 , wherein at least one of the control policy and the proximity signal are encrypted using an AES-256 GCM algorithm and signed with an ECDSA Curve P-385 signature.

12. The mobile computing device of claim 7 , wherein the transceiver of the RFID component is configured to receive an update signal from the at least one RFID reader, the update signal containing an update to at least one of the identifications included in the control policy recorded on the first memory device, and
wherein the first hardware processor is configured to update the control policy recorded in the first memory device in accordance with the update contained in the update signal.

13. A system comprising:
the mobile computing device of claim 12 ;
at least one RFID reader configured to communicate wirelessly with the RFID component of the mobile computing device and transmit the proximity signal to the RFID component of the mobile computing device when the RFID component is within the predetermined range; and
at least one server configured to transmit the update signal to the RFID reader for updating the control policy recorded on the first memory device when the mobile computing device is in communicative range with the RFID reader.

14. The mobile computing device of claim 6 , wherein the second memory device has recorded thereon second computer-readable instructions and a control policy for the mobile computing device, the control policy including identifications of operations of the mobile computing device which are performable based on the location-related data of the received proximity signal.

15. The mobile computing device of claim 14 ,
wherein the RFID component includes a second hardware processor configured to execute the second computer-readable instructions recorded on the second memory device, compare the location-related data with the control policy, determine which operations of the mobile computing device are permitted to be performed based on the comparison, and generate an operation signal identifying the operations of the mobile computing device which are determined to be performable,
wherein the RFID component is configured to transmit the operation signal to the first hardware processor of the mobile computing device, and
wherein the first hardware processor is configured to control the at least one operation of the mobile computing device in accordance with the operation signal received from the transceiver o

Assignees

• Booz Allen & Hamilton
• Booz Allen Hamilton Inc

Inventors

• Myers Gary Jason
• Welsh Matthias
• Knight Ii Robert Wayne
• Schaefer Timothy

Classifications

• H04W12/08

  Access security · CPC title

• H04W4/02 Primary

  Services making use of location information · CPC title

• H04W4/023 Primary

  using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds · CPC title

• G06F2221/2111

  Location-sensitive, e.g. geographical location, GPS · CPC title

• G06F21/62

  Protecting access to data via a platform, e.g. using keys or access control rules · CPC title