System and method for preventing access to data on a compromised remote device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9965643-B2
Application number	US-201715499995-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 28, 2017
Priority date	Aug 9, 2002
Publication date	May 8, 2018
Grant date	May 8, 2018

Abstract

This invention discloses a system and method for selective erasure, encryption and or copying of data on a remote device if the remote device has been compromised or the level of authorization of a roaming user in charge of the remote device has been modified.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
transmitting, from a device and to a remote synchronization server, an indication that the device is compromised; and
in response to transmitting the indication, receiving, at the device and from the remote synchronization server, an instruction that instructs the device to execute an auto-destruction of at least one subset of data available on the device, the instruction further instructing the device to sever a connection to the remote synchronization server.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the remote synchronization server controls access to the data available on the device.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the indication is transmitted to the remote synchronization server in response to at least one of:
a theft prevention mechanism has been triggered;
a password has not been entered at a specified interval;
an incorrect password has been entered; or
a certain communication has not been received from the remote synchronization server at a specified interval.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the auto-destruction of at least one subset of data comprises at least one of reformatting the device, erasing applications, erasing certain data on the device.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one subset of data comprises at least one of personal data, synchronized data, non-synchronized data, or applications.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the instruction further instructs the device to copy data to the remote synchronization server before the auto-destruction.

7. A device, comprising:
a memory; and
at least one hardware processor communicatively coupled with the memory and configured to:
transmit, from the device and to a remote synchronization server, an indication that the device is compromised; and
in response to transmitting the indication, receive, at the device and from the remote synchronization server, an instruction that instructs the device to execute an auto-destruction of at least one subset of data available on the device, the instruction further instructing the device to sever a connection to the remote synchronization server.

8. The device of claim 7 , wherein the remote synchronization server controls access to the data available on the device.

9. The device of claim 7 , wherein the indication is transmitted to the remote synchronization server in response to at least one of:
a theft prevention mechanism has been triggered;
a password has not been entered at a specified interval;
an incorrect password has been entered; or
a certain communication has not been received from the remote synchronization server at a specified interval.

10. The device of claim 7 , wherein the auto-destruction of at least one subset of data comprises at least one of reformatting the device, erasing applications, erasing certain data on the device.

11. The device of claim 7 , wherein the at least one subset of data comprises at least one of personal data, synchronized data, non-synchronized data, or applications.

12. The device of claim 7 , wherein the instruction further instructs the device to copy data to the remote synchronization server before the auto-destruction.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing instructions which, when executed, cause a device to perform operations comprising:
transmitting, from the device and to a remote synchronization server, an indication that the device is compromised; and
in response to transmitting the indication, receiving, at the device and from the remote synchronization server, an instruction that instructs the device to execute an auto-destruction of at least one subset of data available on the device, the instruction further instructing the device to sever a connection to the remote synchronization server.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the remote synchronization server controls access to the data available on the device.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the indication is transmitted to the remote synchronization server in response to at least one of:
a theft prevention mechanism has been triggered;
a password has not been entered at a specified interval;
an incorrect password has been entered; or
a certain communication has not been received from the remote synchronization server at a specified interval.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the auto-destruction of at least one subset of data comprises at least one of reformatting the device, erasing applications, erasing at least one of personal data, synchronized data, or non-synchronized data on the device.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the instruction further instructs the device to copy data to the remote synchronization server before the auto-destruction.

Assignees

• Blackberry Ltd

Inventors

• Mendez Daniel J
• Ng Mason

Classifications

• G06F21/62 Primary

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

• H04W12/06

  Authentication · CPC title

• G06F21/604

  Tools and structures for managing or administering access control systems · CPC title

• H04L63/1441

  Countermeasures against malicious traffic (countermeasures against attacks on cryptographic mechanisms H04L9/002) · CPC title

• H04L63/10

  for controlling access to devices or network resources · CPC title