Patent Application
20060031830
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to computer software and specifically to installation of computer software on a computer system. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to a method, system, and operating system (OS) program product for enforcing location based restrictions of software installations on a computer system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Certain software products used in computer systems are subject to some type of export/import restrictions. For example, a software package offering bulk data encryption manufactured in the United States of America (U.S.A) can only be exported to certain countries. Thus, U.S.A. manufacturers may only export a 56 bit encryption algorithm outside of US borders.
In order to enforce/control restrictions on software, governmental entities, such as the United States Commerce Department, often specify what export restrictions are placed on the software (or technology). From a governmental standpoint, these restrictions may be based on some determination that the particular software is vital to national advancement in certain technological areas (such as military applications), maintaining national security, and/or beneficial to advancement of U.S. economy. Tied to these factors is a concern that certain technologies, if expected, may fall into the wrong hands and be utilized in undesirable ways that may negatively impact the economy, security, or prestige of the United States of America.
In addition to the government-imposed restrictions, certain private companies also place restrictions on the use of proprietary software (or portable computer system) outside of certain predefined geographic or other boundaries, e.g., specific company sites with added security. These private companies often provide high-end security access to the software/computer system and, in some instances, may actually delete software prior to the computer system leaving the secure facility. Control of the use of such software and computer systems may also entail restrictions on when/where software may be installed on a computer system.
Despite the need for control of where the software may be installed on the computer system, most software products are made available for purchase. Even the highly protected proprietary software of a private company (or government) may be sold by unscrupulous employees or hackers to the highest bidder (e.g., on the black market). Traditionally, once software is made available to a user, there was no way to restrict how/when the software was installed into the computer system and used. Unauthorized installation and use of the software could thus not be controlled. Likewise, when a computer system (e.g., a laptop) is assigned to a user (such as an employee), the employer/owner of the computer system finds it difficult to control what software is installed on the system and where that software installation takes place.
One major development over the past years has been the development/implementation of location devices. These location devices include global positioning system (GPS) receiver/transmitter components installed within a computer system, which enables general use of GPS technology. Several recent patent applications have been submitted covering the use of GPS technology to provide some levels of control with respect to software use on a computer system. Most of these applications provide features related to restricting use of installed software applications to specific locations identified using GPS technology. However, once installed, the integrity (security features) of the software may be compromised by a software hacker.
While the use of GPS and other location systems to enable/disable features of an installed software component is provided, there is no teaching in the art that recognizes or addresses the problem of illegal or unauthorized installation of the software in the first place. Further, the control with respect to the software is, in most instances, handled by a remote server and is not a direct functionality of the software.
The present invention recognizes that it would be beneficial to provide a software-controlled, autonomic process for preventing installation of software in a computer system at a location not authorized for such an installation. This and other benefits are provided by the invention described herein.
Disclosed is a method, system, and operating system (OS) software utility that prevents software/application installation in a computer system located within an un-approved location (geographic/spatial). The OS of the computer system is coded to require a check of geographical/location-based restrictions prior to installing certain software products. The computer system is provided with a location device, such as a low-end GPS receiver, linked to the BIOS and the OS of the computing system. The location device provides current geographic or spatial location of the computer system.
In the illustrative embodiment, the owner of a computer system may restrict certain applications from being installed on the computer system outside of a controlled area. The owner thus specifies which software applications are restricted from installation and which locations the restrictions apply to. Another user is thus restricted from utilizing the computer system to install certain software outside of pre-specified approval locations.
In one embodiment, the location-based restrictions on installation are provided as a location approval utility that is separate/independent from the OS and the software application. The utility is provided as a separate component of the OS or an add-on OS utility that includes user-interfacing features.
In one embodiment, software application subject to installation restrictions is provided a location-restricted installation identifier (LRIID) within the installation/executable portion of the program code. The LRIID points to a table of approved locations and/or a server IP address that must be accessed prior to installation of the software. When the user attempts to install the software, the OS runs the installation code (executable component of the program application) and reads the LRIID. The OS is automatically signaled that installation may only proceed if the location checks are completed and the current location is approved. The OS retrieves the current location of the computer system (from the GPS receiver or register, etc.) and initiates a check for approval of the current location.
If the LRIID indicates there is a list of approved locations within the application code, the BIOS retrieves only that portion of the application code and checks the current location with the pre-approved list of locations. Alternatively, an LRIID may signal a required access to the LRIID server on an accessible network (global/WAN or LAN). Once the list of pre-approved locations is available, the OS compares the current location against the pre-approved list of locations. When the value matches (or falls within a range of) one of the pre-approval locations, the installation of the software is allowed to complete.
The above as well as additional objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent in the following detailed written description.
The novel features believed characteristic of the invention are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself however, as well as a preferred mode of use, further objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
The present invention provides a method, system, and operating system (OS) software utility that prevents installation of a software product in a computer system in an un-approved location. The OS of the computer system (or the application itself) is coded to require a check of geographical restrictions prior to installing certain software products. The computer system is provided with a location device, such as a low-end GPS receiver, linked to the BIOS and the OS of the computing system. The location device provides current geographic or spatial location of the computer system. When application installation is requested, the current location is compared against a list of approved locations for installing software on the computer system. Once the list of pre-approved location is available, the OS compares the current location against the pre-approved list of locations. When the value matches (or falls within a range of) one of the pre-established locations, the installation of the software is allowed to complete. No software installation is allowed on the computer system unless the current location is approved for the software and/or the computer system.
The invention is described with specific reference and description of a generic portable computer system, which is capable of installing and executing software that may, according to the invention, be subject to software installation restrictions or other location-based restriction. Thus, the computer system may be a laptop computer, desktop computer, handheld computer, or even a cellular phone, etc.
With reference now to the Figures and in particular to
Stored within memory 105 is operating system (OS) 107 which executes on the processor 101 and controls basic operations of the computer system, including installation of new software. According to one implementation of the invention, memory 105 also includes location approval utility (LAU) 109, by which the location retrieval, location comparison, server access, and approval/denial of software installation, and other related features of the invention (e.g., disabling of installed software application) are provided. Location approval utility 109 may be loaded on the computer system utilizing input drives 116 or downloaded from the Internet 301 via NIC 103.
According to one embodiment of the invention, restrictions on installation are actually provided as a utility that is separate/independent from the software application and the OS. The owner of a computer system may wish to restrict certain applications from being installed on the computer system outside of a controlled area. A location approval utility is provided as a separate component from the OS or an add-on utility that includes user-interfacing features. In one implementation, the location approval utility is packaged as an add-on to the computer system software (OS and/or applications). In another embodiment, the location approval utility is independently downloaded from the web site of a location approval server into the computer system when the computer system is connected to the Internet and installation software is initiated.
Utilizing features provided by this utility, the owner of the computer (or software developer) is able to specify which software applications are restricted from installation and which locations the restrictions apply to. A user is thus restricted from utilizing the computer system to install certain specific software outside of specified locations.
Other tracking systems may involve connecting the computer system to a local or global network, such as a LAN or the Internet, respectively. The addresses (LAN or IP address) or signature of the computer device along with that of the server at which the device connects to the network are utilized to deduce the location of the device. Thus, one alternative method of providing location information is by utilizing an existing network, such as the Internet and known locations of gateway servers to the network. The computer system's location may then be identified with the location of the gateway server (or port) to which the computer system initiates a connection to the network. The port is determined when the computer system connects to the phone/DSL/ISDN or LAN or Wireless LAN, etc., at the current location.
The invention prevents unauthorized installation of software programs/code (or program applications) on computer systems that are not in approved/authorized physical locations (spatial or geographic). In the illustrative embodiment, the invention implements a security policy manager within (or associated with) the OS. The security features are user programmable and are protected by a password or other security mechanism. Thus, a system owner or administrator is able to establish location-specific security policy for a client computer (e.g., and employee's computer).
In the illustrative embodiment, the location approval (or permission) list is maintained at the location approval server, which is accessible to the computer system. In an alternate embodiment, the permission list is maintained within the computer system by location approval utility and/or coded segments of the application desired to be installed. Returning to the illustrative embodiment, depending on the security sensitivity indicated in the application or device driver and age of the permission list, the client computer system may contact an authorized server for a more current permission list. A special network-connection software agent/layer is provided on the computer system that is triggered to establish a connection to the location approval server.
The location approval server is administered by an administrator. The server specifies the GPS coordinate zone(s) (via the permission list) in which specific software may be installed in a particular computer. The location approval/permissions may be unique for each software package and/or for each computer system. Thus, in a first implementation, a separate list is maintained for each application and/or for each computer system that is subject to a location-based restriction (for software installation). In the implementation where the computer system is location-restricted, however, a single list maybe utilized to control all installation of software application on that computer system. The present illustration and description of a client-server setup provides only one or several embodiments that allows for a dynamic environment.
In the embodiment that provides a software-focused location-restriction, software application that is subject to installation restrictions based on location is “tagged” within the installation portion of the program code with a location-restricted installation identifier (LRIID).
The LRIID is provided by the software developer. Alternatively, in one implementation methods are provided for inserting the LRIID and other relevant fields post-development of the software application. The LRIID points the installation process to a list of approved locations and/or a server IP address that must be accessed prior to installation of the software.
When the user attempts to install the software, the OS runs the installation code (executable component of the program application) and reads the LRIID. The OS is automatically signaled that installation may only proceed if the location checks are completed and the location is approved. The OS retrieves the current location of the computer system (from the GPS receiver or register, etc.) and initiates a location check utility in the background.
If the LRIID indicates a coded approved location list within the application code, the OS retrieves only that portion of the application code and checks the current location with the pre-approved list of locations. Alternatively, the LRIID may signal a required access to an LRIID server on an accessible network (globaVWAN or LAN). With this implementation, the user may be provided with a signal (pop up window) indicating that the installation requires a prior access to a remote server via a network connection. This signal may not be required if the computer system is already connected to the Internet/network. However, there may be some additional security mechanism in place that would require the user to enter a password to actually gain access to the remote server to enable the installation.
The security rating 508 is a construct provided to allow different levels of installation permissions for different applications or at different locations. The security level may be visualized to be a weighted need for security with respect to installation of the application. For example, a graduated level (0-15) may be pre-defined, where 0 is the lowest security level and 15 is the highest. Thus, during the installation checks for location approval, if level=0, indicating there is no restriction on installation of the application, the application may be installed anywhere. However, if level=15, the application may only be installed in a specific location accompanied by some near infallible security measure such as a successful retina scan or fingerprint. Standard specific location approval may be identified for level 8, with country-wide (continental USA) approval for level 4, and password required approval for level 10, and so on. In one such implementation, level 10 or higher may require third party approval, such as permission from an authorized server. The specific levels and range of levels provided above are for illustration only and not meant to be restrictive on the invention.
In one embodiment, software is written that takes direct advantage of the zone information on the server. The software autonomically queries the server whether installation is possible based on the positional coordinates sent to the server. These coordinates are retrieved from the GPS receiver and placed in the query that is sent to the server. The server is programmed to read and respond to such queries after examining a comprehensive list of approved locations for that specific software. Accordingly, the server may be provided by a service provider as a service to software developers who wish to restrict the locations in which multiple, different software may be installed. The service provider maintains the server and provides the software developers with the IP address 510 for transmitting the queries as well as designate the particular messaging/communication protocol 512 to be utilized when generating the queries. The IP address is then coded into the installation code for the application, and the queries are generated according to the message format specified by the service provider and sent to the IP address identified therein.
Returning to
The current location is then compared, at step 416, to the approval/permission list and the pre-configured security policy to determine if installation of the software is permitted at that location of the computer system. Notably, for extremely sensitive technology with extensive restrictions, the verification may simply compare the present location against a short list of approved locations, rather than checking against the un-approved locations for installing the software.
If installation is permitted, the application is loaded into memory and then installed in the standard manner as shown at step 418. However, if the installation is not permitted, installation is blocked at step 420, and a security record is logged in a special log file at step 422. In one embodiment, an alert (if pre-configured) is sent to a pre-designated server (at step 422). The system administrator is thus alerted of the attempts by the user to install software in an unauthorized/unapproved location. The processes completed within the various blocks described in
In one related implementation, a monitoring feature is provided with the software and allows the software to register the locations in which attempts are made to install the software. During subsequent access to the server, information about these locations may be provided to the server. This enables the government or software manufacturer (or owner of the computer system) to track the attempts to install the software in restricted locations.
In one embodiment, illustrated within blocks 602A and 604A, the computer system and server digitally sign the request and response to insure that the contents are not tampered or spoofed. Also, as indicated at block 602B, location approval utility tracks the response received from the server utility in block 604A, which reply message is either “yes proceed with install” or “no terminate/suspend installation”.
Block 602C illustrates the use of default settings within the processes described above. If the computer system is not able to access the server, the default provided to the OS is not to install the application. In one embodiment, this default may optional be setup as a security policy that is a configurable item based upon its priority. Also, when (or if) the GPS receiver cannot determine the current location, the default provided to the OS is not to install the application. This default is required in the event a “jammer” is utilized to attempt to override the security protection provided by the present invention. The default feature may also be provided within the multi-level security policy described above, and changes based on the specific security level defined for the application or computer system. The processes completed within the various blocks described in
Because a computer with installed software may later be moved to a location in which the software is not approved for installation or utilization, the invention further provides a series of back-end security mechanisms for addressing already installed components. Several of these mechanism may be similar to existing password protect security features or disabling of software application based on the current location. Thus, when the current location is not approved, the OS may provide one or more of the following response: (1) notifying the user of potential violation, (2) disabling the software for a temporary duration with an ability to re-enable, (3) automatically un-installing the software from the computer system; and/or (4) launching a shell version of the software, whereby specific features are restricted from access to the user. Co-pending patent application, (Docket No. RPS920030112US1; Application Ser. No. ______), filed on DATE, 2003 and assigned to the same assignee, describes measures for protecting (enabling, disabling, etc.) software subject to import/export restricted software. The relevant content of that application is hereby incorporated by reference.
In one embodiment, the OS also tracks (i.e., maintains a list/table of) those software applications that were location-restricted for installation and occasionally monitors a current location to see if the computer device is moved outside of a pre-approved location. While the pre-approved location for installation may not necessarily affect later access to the software, the invention implements additional security measures that may be connected to execution of the installed software, where required. These methods/measures may extend currently existing security methods or provide new methods. In one embodiment, the entire software is disabled or deleted from the memory of the computer system or hidden within the visible execution paths of the computer system.
Since the invention is primarily focused on preventing installation of the actual software in the first place, the invention provides a back-end security mechanism that visually and functionally removes the application from access by or to the user of the computer system. Accordingly, the application's executables are dynamically removed from the OS execution, and the application is not displayed within the list of available applications in the menu of applications/files. A user is thus forced to re-install the application for use at the specific location and go through a series of security checks required for installation at that location, if installation is available. One method requires only the execution of the location approval utility portion of the installation process. Once the location receives approval, the previously installed version of the application is made functionally and visually available to the user.
Because the list of restricted software and associated restricted locations may change after the software is bought and/or loaded on the computer system, the invention provides an automatic server access feature by which the OS dynamically initiates access to the Internet and goes to the location approval server for an updated list of approved locations.
The invention provides several definable benefits, including: (1) allowing for trusted software installation; (2) reducing the concern about unlicensed software being installed. That is, the install program may also be execution restricted with this method; (3) allowing for laptop users to only install authorized applications at home; and (4) allowing for very specific adherence to licenses of the software. For example, the administrator specifies a building/room as an installation zone for licensed/proprietary software, and the software is not able to be installed in any other buildings/locations.
The invention further allows for system recovery in case of theft. That is, if the computer is removed from its IZone the agent software could be designed to destroy all secure data and/or email. The IZone could be specified in BIOS. GPS could be checked by the BIOS upon boot to determine if computer can boot or not. The location tracking features also works worldwide since the GPS signal is free. Also, when next connected to the Internet, the computer will transmit its location obtained from the GPS receiver. This feature is highly attractive to high security customers (e.g., government) etc. Finally, the invention allows the replacement of software dongles, previously required/utilized to restrict access to certain software on the computer system.
It is important to note that while the present invention has been described in the context of a fully functional data processing system, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the mechanism of the present invention is capable of being distributed in the form of a computer readable medium of instructions in a variety of forms, and that the present invention applies equally, regardless of the particular type of signal bearing media utilized to actually carry out the distribution. Examples of computer readable media include: nonvolatile, hard-coded type media such as Read Only Memories (ROMs) or Erasable, Electrically Programmable Read Only Memories (EEPROMs), recordable type media such as floppy disks, hard disk drives and CD-ROMs, and transmission type media such as digital and analog communication links.
While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to a preferred embodiment, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
