Methods of dynamically securing electronic devices and other communications through environmental and system measurements leveraging tailored trustworthy spaces and continuous authentication

Abstract

This invention is for a system capable of securing one or more fixed or mobile computing device and connected system. Each device is configured to change its operating posture by allowing, limiting, or disallowing access to applications, application features, devices features, data, and other information based on the current Tailored Trustworthy Space (TTS) definitions and rules which provided for various situationally dependent scenarios. Multiple TTS may be defined for a given deployment, each of which specifies one or more sensors and algorithms for combining sensor data from the device, other connected devices, and/or other data sources from which the current TTS is identified. The device further achieves security by loading digital credentials through a unidirectional multidimensional physical representation process which allows for the device to obtain said credentials without the risk of compromising the credential issuing system through the data transfer process. This secure system methodology may be used to create a Mobile Secure Compartmentalized Information Facility (M-SCIF), among other applications.

1 . A method for securely performing a function on a device comprising a sensor and memory containing first instructions to implement at least one tailored trustworthy space rule (“TTS rule”) and second instructions for performing the function, the method comprising:
 prior to performing the function on the device, obtaining a first measurement from the sensor, comparing the first measurement to one or more values defined by the at least one TTS rule, and only performing the function if the first measurement matches at least one of the one or more values defined by the at least one TTS rule; and 
 while performing the function on the device, obtaining a second measurement from the sensor, comparing the second measurement to the one or more values defined by the at least one TTS rule, and only continuing to perform the function if the second measurement matches at least one of the one or more values defined by the at least one TTS rule. 
 
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising
 deleting the second instructions for performing the function if either the first or second measurement does not match at least one of the one or more values defined by the at least one TTS rule.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the sensor comprises a microphone;   the first measurement comprises a first sound measurement created using the microphone;   said comparing the first measurement to the one or more values defined by the at least one TTS rule comprises:
 applying a Fourier transform (“FT”) to the first sound measurement to provide first frequency spectrum information in a plurality of bins, and 
 determining a first ambient noise level by measuring a total power level of the first frequency spectrum information in the plurality of bins; and 
   said comparing the first measurement to the one or more values defined by the at least one TTS rule comprises comparing the ambient noise level of the first frequency spectrum information to one or more predetermined ambient noise levels defined by the at least one TTS rule.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein:
 said comparing the first measurement to the one or more values defined by the at least one TTS rule further comprises measuring an average power level of the first frequency spectrum information in the plurality of bins and measuring an individual power level for at least one of the bins in the plurality of bins; and   said comparing the first measurement to the one or more values defined by the at least one TTS rule further comprises:
 comparing the average power level of the first frequency spectrum information to one or more predetermined average power levels defined by the at least one TTS rule, and 
 comparing the individual power level of the at least one of the bins in the plurality of bins to one or more predetermined power levels defined by the at least one TTS rule. 
   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein:
 the first sound measurement is created by sampling audio at 44,100 hertz;   said first frequency spectrum information ranges from 10 to 5,000 hertz; and   said first plurality of bins have 10 hertz resolution.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein said comparing the first measurement to the one or more value defined by the TTS rule further comprises identifying one or more voices by:
 identifying one or more fundamental frequencies in the first frequency spectrum;   identifying one or more harmonics in the first frequency spectrum information;   comparing the identified one or more fundamental frequencies in the first frequency spectrum to one or more predetermined fundamental frequencies defined by the at least one TTS rule; and   comparing the identified one or more harmonics in the first frequency spectrum to a one or more predetermined harmonics defined by the at least one TTS rule.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the sensor comprises an accelerometer;   the first measurement comprises obtaining acceleration data from the accelerometer; and   said comparing the first measurement to the at least one TTS rule comprises comparing the acceleration data to one or more predetermined acceleration values defined by the at least one TTS rule.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the sensor comprises a data connection;   the first measurement comprises obtaining a portion of a plurality of data from the data connection; and   said comparing the first measurement to the one or more predetermined values defined by the at least one TTS rule comprises comparing the content of the portion to one or more predetermined data values defined by the at least one TTS rule.   
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein:
 The device is communicatively coupled via the data connection with a second device comprising a second sensor;   the portion of the plurality of data comprises sensor data representing one or more measurements obtained from the second sensor; and   said comparing the content of the portion to predetermined data defined by the at least one TTS rule comprises comparing the sensor data to one or more predetermined sensor data values defined by the at least one TTS rule.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein:
 the device comprises a server and the data connection is used to communicate with a second device;   the portion of the plurality of data comprises data communicated between the server and the second device; and   said comparing the content of the portion to predetermined data defined by the at least one TTS rule comprises comparing, by the server, the content of the portion to one or more predetermined data values defined by the at least one TTS rule.   
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the device comprises a data connection; the first measurement comprises obtaining a first portion of a plurality of data from the data connection at a first one or more times and obtaining a second portion of a plurality of data from the data connection at a second one or more times; and   said comparing the first measurement to the one or more predetermined values defined by the at least one TTS rule comprises calculating a delay by comparing the first one or more times to the second one or more times and comparing the delay to one or more predetermined receive delay values defined by the at least one TTS rule.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the sensor comprises a data connection;   the first measurement comprises obtaining a first portion of a plurality of data from the data connection over a duration of time; and   said comparing the first measurement to the one or more predetermined values defined by the at least one TTS rule comprises calculating a rate, wherein the rate is the ratio of the quantity of data in the first portion to the duration of time, and comparing the rate to one or more predetermined rates defined by the at least one TTS rule.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 said function comprises transmitting communication data to a second device;   the sensor comprises a first one or more of a plurality of sensors comprising a microphone, a camera, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a data connection, or a GPS receiver;   said second device comprises a second sensor comprising a second one or more of the plurality of sensors;   if the first one or more of a plurality of sensors comprises a microphone, each of said first and second measurements comprise obtaining a sound measurement from the microphone;   if the first one or more of a plurality of sensors comprises a camera, each of said first and second measurements comprise obtaining an image from the camera;   if the first one or more of a plurality of sensors comprises an accelerometer, each of said first and second measurements comprise obtaining measured acceleration data from the accelerometer;   if the first one or more of a plurality of sensors comprises a gyroscope, each of said first and second measurements comprise obtaining measured gyroscope data from the gyroscope;   if the first one or more of a plurality of sensors comprises a data connection, each of said first and second measurements comprise obtaining a first portion of a plurality of data from the data connection; and   if the first one or more of a plurality of sensors comprises a GPS receiver, each of said first and second measurements comprise obtaining position data from the GPS receiver.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein one or more values defined by the TTS rules is selected from a group comprising an ambient noise level, an ambient sound characteristic, a number of people present within a specified distance of the device, a number of people viewing a display on the device, a number of voices detected within a specified distance of the device, a measured physical motion of the device, or the physical location of the device. 
     
     
         15 . A system for securing one or more devices using a tailored trustworthy space rule (“TTS rule”), comprising:
 a device comprising a processor, a memory, and a sensor, wherein the processor is communicatively coupled to the memory and the sensor; 
 wherein the memory contains an application and a TTS rule, and the processor is configured to load and execute the application; 
 wherein the processor is configured to obtain a first measurement from the sensor prior to loading the application; 
 wherein the processor is configured to perform a first check comparing the first measurement against one or more values defined by the TTS rule; and 
 wherein, upon passing the first check, the processor is configured to proceed with loading the application. 
 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
 obtain a second measurement from the sensor while executing the application;   perform a second check comparing the second measurement against the one or more values defined by the TTS rule; and   upon passing the second check, continuing executing the application.   
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein, upon failing the first check or second check, the processor is configured to apply a restriction defined by the TTS rule so as to limit the functionality of the application. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein, upon failing the first check or second check, the processor is configured to apply a restriction defined by the TTS rule so as to limit the functionality of the device. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
 upon failing the first check, refrain from loading the application and delete the application from the memory; and   upon failing the second check, ceasing executing the application, unload the application, and delete the application from the memory.   
     
     
         20 . A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium embodying a set of instructions for securing a device using tailored trustworthy space rules (“TTS rules”), wherein the device is configured to perform a first action and wherein the instructions, when executed by a processor in the device, cause the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:
 obtaining a security certificate from a certificate server using an out-of-band process; 
 encrypting and storing the security certificate in a certificate store on the device; 
 obtaining a configuration comprising a device-wide TTS rule from a system server; 
 obtaining application data comprising an application configured to perform a second action and an application-specific TTS rule from an application server; 
 storing the application data in an application store on the device; 
 prior to executing the application, comparing a first measurement from a sensor in the device to the device-wide TTS rule and the application-specific TTS rule; 
 if the first measurement fails either the device-wide TTS rule or the application-specific TTS rule, either refraining from executing the application or preventing the application from performing the second action in accordance with the device-wide TTS rule or the application-specific TTS rule, respectively; 
 during execution of the application, comparing a second measurement from the sensor to the device-wide TTS rule and the application-specific TTS rule; 
 if the second measurement fails either the device-wide TTS rule or the application-specific TTS rule, either ceasing execution of the application or preventing the application from performing the second action in accordance with the device-wide TTS rule or the application-specific TTS rule, respectively; and 
 if either the first measurement or the second measurement fails the device-wide TTS rule, preventing the device from performing the first action in accordance with the device-wide TTS rule.