WO2002056174A2

WO2002056174A2 - Method for managing computer applications by the operating system of a multi-application computer system

Info

Publication number: WO2002056174A2
Application number: PCT/FR2002/000111
Authority: WO
Inventors: David Naccache; Matthieu Vavassori
Original assignee: Gemplus
Priority date: 2001-01-12
Filing date: 2002-01-11
Publication date: 2002-07-18
Also published as: FR2819602B1; WO2002056174A3; FR2819602A1

Abstract

The invention concerns a method for managing computer applications by the operating system of a multi-application system wherewith a user is provided. It consists in providing in the operating system a mechanism for: a) creating at least two environments enabling the user to access groups of applications corresponding to each of said environments; b) defining a combination of keys enabling the user to shift from one environment to the other; c) detecting to which environment corresponds each of said resident and future applications; d) classifying each of said applications in the environment corresponding thereto.

Description

METHOD FOR MANAGING COMPUTER APPLICATIONS BY THE OPERATING SYSTEM OF A MULTI- COMPUTER SYSTEM

APPLICATIONS

The invention relates to a method of managing computer applications by the operating system of a multi-application computer system. The field of the invention is that of computer systems allowing the operation of multiple applications simultaneously.

In today's multi-application systems, the applications run at the same time - in the same environment. Users of such systems have at their disposal combinations of keyboard keys such as “Alt + Tab” allowing them to switch from one application to another.

Users need a simple way to differentiate between different groups of applications and to be able to switch from one group to another.

We will more specifically consider two groups of applications: secure applications and non-secure applications. Certain applications are downloaded from a network such as the INTERNET network, onto the user's computer system, by means of a program called browser (term better known by the English term “browser”), such as those known under the brands "NETSCAPE" or "INTERNET EXPLORER". These applications allow transactions secure between network users, including monetary transactions.

In the INTERNET network, more and more merchant sites offer secure transactions by implementing certificates which guarantee, to a certain extent, that the information that the buyer will enter on the screen on the seller's site does not cannot be "stolen" by a third party from the transaction. This is achieved by establishing a signed and / or encrypted communication between the seller and the buyer, for example using the SSL standard.

When a seller's site is secure for the transaction to be carried out, this state is brought to the attention of the buyer, by visual characteristics of the browser which consist as shown in FIG. 1) in: the appearance of a padlock 2 closed in bottom of browser window 1, left, right or elsewhere depending on the browser used, and - the appearance, in site address bar 3, of the letter "s" after "http" to obtain "https "at the beginning of address 4.

For the buyer, these visual characteristics are, in general, the only evidence that the transaction to be carried out will be secure.

As we will see now, a fraudster can simulate such visual evidence. A fraudster who would like to "steal" • the confidential information of a potential buyer or, on the contrary, 1 / mislead by presenting false information to him, can reveal these visual characteristics on his seller site so as to make believe that the transaction to be carried out will be secure.

In the current operating state of browsers, it is indeed possible for it to reveal false visual security characteristics by using a programming language, in particular those known under the brands "JAVA" or "ActiveX".

Indeed, these languages make it possible to display by an "applet" an image 10 superimposed on the image 1 displayed by the browser as shown in FIG. 2) and thus bring up the visual security characteristics 12 in order to deceive the buyer on the reality of security. The buyer can no longer trust this visual security evidence.

So the purpose of this invention is to separate two ^{environments,} the truly secure applications from those who are not, and allow the user to select a part of the environment in which he wishes to evolve and on the other hand to pass from one environment to another by a combination of particular keys. A third environment can also group all the applications whether or not they are secure. ^'

The invention relates to a method for managing IT applications by _f of operating a computer system multi-application system available to a user, mainly characterized in that it consists in providing in the operating system a mechanism making it possible to: a) create at least two environments allowing the user to access groups of applications corresponding to each of said environments, b) define a combination of keys allowing the user to switch from one environment to another, c) detect to which environment each of said resident and future applications corresponds, d) classify each of said applications in the environment which corresponds to him.

According to one embodiment of the invention, a first environment relates to a group of secure applications, a second environment, a group of non-secure applications.

According to a characteristic of the invention, step c) consists, before launching the application, of verifying that said code of the application is signed and, when this is the case, of verifying that the signature is valid.

According to an additional characteristic, step c) consists in verifying during the execution of one of said applications, on each request for opening a network connection, that said connection is secure.

According to another characteristic of the invention, the method consists in creating a third environment relating to secure applications and non-secure applications. Some of said applications can be downloaded into said computer system from of a network accessible via a navigation program.

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear clearly on reading the description given by way of nonlimiting example and with reference to the appended drawings in which:

- Figure 1 already described is a simplified view of a browser screen showing that the monetary transaction to be carried out will be secure;

- Figure 2 already described is a simplified view of a browser screen showing an overlay image making believe that the transaction is secure; Figure 3 is a flow diagram of the main steps for determining whether an application is secure or not.

Computer systems in general are understood to mean personal computers, portable or not, electronic agendas, electronic organizers, mobile phones with a graphic screen, etc.

We will - consider the example of the personal computer. It typically comprises a display screen, a keyboard composed of keys, often a mouse and a central unit comprising at least one microprocessor and memories, making it possible to - implement different programs consisting of a series of instructions. The central unit also includes one or more input-output interfaces _τ which in particular allow the computer to be connected to a network. Among the programs, that of the operating system makes it possible to manage various functions such as the display, the entry of information, ..., and in particular the management of applications operating simultaneously. The management of these applications includes in particular a function allowing the user to switch from one application to another by means of a combination of keys on the keyboard, without having to close the application that he is leaving. One can cite the keys "Alt + Tab" as an example of such a combination of keys.

According to the invention, a programmer inserts into the program of the operating system, a subroutine composed of a series of instructions whose execution makes it possible, during a prior step, to create at least two environments where applications will be classified according to characteristics determined by the programmer, and to define the key combination allowing to pass from one environment to another such as "Ctrl + Tab". Preferably, this key combination is proposed by default by the operating system.

It is further provided in this sequence of instructions, when loading or downloading a new application on the computer, to determine by means of the characteristics previously determined by the programmer, in which environment the application must be classified, then to classify it.

This sequence of instructions ^' is inserted' into the operating system because it is well protected and almost inaccessible from a network, in particular at from applets or programs that would be downloaded. It is therefore very difficult for a fraudster, for example, to transfer an application from one environment to another, unless he has physical access to the computer.

We go . take an example of classifying applications according to whether or not they are secure. The user firstly creates, using the operating system, three environments, for example in the form of virtual bars; the environment El, on secure applications, the E2 environment for non-secure applications, and E3 environment for all applications that are or ^{^'no'} secure. It retains the key combination proposed by default by the operating system, for example "Ctrl + Tab", which will allow it to switch from El to E2, from E2 to E3 and from E3 to El. The operating system itself ^'' optionally proposes to display the environment in which it will be found, somewhere on the display screen, for example at the level of the task bar of an application bar by means of a visual characteristic possibly chosen by the user from a list proposed by the operating system.

Then, when the user wishes to launch an application which has not yet been classified in one of these environments, the operating system first determines whether the application is or is not sequenced. We will now describe, in relation to FIG. 3, different steps making it possible to distinguish a secure application of that which is not secure or more generally of that which the user cannot trust.

We will take as an example of secure applications, applications whose code has been signed by a device implementing a cryptography algorithm such as the RSA algorithm named after its authors (Rivest, Shamir and Adleman), well known from the skilled person. When launching a resident application that has not yet been classified in an environment or when loading or downloading a new application on the computer, in this case the application code, checks before launching the execution of the application code.

It is a question of verifying that the code is authentic, that is to say on the one hand verifying that the code is signed and if this is the case that the signature is valid. If one of these two conditions is not satisfied, the application is classified in the E2 environment. unsecured applications.

However, an authentic code is not always sufficient to classify the application in the El environment of secure applications. Indeed, if, during the execution of an application whose code is signed and whose signature is valid, the opening of a network connection (an Internet connection for example) is requested by the application, it is verified that the connection is also secure. If this is the case, i.e. if the certificate is valid and already known to the operating system or not yet known to the operating system but recognized by the user, the application is classified in the El environment of secure applications.

If one of the conditions is not met, the application is classified in the E2 environment of non-secure applications.

Claims

1. A method of managing computer applications by the operating system of a multi-application computer system available to a user, characterized in that it consists in providing in the operating system a mechanism making it possible to: a) create at least two environments allowing the user to access groups of applications corresponding to each of said environments, b) define a key combination allowing the user to switch from one environment to another, c) detect which environment each of said resident and future applications corresponds to, d) classify each of said applications in the environment which corresponds to it.

2. Method according to the preceding claim, characterized in that a first environment relates to a group of secure applications, a second environment, a group of non-secure applications.

3. Method according to the preceding claim, the application being in the form of a code, characterized in that step c) "consists before launching the application in verifying that said code of the application is signed 'and when this is the case, to verify that the signature is valid.

4. Method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that step c) consists in verifying during the execution of one of said applications, on each request for opening a network connection, that said connection is secure.

5. Method according to one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that it consists in creating a third environment relating to secure applications and non-secure applications.

6. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that some of said applications are downloaded into said computer system from a network accessible via a navigation program.