Patent ID: 8065511
Filing Date: 2011-11-22
Classification: G06F,G06Q,H04W

Abstract:
1. A method for providing security for an electronic device, the method comprising: transmitting a message from a local application in a client device to a remote application in a server device; receiving an encrypted message at the local application from the remote application, wherein the encrypted message indicates whether the client device has been reported stolen; in response to receiving the encrypted message from the remote application, decoding the encrypted message into a decoded message, wherein the operation of decoding the encrypted message comprises converting the encrypted message from an American Standard Code of Information Interchange (ASCII) text format into a binary format; using an encryption/decryption module in the client device to decrypt the decoded, encrypted message, wherein the operation of decrypting the decoded, encrypted message comprises using the encryption/decryption module to decrypt the decoded, encrypted message from the binary format; determining, at the client device, whether the client device has been reported stolen, based at least in part on the decrypted message; and automatically disabling the client device in response to a determination that the client device has been reported stolen, wherein the operation of converting the encrypted message from the ASCII text format into the binary format comprises generating a first number of bytes of binary data from a second number of bytes of ASCII text, wherein the first number is different from the second number.