Patent ID: 8112807

Claim:
A method performed by a wireless device for automatically hard erasing data on the wireless device based on a threat determination to inhibit unauthorized access to data, the method comprising: storing personal and/or sensitive data in a memory space of the wireless device; monitoring sensors in the wireless device that provide information relating to a status of the wireless device, the monitoring of sensors comprising: monitoring a housing of the wireless device for a breach; monitoring a period of user input inactivity of the wireless device; monitoring a positioning sensor for determination of whether the wireless device has exited a geographical boundary; and monitoring a connectivity sensor for determination of whether the wireless device has exited a network coverage area; automatically determining whether a threat to data contained in the wireless device exists based on the information from the sensors relating to the status of the wireless device; prompting a user for entry of a hard erase interrupt code to interrupt a hard erase of data in response to determining that a threat to data contained in the wireless device exists; determining if a hard erase interrupt code has been entered within a predetermined timeframe; terminating or postponing a hard erase of data if it is determined that the hard erase interrupt code has been correctly entered within the predetermined timeframe; hard erasing the data contained on the wireless device by replacing the personal and/or sensitive data in the memory space with new data if it is determined that the hard erase interrupt code has not been correctly entered within the predetermined timeframe; and monitoring entry of an authentication code on the wireless device and hard erasing the data stored in the wireless device if the authentication code violates predetermined conditions, wherein the predetermined conditions include evaluating closeness of the entered authentication code and extending a threshold number of attempts upon determination of a close, but incorrectly entered, authentication code.