System and method for using a portable electronic device as a secure virtual mass storage device over a network

A wireless device comprising:

• a communications subsystem for communicating with a communications network;
• a physical internal memory;
• and
• a processor, in communication with the communications subsystem and the physical internal memory, and configured to:
• present the physical internal memory of the wireless device as a universal serial bus (USB) mass storage device using a USB mass storage component of the wireless device configured to interface with the physical internal memory;
• establish a private secure connection between the wireless device and a server on a virtual private network (VPN);
• establish a connection between a universal serial bus (USB) mass storage component of the wireless device and the physical internal memory;
• initiate a private file share between the wireless device and the server over the private secure connection using a file share component of the wireless device configured to mount mass storage devices as network drives on the VPN;
• and
• bridge the USB mass storage component of the wireless device and the file share component of the wireless device, to mount the physical internal memory as a private shared network drive on the VPN, by translating file system requests from the VPN to USB device requests, thereby making the physical internal memory of the wireless device available as a private shared network drive on the VPN;
• wherein the VPN includes at least one of a local area network and a wide area network, and communication between the wireless device and the server occurs wirelessly over one or more of the wide area network and the local area network.

A method for mounting an physical external memory connected to a wireless device as a shared network drive on a virtual private network (VPN), the method comprising:

• presenting the physical external memory connected to the wireless device as a universal serial bus (USB) mass storage device using a USB mass storage component of the wireless device configured to interface with the physical external memory;
• establishing a private secure connection between the wireless device and a server of the network on the VPN;
• establishing a connection between a universal serial bus (USB) mass storage component of the wireless device and an physical external memory physically connected to the wireless device;
• initiating a private file share between the wireless device and the server over the private secure connection using a file share component of the wireless device configured to mount mass storage devices as network drives on the VPN;
• and
• bridging the USB mass storage component of the wireless device and the file share component of the wireless device, to mount the physical external memory as a private shared network drive on the VPN, by translating file system requests from the VPN to USB device requests, thereby making the physical external memory connected to the wireless device available as a private shared network drive on the VPN;
• wherein the VPN includes at least one of a local area network and a wide area network, and communication between the wireless device and the server occurs wirelessly over one or more of the wide area network and the local area network.

A wireless device comprising:

• a communications subsystem for communicating with a communications network;
• a physical internal memory;
• and
• a processor, in communication with the communications subsystem and the physical internal memory, and configured to:
• present an physical external memory connected to the wireless device as a universal serial bus (USB) mass storage device using a USB mass storage component of the wireless device configured to interface with the physical external memory;
• establish a private secure connection between the wireless device and a server on a virtual private network;
• establish a connection between a universal serial bus (USB) mass storage component of the wireless device and an physical external memory physically connected to the wireless device;
• initiate a private file share between the wireless device and the server over the private secure connection using a file share component of the wireless device configured to mount mass storage devices as network drives on the VPN;
• and
• bridge the USB mass storage component of the wireless device and the file share component of the wireless device, to mount the physical external memory as a private shared network drive on the VPN, by translating file system requests from the VPN to USB device requests, thereby making the physical external memory connected to the wireless device available as a private shared network drive on the VPN;
• wherein the VPN includes at least one of a local area network and a wide area network, and communication between the wireless device and the server occurs wirelessly over one or more of the wide area network and the local area network.