Controlled publication of sensitive content

• US 10,255,442 B2
• Filed: 11/15/2016
• Issued: 04/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Original Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Inventors: Sanso, Antonio, Suter, Philipp
• Primary Examiner(s): Brown, Christopher J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jackson, Jenise E
• Application Number:
  US15/352,450
• Publication Number:
  US 20180137292A1
• Time in Patent Office: 875 Days
• Field of Search: 713189
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/602 Providing cryptographic facilities or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6209 to a single file or object, e.g. in a secure envelope, encrypted and accessed using a key, or with access control rules appended to the object itself
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6254 by anonymising data, e.g. decorrelating personal data from the owner's identification
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3221 interactive zero-knowledge proofs

Abstract

Systems and methods are disclosed herein for publishing sensitive content at a future time, where prior to the future time, receiving an encrypted version of the sensitive content is received and a sequence of proof rules are applied to random portions of the encrypted version of the sensitive content. Upon successful application of the sequence of proof rules, the encrypted version of the sensitive content is prepared for publication and optionally published in encrypted form. At the future time, an encryption key is received for the encrypted version of the sensitive content and the encrypted version of the sensitive content is decrypted with the encryption key to produce the sensitive content.

Claims

1. A method, performed by a computing device, for publishing sensitive content at a future time, the method comprising:

prior to a future time at which sensitive content is to be published, receiving an encrypted version of the sensitive content;

applying an interactive zero knowledge proof to the encrypted version of the sensitive content, wherein applying the interactive zero knowledge proof comprises repeating more than once the steps of;

requesting a sample of the sensitive content corresponding to a random portion of the encrypted version of the sensitive content,

receiving a hash of the requested sample of the sensitive content that does not reveal the sensitive content, and

comparing the hash to a particular aspect expected in the requested sample of the sensitive content,

wherein the particular aspect expected in the sample of the sensitive content comprises grammar or format;

upon successful application of the interactive zero knowledge proof, preparing the encrypted version of the sensitive content for publication;

at the future time, receiving an encryption key for the encrypted version of the sensitive content;

decrypting the encrypted version of the sensitive content with the encryption key to produce the sensitive content at a publication location from which the sensitive content is accessible via a network; and

publishing the decrypted sensitive content.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the grammar comprises content identifiable as portable document format (PDF).

3. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the grammar comprises content identifiable as hypertext markup language (HTML).

4. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the format comprises a table of contents.

5. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the format comprises a particular organization of content.

6. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein preparing the encrypted version of the sensitive content for publication comprises storing the encrypted version of the sensitive content at the publication location prior to the future time.

7. The method as set forth in claim 6, wherein the publication location comprises one or more server locations.

8. The method as set forth in claim 6, wherein storing the encrypted version of the sensitive content comprises uploading the encrypted version of the sensitive content to the publication location prior to the future time, wherein the encrypted version of the sensitive content is available at the publication location to be decrypted without uploading the sensitive content to the publication location at the future time.

9. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising decrypting the sensitive content after receiving the encryption key.

10. A computer-based system for publishing sensitive content at a future time, the system comprising:

at least one memory including instructions; and

at least one processor that executes the instructions stored in memory, that causes the processor to implement;

a means for receiving an encrypted version of sensitive content prior to a future time at which the sensitive content is to be published;

a means for applying an interactive zero knowledge proof to the encrypted version of the sensitive content, wherein the means for applying the interactive zero knowledge proof comprises;

a means for requesting a sample of the sensitive content corresponding to a random portion of the encrypted version of the sensitive content,

a means for receiving a hash of the requested sample of the sensitive content that does not reveal the sensitive content, and

a means for comparing the hash to a particular aspect expected in the requested sample of the sensitive content,

wherein the particular aspect expected in the sample of the sensitive content comprises grammar or format;

a means for preparing the encrypted version of the sensitive content for publication;

a means for decrypting the encrypted version of the sensitive content with an encryption key provided at the future time to produce the sensitive content at a publication location from which the sensitive content is accessible via a network; and

a means for publishing the decrypted sensitive content.

11. The computer-based system as set forth in claim 10, wherein the grammar comprises content identifiable as portable document format (PDF).

12. The computer-based system as set forth in claim 10, wherein the format comprises a table of contents.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions for causing a computing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving an encrypted version of a sensitive document prior to a future desired publication time;

applying an interactive zero knowledge proof to the encrypted version of the sensitive document, wherein the instructions for causing a computing device to apply the interactive zero knowledge proof comprises instructions for causing the computing device to perform operations comprising;

requesting a sample of the sensitive content corresponding to a random portion of the encrypted version of the sensitive content,

receiving a hash of the requested sample of the sensitive content that does not reveal the sensitive content, and

comparing the hash to a particular aspect expected in the requested sample of the sensitive content,

wherein the particular aspect expected in the sample of the sensitive content comprises grammar or format;

preparing the encrypted version of the sensitive document for publication;

at the future desired publication time, receiving an encryption key for the encrypted version of the sensitive document;

decrypting the encrypted version of the sensitive document with the encryption key to produce the sensitive document; and

publishing the decrypted sensitive content.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as set forth in claim 13, wherein the grammar comprises content identifiable as portable document format (PDF).

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as set forth in claim 13, wherein the format comprises a table of contents.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as set forth in claim 13, wherein the format comprises a particular organization of content.