Copy protection for secured files

• US 10,303,888 B2
• Filed: 05/03/2017
• Issued: 05/28/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Rodriguez Bravo, Cesar Augusto, Krauss, Kirk
• Primary Examiner(s): Jhaveri, Jayesh M
• Application Number:
  US15/585,846
• Publication Number:
  US 20180322294A1
• Time in Patent Office: 755 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/602 Providing cryptographic facilities or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/62 Protecting access to data via a platform, e.g. using keys or access control rules
• 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 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6254 by anonymising data, e.g. decorrelating personal data from the owner's identification
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6272 by registering files or documents with a third party
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06037 multi-dimensional coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/08 Randomization, e.g. dummy operations or using noise
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/16 Obfuscation or hiding, e.g. involving white box
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/60 Digital content management, e.g. content distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/04 for providing a confidential data exchange among entities communicating through data packet networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0492 by using a location-limited connection, e.g. near-field communication or limited proximity of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/107 wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/108 when the policy decisions are valid for a limited amount of time

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to copy protection. A request to copy a file from a requestor with one or more privileges sufficient to access the file may be received. The file may be determined to be subject to copy protection. In response to determining that the file is subject to copy protection, a notification of the copy attempt may be transmitted. Copy protection may then be applied to the file.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a processor, a request to copy a file from a requestor with one or more privileges sufficient to access the file;

determining that the file contains a plurality of hashes and thus is subject to copy protection, wherein determining that the file contains the plurality of hashes comprises;

identifying a plurality of data sets corresponding to the plurality of hashes in the file;

determining a number of bits in each data set of the plurality of data sets;

comparing the number of bits in each data set to each other; and

determining, in response to the number of bits being identical in each data set, that the file contains the plurality of hashes;

transmitting, in response to determining that the file is subject to copy protection, a notification of the copy attempt; and

applying copy protection to the file wherein applying copy protection to the file comprises;

generating a dummy version of each hash by modifying each of the plurality of hashes;

transmitting a file containing the dummy version of each hash to the requestor; and

transmitting, in response to transmitting the file containing the dummy version of each hash to the requestor, a notification to the requestor that the request to copy the file was successfully processed.

2. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

determining requestor information; and

restricting the requestor'"'"'s access based on the requestor information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein applying copy protection to the file comprises:

blocking the copy request; and

transmitting, in response to blocking the copy request, a notification to the requestor that the request to copy the file was unsuccessful.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein applying copy protection to the file further comprises:

encrypting at least a portion of the file;

storing the copy request in memory, wherein storing the copy request in memory delays the request from being processed;

transmitting a notification to the requestor that the at least a portion of the file requires authentication to access;

decrypting, in response to the requestor providing authentication, the at least a portion of the file;

retrieving the copy request from memory; and

processing the copy request.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein applying copy protection to the file comprises:

generating response data based on the copy request;

transmitting the response data to the requestor; and

transmitting, in response to transmitting the response data to the requestor, a notification to the requestor that the request to copy the file was successfully processed.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein generating the response data includes generating a dummy version of at least a portion of the file.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein generating the response data includes modifying at least a portion of the file.

8. The method of claim 5, the method further comprising:

encrypting the file,

wherein generating the response data includes generating a notification that the at least a portion of the file was encrypted and further authentication is necessary to decrypt the at least a portion of the file.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the dummy version of each hash of the plurality of hashes comprises:

transferring at least one bit from each hash of the plurality of hashes to another hash of the plurality of hashes while maintaining a constant bit-length for each hash; and

randomly repositioning bits within each hash after said transferring of each of the at least one bit to another hash.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein applying copy protection to the file comprises:

modifying each hash of the plurality of hashes within the file, wherein modifying each hash of the plurality of hashes within the file comprises;

transferring at least one bit from each hash of the plurality of hashes to another hash of the plurality of hashes while maintaining a constant bit-length for each hash; and

randomly repositioning bits within each hash after said transferring of each of the at least one bit to another hash;

transmitting the file containing the plurality of modified hashes to the requestor; and

transmitting, in response to transmitting the file containing the plurality of modified hashes to the requestor, a notification to the requestor that the request to copy the file was successfully processed.

9. A system comprising:

a central processing unit (CPU) configured to perform a method comprising;

receiving a request to copy a file from a requestor with one or more privileges sufficient to access the file;

determining that the file contains a plurality of hashes and thus is subject to copy protection, wherein determining that the file contains the plurality of hashes comprises;

identifying a plurality of data sets corresponding to the plurality of hashes in the file;

determining a number of bits in each data set of the plurality of data sets;

comparing the number of bits in each data set to each other; and

determining, in response to the number of bits being identical in each data set, that the file contains the plurality of hashes;

transmitting, in response to determining that the file is subject to copy protection, a notification of the copy attempt; and

applying copy protection to the file wherein applying copy protection to the file comprises;

generating a dummy version of each hash by modifying each of the plurality of hashes;

transmitting a file containing the dummy version of each hash to the requestor; and

transmitting, in response to transmitting the file containing the dummy version of each hash to the requestor, a notification to the requestor that the request to copy the file was successfully processed.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein applying copy protection to the file comprises:

blocking the copy request; and

transmitting, in response to blocking the copy request, a notification to the requestor that the request to copy the file was unsuccessful.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein applying copy protection to the file comprises:

generating response data based on the copy request;

transmitting the response data to the requestor; and

transmitting, in response to transmitting the response data to the requestor, a notification to the requestor that the request to copy the file was successfully processed.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein applying copy protection to the file further comprises:

encrypting the file,

wherein generating the response data includes generating a notification that the at least a portion of the file was encrypted and further authentication is necessary to decrypt the at least a portion of the file.

13. A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a processor to cause the processor to perform a method comprising:

receiving a request to copy a file from a requestor with one or more privileges sufficient to access the file;

determining that the file contains a plurality of hashes and thus is subject to copy protection, wherein determining that the file contains the plurality of hashes comprises;

identifying a plurality of data sets corresponding to the plurality of hashes in the file;

determining a number of bits in each data set of the plurality of data sets;

comparing the number of bits in each data set to each other; and

determining, in response to the number of bits being identical in each data set, that the file contains the plurality of hashes;

transmitting, in response to determining that the file is subject to copy protection, a notification of the copy attempt; and

applying copy protection to the file wherein applying copy protection to the file comprises;

generating a dummy version of each hash by modifying each of the plurality of hashes;

transmitting a file containing the dummy version of each hash to the requestor; and

transmitting, in response to transmitting the file containing the dummy version of each hash to the requestor, a notification to the requestor that the request to copy the file was successfully processed.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein applying copy protection to the file comprises:

blocking the copy request; and

transmitting, in response to blocking the copy request, a notification to the requestor that the request to copy the file was unsuccessful.

15. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein applying copy protection to the file comprises:

generating response data based on the copy request;

transmitting the response data to the requestor; and

transmitting, in response to transmitting the response data to the requestor, a notification to the requestor that the request to copy the file was successfully processed.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein applying copy protection to the file further comprises:

encrypting the file,

wherein generating the response data includes generating a notification that the at least a portion of the file was encrypted and further authentication is necessary to decrypt the at least a portion of the file.

17. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein applying copy protection to the file further comprises:

encrypting at least a portion of the file;

storing the copy request in memory, wherein storing the copy request in memory delays the request from being processed;

transmitting a notification to the requestor that the at least a portion of the file requires authentication to access;

decrypting, in response to the requestor providing authentication, the at least a portion of the file;

retrieving the copy request from memory; and

processing the copy request.