Kernel event triggers for content item security

• US 10,579,443 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2017
• Issued: 03/03/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Inventors: von Muhlen, Marcio, Valloppillil, Vinod, Bunger, Nils
• Primary Examiner(s): Shehni, Ghazal B
• Application Number:
  US15/476,059
• Publication Number:
  US 20180181723A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,068 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/13 File access structures, e.g. distributed indices arrangements of input from, or output to, record carriers G06F3/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1774 Locking methods, e.g. locking methods for file systems allowing shared and concurrent access to files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1794 Details of file format conversion
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/183 Provision of network file services by network file servers, e.g. by using NFS, CIFS network file access protocols H04L67/1097
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1873 Versioning file systems, temporal file systems, e.g. file system supporting different historic versions of files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1011 to devices
• 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 2209/542 Intercept
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/545 where tasks reside in different layers, e.g. user- and kernel-space
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/30 : Definitions, standards or architectural aspects of layered protocol stacks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/321 : Interlayer communication protocols or service data unit [SDU] definitions; Interfaces between layers

Abstract

The present technology pertains to responding to a kernel level file event for a content item and presenting a file event window associated with the content item. A client device can detect the kernel level file event for the content item. This can be accomplished using a kernel extension on a client device that is networked with a content management system. The client device can then retrieve data associated with the content item, including an instruction for the content item. The client device can then perform the instruction. This instruction can be to retrieve collaboration data from the content management system and present the collaboration data in a file event window.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

interrupting a kernel level file open event for a content item having at least a portion of the content item locally stored on a client device running the kernel, the at least the portion of the content item being locally stored on the client device is stored with digital rights management (DRM) data;

in response to the interrupting the kernel level file event, accessing the DRM data, wherein a synchronized copy of the at least the portion of the content item exists at a content management system server, the DRM data referencing a DRM server;

communicating with the DRM server according to the DRM data to download content item access instructions; and

opening the at least the portion of content item according to the content item access instructions.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the at least the portion of the content item is a stub that appears to an operating system on the client device as a complete content item while being a placeholder for the complete content item, the complete content item stored at a content management system connected to the client device by a network, and the DRM data including a reference to an address of the complete content item.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising:

retrieving the content item from the server; and

preventing the content item stub from being accessed by a process operating on the client device.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising:

detecting the kernel level file event by a kernel extension of a content management system client application, the kernel level file event is associated with a process operating on the client device;

wherein opening the at least the portion of the content item according to the access instruction further includes;

opening the content item in a web browser when download of the content item to the client device is restricted.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting the kernel level file event by a kernel extension of a content management system client application, the kernel level file event is associated with a process operating on the client device;

wherein opening the at least the portion of the content item according to the access instruction further includes;

validating credentials to confirm access rights to the at least the portion of the content item.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the at least the portion of the content item is a redacted version of the content item, a complete version of the content item is stored at a content management system connected to the client device by a network, and the DRM data including a reference to the address of the complete content item.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein opening the at least the portion of the content item according to the content item access instructions includes:

redacting a portion of the content item.

8. A system comprising:

a digital rights management (DRM) server;

a client device including an operating system kernel, at least one storage storing a content management system client application and storing at least a portion of a content item with digital rights management (DRM) data, wherein a synchronized copy of the at least the portion of the content item exists at a content management system server, wherein the content management system client application is configured to;

detect that an application executing on the client device is attempting to access the at least the portion of the content item locally stored in the at least one storage;

in response to the detection that the application executing on the client device is attempting to access the at least the portion of the content item, interrupt a kernel level file open event for the content item having the at least the portion of the content item locally stored on a client device, the client device running the operating system kernel;

communicate with the DRM server according to the DRM data to download content item access instructions; and

open the content item according to the content item access instructions.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the at least the portion of the content item locally stored in the at least one storage is a stub that appears to the operating system on the client device as a complete content item while being a placeholder for the complete content item, the system comprising:

a content management system server configured to store the complete content item, the content management system server being connected to the client device by a network, and the DRM data including a reference to an address of the complete content item at the content management system server.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the client device includes a kernel extension of the content management system client application, the kernel extension configured to detect the attempt to access the at least the portion of the content item as the kernel level file open event, the kernel level file open event is associated with a process operating on the client device;

and

wherein the opening the at least the portion of the content item according to the access instruction further includes;

retrieving the content item from the content management system server; and

preventing the content item stub from being accessed by the process operating on the client device.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the client device includes a kernel extension of the content management system client application, the kernel extension configured to detect the attempt to access the at least the portion of the content item as the kernel level file event, the kernel level file event is associated with a process operating on the client device;

and

wherein opening the content item according to the access instruction further includes opening the content item in a web browser when download of the content item to the client device is restricted.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the client device includes a kernel extension of the content management system client application, the kernel extension configured to detect the attempt to access the at least the portion of the content item as the kernel level file event, the kernel level file event is associated with a process operating on the client device;

wherein opening the at least the portion of the content item according to the access instruction further includes;

validating credentials to confirm access rights to the content item.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the at least the portion of the content item is a redacted version of the content item, a complete version of the content item is stored at a content management system connected to the client device by a network, and the DRM data including a reference to the address of the complete content item.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein opening the at least the portion of the content item according to the content item access instructions includes:

redacting a portion of the content item.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon, the instructions are effective for causing a computing device to:

interrupt a kernel level file open event for a content item having at least a portion of the content item locally stored on a client device running the kernel, the at least the portion of the content item being locally stored on the client device is stored with digital rights management (DRM) data;

in response to the interrupting the kernel level file event, access the DRM data, wherein a synchronized copy of the content item exists at a content management system server, the at least the portion of the content item being locally stored on the client device is stored with digital rights management (DRM) data, the DRM data referencing a DRM server;

communicate with the DRM server according to the DRM data to download content item access instructions; and

open the at least the portion of content item according to the content item access instructions.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the at least the portion of the content item is a stub that appears to an operating system on the client device as a complete content item while being a placeholder for the complete content item, the complete content item stored at a content management system connected to the client device by a network, and the DRM data including a reference to an address of the complete content item.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, instructions are effective for causing a computing device to:

retrieving the content item from the server; and

preventing the content item stub from being accessed by a process operating on the client device.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, instructions are effective for causing a computing device to:

detect the kernel level file event by a kernel extension of a content management system client application, the kernel level file event is associated with a process operating on the client device;

wherein opening the at least the portion of the content item according to the access instruction further includes;

opening the content item in a web browser when download of the content item to the client device is restricted.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, instructions are effective for causing a computing device to:

detect the kernel level file event by a kernel extension of a content management system client application, the kernel level file event is associated with a process operating on the client device;

wherein opening the at least the portion of the content item according to the access instruction further includes;

validating credentials to confirm access rights to the content item.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the at least the portion of the content item is a redacted version of the content item, a complete version of the content item is stored at a content management system connected to the client device by a network, and the DRM data including a reference to the address of the complete content item.