COMPUTER FILE CONTROL THROUGH FILE TAGGING

• US 20100037324A1
• Filed: 08/07/2008
• Published: 02/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sophos Limited (Sophos Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sophos Limited (Sophos Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Jacobs, Richard, Grant, Calum Anders McKay, Todorovic, Rade, Thomas, Andrew James
• Granted Patent: US 8,286,255 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/27
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/554 involving event detection and direct action
• 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 21/6227 where protection concerns the structure of data, e.g. records, types, queries
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0227 Filtering policies mail message filtering H04L51/212

Abstract

In embodiments of the present invention improved capabilities are described for providing data protection through the detection of tags associated with data or a file. In embodiments the present invention may provide for a step A, where data may be scanned that is intended to be communicated from the client computing facility. In response to step A, at step B, restricted data may be identified by identifying an absence of a tag associated with the data. And finally, in response to step B, at step C, an interruption to the intended communication may be caused.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

A. scanning data that is intended to be communicated from a client computing facility;

B. in response to step A, identifying restricted data by identifying an absence of a tag associated with the data; and

C. in response to step B, causing an interruption in the intended communication.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein step A involves scanning all data intended for an outside recipient.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein step A involves scanning all data intended for a non-employee recipient.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein step A involves scanning all data intended for a recipient outside of a corporate network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein step A involves scanning all outgoing email.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein step A involves scanning all outgoing IMs.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein step A involves scanning all outgoing VoIP.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein step A involves scanning all data intended for a recipient represented on a block list of recipients.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein step A involves scanning all data intended to be transferred to a removable memory.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein step A involves scanning all data intended to be transferred to a memory stick.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein step A involves scanning all data intended to be transferred to an FTP site.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein step A scanning data that is intended to be communicated from the client computing facility comprises scanning data that is intended to be transferred from the client computing facility and wherein the step of causing the interruption in the communication comprises causing an interruption in the intended transfer.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein if the tag is identified as associated with the data, the method further comprising analyzing the tag and determining a communication protocol associated therewith.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the association of the tag with the data comprising attaching the tag to the data.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the association of the tag with the data comprising attaching metadata to the data.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the association of the tag with the data comprises the step of modifying the filename associated with the data.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the data comprises a file.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a user interface that facilitates a tagging of data with a confidentiality tag.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the tagging of data is automatically generated on the client computing facility based on an event.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the event is saving a file.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein saving of the file is automatic.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein saving of the file is an action by a user.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the event is creating a file.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein the event is a scheduled scanning process.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the scheduled scanning process applies tags based on folder location.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the scheduled scanning process applies tags based on data content.