ENCRYPTED SYNCHRONIZATION

• US 20170185333A1
• Filed: 12/23/2015
• Published: 06/29/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ThinAir Labs Inc.
• Original Assignee: ThinAir Labs Inc.
• Inventors: Gauda, Anthony
• Granted Patent: US 9,733,852 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/00 Security arrangements for protecting computers, components thereof, programs or data against unauthorised activity
• 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 2221/2141 Access rights, e.g. capability lists, access control lists, access tables, access matrices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2147 Locking files

Abstract

A request to store a file to be protected is received. It is detected whether the file to be protected is a file to be synchronized. The encryption key is selected based on the detection of whether the file is a file to be synchronized. The file to be protected is encrypted using the selected encryption key.

Claims

1. A system for dynamic encryption key selection, comprising:

a processor configured to;

receive a request to store a file to be protected;

detect whether the file to be protected is to be synchronized; and

encrypt the file to be protected using a selected encryption key;

wherein;

when it is detected that the file to be protected is to be synchronized, the selected encryption key is a same encryption key that is to be utilized to encrypt across any other instances the file to be synchronized and protected, wherein the same encryption key was selected among a plurality of encryption key options;

when the request indicates the file to be protected is to be synchronized with another instance of the file, the selected encryption key to encrypt the file to be protected is an encryption key that was utilized to encrypt the another instance of the file; and

when it is detected that the file to be protected is not to be synchronized, the selected encryption key is a unique encryption key, wherein each encryption key to be utilized to encrypt each of any different instances of the file to be protected but not synchronized is unique for each of the any different instances and selecting the unique encryption key includes generating a new encryption key; and

a memory coupled to the processor and configured to provide the processor with instructions.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the request is a file system operation.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the request to store the file to be protected has been intercepted by a virtual file system.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein a user-defined callback detects whether the file to be protected is a file to be synchronized.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the request indicates a user indication that the file is to be protected.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the system includes a storage storing the encrypted file to be protected.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the request indicates a level of protection to be applied to the file.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the request indicates whether the file is a file to be synchronized.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein detecting whether the file to be protected is to be synchronized includes automatically determining whether the file to be protected is a file to be synchronized based at least in part on detected information about the file or the request.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the detected information about the file or the request includes detecting a user application that requested the request.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the detected information about the file or the request includes detecting a context of use of the file.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein it is detected that the file to be protected is to be synchronized in the event it is determined that the request is associated with a user application known to perform file synchronization.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein detecting whether the file to be protected is to be synchronized includes determining whether the file is to be synchronized with one or more other copies of the file.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein encrypting the file to be protected using the selected encryption key includes storing an access key corresponding to the selected encryption key at a remote key server.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein encrypting the file to be protected using the selected encryption key includes requesting the selected encryption key from a key server using an identifier of the file to be protected.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein encrypting the file to be protected using the selected encryption key includes selecting a plurality of encryption keys for the file to be protected and each different encryption key of the plurality of encryption keys corresponds to a different level of access to the file to be protected.

14. (canceled)

16. (canceled)

19. A method for dynamic encryption key selection, comprising:

receiving a request to store a file to be protected;

using a processor to detect whether the file to be protected is a file to be synchronized; and

encrypting the file to be protected using a selected encryption key;

wherein;

when it is detected that the file to be protected is to be synchronized, the selected encryption key is a same encryption key that is to be utilized to encrypt across any other instances the file to be synchronized and protected, wherein the same encryption key was selected among a plurality of encryption key options;

when the request indicates the file to be protected is to be synchronized with another instance of the file, the selected encryption key to encrypt the file to be protected is an encryption key that was utilized to encrypt the another instance of the file; and

when it is detected that the file to be protected is not to be synchronized, the selected encryption key is a unique encryption key, wherein each encryption key to be utilized to encrypt each of any different instances of the file to be protected but not synchronized is unique for each of the any different instances and selecting the unique encryption key includes generating a new encryption key.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein detecting whether the file to be protected is to be synchronized includes automatically determining whether the file to be protected is to be synchronized based at least in part on detected information about the file or the request and the detected information about the file or the request includes detecting a context of use of the file.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein encrypting the file to be protected using the selected encryption key includes selecting a plurality of encryption keys for the file to be protected and each different encryption key of the plurality of encryption keys corresponds to a different level of access to the file to be protected.

20. A computer program product for dynamic encryption key selection, the computer program product being embodied in a non-transitory computer readable storage medium and comprising computer instructions for:

receiving a request to store a file to be protected;

detecting whether the file to be protected is a file to be synchronized; and

encrypting the file to be protected using a selected encryption key;

wherein;

when it is detected that the file to be protected is to be synchronized, the selected encryption key is a same encryption key that is to be utilized to encrypt across any other instances the file to be synchronized and protected, wherein the same encryption key was selected among a plurality of encryption key options;

when the request indicates the file to be protected is to be synchronized with another instance of the file, the selected encryption key to encrypt the file to be protected is an encryption key that was utilized to encrypt the another instance of the file; and

when it is detected that the file to be protected is not to be synchronized, the selected encryption key is a unique encryption key, wherein each encryption key to be utilized to encrypt each of any different instances of the file to be protected but not synchronized is unique for each of the any different instances and selecting the unique encryption key includes generating a new encryption key.