SYSTEM, METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FINE-GRAINED PRIVACY SPECIFICATION AND VERIFICATION

• US 20180034857A1
• Filed: 07/29/2016
• Published: 02/01/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Ferrara, Pietro, Pistoia, Marco, Tripp, Omer
• Granted Patent: US 10,250,642 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/577 Assessing vulnerabilities and evaluating computer system security
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/04 for providing a confidential data exchange among entities communicating through data packet networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1433 Vulnerability analysis
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227

Abstract

A method includes receiving from a user via a user interface an activation of at least one element to set a privacy policy specifying the maximum amount of confidential data that is authorized to be leaked to a sink, tracking movement of confidential data through an application, determining based on the tracked movement of the confidential data that the confidential data is leaked to the sink by the application, comparing the confidential data that is leaked to the sink to the specified maximum amount of confidential data that is authorized to be leaked to the sink, and presenting to the user via the user interface an indication of whether the application complies with the privacy policy set by the user based on the comparison.

Claims

1. A method performed by at least one hardware processor, comprising:

presenting a user interface via a display of a computing device, the user interface including at least one element that is activatable by a user to set a privacy policy, the privacy policy specifying a maximum amount of confidential data that is authorized to be leaked to a sink;

receiving from the user via the user interface an activation of the at least one element to set the privacy policy, the activation specifying the maximum amount of confidential data that is authorized to be leaked to the sink;

tracking movement of confidential data through an application;

determining based on the tracked movement of the confidential data that the confidential data is leaked to the sink by the application;

comparing the confidential data that is leaked to the sink to the specified maximum amount of confidential data that is authorized to be leaked to the sink; and

presenting to the user via the user interface an indication of whether the application complies with the privacy policy set by the user based on the comparison.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the confidential data that is leaked to the sink is below the specified maximum amount of confidential data that is authorized to be leaked to the sink based on the comparison, wherein the presentation to the user via the user interface of the indication includes presenting an indication that the application complies with the privacy policy set by the user.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the confidential data that is leaked to the sink is above the specified maximum amount of confidential data that is authorized to be leaked to the sink based on the comparison, wherein the presentation to the user via the user interface of the indication includes presenting an indication that the application does not comply with the privacy policy set by the user.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the activation of the at least one element by the user includes a selection by the user of a category of confidential data as the maximum amount of confidential data.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the category of confidential data comprises at least one of fine-grain location, coarse-grain location, and identifiers.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the activation of the at least one element by the user includes a selection by the user of a category of sinks including the sink, wherein the maximum amount of confidential data is authorized to be leaked to the category of sinks.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the category of sinks comprises at least one of internal sinks and external sinks.

8. A system comprising:

at least one processor comprising hardware; and

a display coupled to the at least one processor, the at least one processor configured to;

present a user interface via the display, the user interface including at least one element that is activatable by a user to set a privacy policy, the privacy policy specifying a maximum amount of confidential data that is authorized to be leaked to a sink;

receive from the user via the user interface an activation of the at least one element to set the privacy policy, the activation specifying the maximum amount of confidential data that is authorized to be leaked to the sink;

track movement of confidential data through an application;

determine based on the tracked movement of the confidential data that the confidential data is leaked to the sink by the application;

compare the confidential data that is leaked to the sink to the specified maximum amount of confidential data that is authorized to be leaked to the sink; and

present to the user via the user interface an indication of whether the application complies with the privacy policy set by the user based on the comparison.

9. The system of claim 8, the at least one processor further configured to:

determine that the confidential data that is leaked to the sink is below the specified maximum amount of confidential data that is authorized to be leaked to the sink based on the comparison, wherein the presentation to the user via the user interface of the indication includes presenting an indication that the application complies with the privacy policy set by the user.

10. The system of claim 8, the at least one processor further configured to:

determine that the confidential data that is leaked to the sink is above the specified maximum amount of confidential data that is authorized to be leaked to the sink based on the comparison, wherein the presentation to the user via the user interface of the indication includes presenting an indication that the application does not comply with the privacy policy set by the user.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the activation of the at least one element by the user includes a selection by the user of a category of confidential data as the maximum amount of confidential data.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the category of confidential data comprises at least one of fine-grain location, coarse-grain location, and identifiers.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the activation of the at least one element by the user includes a selection by the user of a category of sinks including the sink, wherein the maximum amount of confidential data is authorized to be leaked to the category of sinks.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the category of sinks comprises at least one of internal sinks and external sinks.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor, configure the at least one processor to:

present a user interface via a display of a computing device, the user interface including at least one element that is activatable by a user to set a privacy policy, the privacy policy specifying a maximum amount of confidential data that is authorized to be leaked to a sink;

receive from the user via the user interface an activation of the at least one element to set the privacy policy, the activation specifying the maximum amount of confidential data that is authorized to be leaked to the sink;

track movement of confidential data through an application;

determine based on the tracked movement of the confidential data that the confidential data is leaked to the sink by the application;

compare the confidential data that is leaked to the sink to the specified maximum amount of confidential data that is authorized to be leaked to the sink; and

present to the user via the user interface an indication of whether the application complies with the privacy policy set by the user based on the comparison.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions further configure the at least one processor to:

determine that the confidential data that is leaked to the sink is below the specified maximum amount of confidential data that is authorized to be leaked to the sink based on the comparison, wherein the presentation to the user via the user interface of the indication includes presenting an indication that the application complies with the privacy policy set by the user.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions further configure the at least one processor to:

determine that the confidential data that is leaked to the sink is above the specified maximum amount of confidential data that is authorized to be leaked to the sink based on the comparison, wherein the presentation to the user via the user interface of the indication includes presenting an indication that the application does not comply with the privacy policy set by the user.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the activation of the at least one element by the user includes a selection by the user of a category of confidential data as the maximum amount of confidential data.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the category of confidential data comprises at least one of fine-grain location, coarse-grain location, and identifiers.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the activation of the at least one element by the user includes a selection by the user of a category of sinks including the sink, wherein the maximum amount of confidential data is authorized to be leaked to the category of sinks, wherein the category of sinks comprises at least one of internal sinks and external sinks.