System for monitoring personal computer documents for sensitive data

• US 7,861,301 B2
• Filed: 01/12/2009
• Issued: 12/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated (Kyndryl Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hamilton, Rick Allen, Seaman, James Wesley, Fellenstein, Craig William
• Primary Examiner(s): Homayounmehr; Farid
• Assistant Examiner(s): TABOR, AMARE F
• Application Number:
  US12/352,191
• Publication Number:
  US 20090119579A1
• Time in Patent Office: 715 Days
• Field of Search: 726/22, 726/26, 713/188, 717/143, 717/144, 715/234
• US Class Current: 726/22
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227

Abstract

An apparatus, and a computer program are provided for securing transmitted text. Once text has been produced by an application, the potential exists for an unintended third party to obtain sensitive data transmitted over computer networks. However, a parsing function can then operate either on an individual computer or on a network to scan text at an Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) Layer 1 to assist in the prevention of sensitive data transmission. By utilizing the parsing function, text can be scanned for potentially sensitive data by using a variety of techniques, such as a learning algorithm. The sensitive data can then be verified by a user, bypassed, or autostripped.

Claims

1. An apparatus for electronically securing text transmitted over a computer network, comprising:

a communications module, wherein the communications module is coupled to the computer network, and wherein the communications module is at least configured to transmit text;

at least one application, wherein the at least one application is at least configured to allow the user to generate text;

a parsing function at an OSI layer, wherein the OSI layer is Layer 1 or Layer 3, and wherein the parsing function analyzes transmitted text for sensitive data

by scanning with a word comparator to determine if the text generated by the at least one application contains sensitive data,

by notifying a user if text generated by the at least one application contains sensitive data before transmission, and

by autostripping to automatically delete detected sensitive data; and

a processor, wherein the processor is at least configured

to operate the at least one application,

to transmit text generated by the at least one application, and

to employ the parsing function on text generated by the at least one application.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the word comparator further comprises a semantical analyzer.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the word comparator further comprises a learning algorithm.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the word comparator further comprises a lexical table.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the parsing function further comprises a bypass, wherein the bypass at least allows a user to transmit the text generated by the at least one application.

6. An apparatus for electronically securing text transmitted over a computer network, comprising:

a communications module, wherein the communications module is coupled to the computer network, and wherein the communications module is at least configured to transmit text;

a parsing function at an OSI layer, wherein the OSI layer is Layer 1 or Layer 3, and wherein the parsing function analyzes the text for sensitive data

by scanning with a word comparator to determine if the text generated by the at least one application contains sensitive data,

by notifying a user if text generated by the at least one application contains sensitive data before transmission, and

by autostripping to automatically delete detected sensitive data; and

a processor, wherein the processor is at least configured

to receive the text,

to employ the communications module to transmit the text, and

to employ the parsing function on the text.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the word comparator further comprises a semantical analyzer.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the word comparator further comprises a learning algorithm.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the word comparator further comprises a lexical table.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the parsing function further comprises a bypass, wherein the bypass at least allows a user to transmit the text generated by the at least one application.

11. A computer program product for electronically securing text transmitted over a computer network, the computer program product embodied on a storage medium not including a signal, the computer program comprising:

computer code for scanning text generated by a parsing function at an OSI layer to produce scanned text, wherein the OSI layer is Layer 1 or Layer 3;

computer code for determining if the scanned text contains sensitive data; and

computer code for verifying the scanned text by notifying a user of the presence of the sensitive data in the scanned text and autostripping to automatically delete detected sensitive data.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the computer code for determining further comprises computer code for employing a semantical analyzer.

13. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the computer code for determining further comprises computer code for employing a learning algorithm.

14. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the computer code for determining further comprises computer code for employing a lexical table.

15. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the computer code for verifying further comprises:

computer code for determining if the user bypasses, wherein the bypass at least allows a user to transmit the text generated by the at least one application.