System for selective encryption within documents

• US 8,364,980 B2
• Filed: 01/13/2012
• Issued: 01/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated (Kyndryl Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Forlenza, Randolph Michael, Berstis, Viktors
• Primary Examiner(s): LANIER, BENJAMIN E
• Application Number:
  US13/349,844
• Publication Number:
  US 20120117388A1
• Time in Patent Office: 382 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 713/189
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/62 Protecting access to data via a platform, e.g. using keys or access control rules
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/60 Digital content management, e.g. content distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/00 Cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communications; Network security protocols

Abstract

A system for selective encryption within a document. A portion of the document selected and marked for encryption is detected, the selected portion of the document including plaintext. The detected portion of the document selected for encryption is encrypted as ciphertext. The document is displayed with the selected portion of the document encrypted. An attempt by an accessor to access the encrypted portion of document is detected. The encrypted portion of the document is decrypted with a proper decryption key, wherein the decrypting includes decrypting the encrypted portion of the document in response to presentation of required data by the accessor. The required data includes the proper decryption key, a name of the accessor, and an employee number of the accessor. The portion of the document is displayed as decrypted.

Claims

1. A system comprising a processor, a memory device, and a computer readable storage device, said storage device containing instructions configured to be executed by the processor via the memory device to implement a method for selective encryption within a document, said method comprising:

detecting a portion of the document selected and marked for encryption, said selected portion of the document consisting of plaintext;

encrypting the detected portion of the document selected for encryption as ciphertext;

displaying the document with the selected portion of the document encrypted;

detecting an attempt by an accessor to access the encrypted portion of the document;

decrypting the encrypted portion of the document with a proper decryption key, wherein said decrypting comprises decrypting the encrypted portion of the document in response to presentation of required data by the accessor, and wherein the required data comprises the proper decryption key, a name of the accessor, and an employee number of the accessor; and

displaying the portion of the document as decrypted.

2. The system of claim 1, said method further comprising after said displaying step, the steps of:

detecting an attempt to access another encrypted portion of the document via a decryption attempt; and

determining whether the proper decryption keys for said decryption attempt have been presented.

3. The system of claim 2, said method further comprising:

in response to determining that the proper decryption keys for said decryption attempt have not been presented, rejecting the access attempt by substituting a graphic in the another encrypted portion of the document to indicate that said decryption attempt has failed.

4. The system of claim 1, said method further comprising after said displaying the document, transmitting the document across a computing network to an identified destination.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said displaying the document comprises displaying the document with the selected portion of the document being displayed as said plaintext of the selected portion with diagonal red lines drawn under the plaintext.

6. The system of claim 1, said method further comprising:

displaying the document with the selected portion being displayed as said ciphertext or as said plaintext with diagonal red lines drawn under the plaintext, in response to determining that the accessor is not authorized to access the encrypted portion of the document.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said encrypting is performed in response to selection of an Encrypt icon from a pop-up menu that consists of said Encrypt icon, a File icon, an Edit icon, a View icon, a Tools icon, and a Help icon.

8. The system of claim 1, said method further comprising:

determining that the accessor is authorized to access the encrypted portion of the document.

9. The system of claim 1, said method further comprising:

displaying the document with any previously encrypted portions of the document decrypted in response to determining that the accessor is authorized to access the encrypted portion of the document.

10. The system of claim 1, said method further comprising:

extracting the encrypted portion of the document and storing the extracted portion of the document in an appendix location in the document.

11. The system of claim 10, said method further comprising:

filling the appendix location of the stored extracted portion of the document with random letters.