Systems and methods for computer data recovery and destruction

• US 8,959,182 B1
• Filed: 04/15/2008
• Issued: 02/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ivanti, Inc. (Ivanti Software, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Crimson Corporation
• Inventors: Anderson, Devin D., Workman, Steve
• Primary Examiner(s): MIAH, RAZU A
• Application Number:
  US12/103,437
• Time in Patent Office: 2,499 Days
• Field of Search: 709217-219, 726/26, 714/752
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2143 Clearing memory, e.g. to prevent the data from being stolen

Abstract

A method for data recovery and destruction is disclosed. The method includes determining whether a network connection has been established by a computer system. If the network connection has been established, it is determined whether a specified server is accessible via the network connection. If the specified server is accessible, the specified server is accessed to determine whether a data recovery and destruction flag has been set for the computer system. If the flag has been set, a data recovery and destruction procedure is initiated. The data recovery and destruction procedure may involve transferring data from the computer system to at least one other computer system and then destroying at least a portion of the transferred data on the computer system.

Claims

1. A method for data recovery and destruction, comprising:

determining whether a network connection has been established by a computer system;

if the network connection has been established, determining, by the computer system, whether a specified server is accessible via the network connection by sending a message to the specified server from the computer system;

if the specified server is accessible, accessing the specified server to determine whether a data recovery and destruction flag has been set for the computer system; and

if the flag has been set, initiating a data recovery and destruction procedure by which data is transferred from the computer system to at least one other computing device and then at least a portion of the transferred data on the computer system is destroyed, wherein the data recovery and destruction procedure was pre-stored on the computer system such that the data recovery and destruction procedure was on the computer system before the specified server was accessed to determine whether the data recovery and destruction flag has been set,

wherein an attempt to clean the hard drive or an attempt to remove the module that executes the data recovery and destruction procedure causes an immediate destruction of the data on the computer system,

wherein the specified server is an administrative system for the computer system, wherein the administrative system runs a management application that performs the data recovery and destruction procedure and at least one other management task with respect to the computer system, wherein files to be deleted or recovered are identified by searching the computer system during the data recovery and destruction procedure.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one other computing device is the specified server.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein emergency data recovery and destruction procedures are implemented if electronic communication with the specified server is terminated during the data recovery and destruction procedure.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer system is a portable computing device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer system is a nonportable computing device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the nonportable computing device comprises a desktop computer system.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the data recovery and destruction procedure on the computer system defines that destruction of the data on the computer system will occur if recovery of the data has not been completed within a specified time frame.

8. A computer system for data recovery and destruction, comprising:

a processor;

memory in electronic communication with the processor; and

instructions stored in the memory, the instructions being executable to;

determine whether a network connection has been established by the computer system;

if the network connection has been established, determine whether a specified server is accessible via the network connection, wherein the determining occurs by sending a message to the server from the computer system;

if the specified server is accessible, access the specified server to determine whether a data recovery and destruction flag has been set for the computer system on the server; and

if the flag has been set, initiate a data recovery and destruction procedure by which data is transferred from the computer system to at least one other computing device and then at least a portion of the transferred data on the computer system is destroyed, wherein the data recovery and destruction procedure was pre-stored on the computer system such that the data recovery and destruction procedure was on the computer system before the specified server was accessed to determine whether the data recovery and destruction flag has been set,

wherein an attempt to clean the hard drive or an attempt to remove the module that executes the data recovery and destruction procedure causes an immediate destruction of the data on the computer system,

wherein the specified server is an administrative system for the computer system, wherein the administrative system runs a management application that performs the data recovery and destruction procedure and at least one other management task with respect to the computer system, wherein files to be deleted or recovered are identified by searching the computer system during the data recovery and destruction procedure.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions for data recovery and destruction, the instructions being executable to:

determine whether a network connection has been established by a computer system;

if the network connection has been established, determine, by the computer system, whether a specified server is accessible via the network connection, wherein the determining occurs by sending a message to the specified server from the computer system;

if the specified server is accessible, access the specified server to determine whether a data recovery and destruction flag has been set for the computer system on the server; and

if the flag has been set, initiate a data recovery and destruction procedure by which data is transferred from the computer system to at least one other computing device and then at least a portion of the transferred data on the computer system is destroyed, wherein the data recovery and destruction procedure was pre-stored on the computer system such that the data recovery and destruction procedure was on the computer system before the specified server was accessed to determine whether the data recovery and destruction flag has been set,

wherein an attempt to clean the hard drive or an attempt to remove the module that executes the data recovery and destruction procedure causes an immediate destruction of the data on the computer system,

wherein the specified server is an administrative system for the computer system, wherein the administrative system runs a management application that performs the data recovery and destruction procedure and at least one other management task with respect to the computer system, wherein files to be deleted or recovered are identified by searching the computer system during the data recovery and destruction procedure.