System and method to anonymize data transmitted to a destination computing device

• US 9,300,637 B1
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 03/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lookout Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Ciphercloud Incorporated
• Inventors: Kothari, Pravin, Dash, Debabrata
• Primary Examiner(s): Hirl, Joseph P
• Assistant Examiner(s): BEHESHTI SHIRAZI, SAYED ARESH
• Application Number:
  US13/844,633
• Time in Patent Office: 1,110 Days
• Field of Search: 713/193
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0227 Filtering policies mail message filtering H04L51/212
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0435 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply symmetric encryption, i.e. same key used for encryption and decryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for symmetric key encryption H04L9/06

Abstract

A method and system for anonymizing data to be transmitted to a destination computing device is disclosed. Data to be transmitted is received from a user computer. The data includes one or more characters. The data is replaced with a token representative of the data. The token is transmitted to the destination computing device over a network.

Claims

1. A method for anonymizing data to be transmitted to a destination computing device, comprising:

receiving data to be transmitted to the destination from a user computer, the data including one or more characters;

providing a tree of nodes, with each node representing a node value and a corresponding token value, wherein, each node configured to have a left child node and a right child node, with each of the path leading to the left child node and the right child node each representing a value and the values of the paths followed to reach one of the nodes representing the corresponding token value for the one of the nodes;

providing a data store to store a plurality of attributes associated with each node, a plurality of attributes including the node value, left boundary value,

right boundary value, left child node value, right child node value and the token value;

finding a node with a node value equal to a value of the data, by searching the data store for a node having the attributes of (x>

left boundary value) and (x<

right boundary value) and (node data value=x), where, x=value of the data;

selecting the corresponding token value of the found node as the anonymized representation of the data;

replacing the data with the token value; and

transmitting the token value instead of the data to the destination computing device over a network for storage in the destination computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, if a node with a node value equal to the value of the data is not found, adding another node to the tree of nodes representing the value of the data, with a corresponding token value.

3. The method of claim 2,

wherein, adding another node further including locating a node with available child node having the following attributes:

(x>

left boundary value) and (x<

right boundary value) and ((node data value>

x and left child node value=null) or (node data value<

x and right child node value=null)), where, x=value of the data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the path leading to the left child node and the right child node each representing one of the two binary values.

5. The method of claim 1, further including

receiving anonymized data from the destination computing device;

and

de-anonymizing the received anonymized data by replacing the token value with data value.

6. A method for anonymizing data to be transmitted to a destination computing device, comprising:

receiving data to be transmitted to the destination from a user computer, the data including one or more characters;

replacing the data with a token representative of the data; and

transmitting the token to the destination computing device over a network;

wherein replacing the data to a corresponding token further including;

providing a tree of nodes, with each node representing a node value and a corresponding token value;

finding a node with a node value equal to the value of the data; and

selecting the corresponding token value as the token representative of the data;

wherein, each node configured to have a left child node and a right child node, with each of the path leading to the left child node and the right child node each representing a value; and

the values of the paths followed to reach one of the nodes representing the corresponding token value for the one of the nodes;

wherein the path leading to the left child node and the right child node each representing one of the two binary values;

providing a data store to store a plurality of attributes associated with each node, a plurality of attributes including the node value, left boundary value, right boundary value, left child node value, right child node value and the token value; and

wherein, if a node with a node value equal to the value of the data is not found, adding another node to the tree of nodes representing the value of the data, with a corresponding token value, by locating a node with available child node having the following attributes;

(x>

left boundary value) and (x<

right boundary value) and ((node data value>

x and left child node value=null) or (node data value<

x and right child node value=null)), where, x=value of the data.

7. The method of claim 6, further including

receiving anonymized data from the destination computing device;

and

de-anonymizing the received anonymized data by replacing the token value with data value.

8. An anonymization system to anonymize data transmitted to a destination computing device, comprising:

a logic to receive data to be transmitted to the destination from a user computer, the data including one or more characters;

a data store with a tree of nodes, with each node representing a node value and a corresponding token value, wherein, each node is configured to have a left child node and a right child node, with each of the path leading to the left child node and the right child node each representing a value;

wherein, the values of the paths followed to reach one of the nodes represents the corresponding token value for the one of the nodes; and

wherein, the data store stores a plurality of attributes associated with each node, a plurality of attributes including the node value, left boundary value, right boundary value, left child node value, right child node value and the token value;

a logic to find a node with a node value equal to a value of the data, wherein, a node with a node value equal to the value of the data is found by searching the data store for a node with (x>

left boundary value) and (x<

right boundary value) and (node data value=x), where, x=value of the data, and select the corresponding token value of the found node as the anonymized representation of the data; and

an anonymization module to replace the data with the token; and

transmit the token value to the destination computing device over a network for storage in the destination computing device.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein, if a node with a node value equal to the value of the data is not found, another node is added to the tree of nodes that represents the value of the data, with a corresponding token value.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein, another node is added by locating a node with available child node having the following attributes:

(x>

left boundary value) and (x<

right boundary value) and ((node data value>

x and left child node value=null) or (node data value<

x and right child node value=null)), where, x=value of the data.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the path leading to the left child node and the right child node each representing one of the two binary values.

12. The system of claim 8, further configured to

receive anonymized data from the destination computing device;

and

de-anonymize the received anonymized data by replacing the token value with data value.

13. An anonymization system to anonymize data transmitted to a destination computing device, comprising:

a logic to receive data to be transmitted to the destination from a user computer, the data including one or more characters; and

an anonymization module to

replace the data with a token representative of the data; and

transmit the token to the destination computing device over a network;

a data store with a tree of nodes, with each node representing a node value and a corresponding token value; and

a logic to find a node with a node value equal to the value of the data and

select the corresponding token value as the token representative of the data;

wherein, if a node with a node value equal to the value of the data is not found, another node is added to the tree of nodes that represents the value of the data, with a corresponding token value;

wherein, each node is configured to have a left child node and a right child node, with each of the path leading to the left child node and the right child node each representing a value; and

the values of the paths followed to reach one of the nodes represents the corresponding token value for the one of the nodes;

wherein the path leading to the left child node and the right child node each representing one of the two binary values;

wherein, the data store stores a plurality of attributes associated with each node, a plurality of attributes including the node value, left boundary value, right boundary value, left child node value, right child node value and the token value; and

wherein, if a node with a node value equal to the value of the data is not found, another node is added to the tree of nodes that represents the value of the data, with a corresponding token value, by locating a node with available child node having the following attributes;

(x>

left boundary value) and (x<

right boundary value) and ((node data value>

x and left child node value=null) or (node data value<

x and right child node value=null)), where, x=value of the data.

14. The system of claim 13, further configured to

receive anonymized data from the destination computing device;

and

de-anonymize the received anonymized data by replacing the token with data value.