Use of synthetic context-based objects to secure data stores

• US 8,782,777 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2012
• Issued: 07/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Friedlander, Robert R., Kraemer, James R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shiferaw, Eleni
• Assistant Examiner(s): Elmore, Gregory M
• Application Number:
  US13/628,853
• Publication Number:
  US 20140090049A1
• Time in Patent Office: 656 Days
• Field of Search: 726/16, 707/792, 707/794, 707/802
• US Class Current: 726/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24575 using context
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication

Abstract

A processor-implemented method, system, and/or computer program product secures data stores. A non-contextual data object is associated with a context object to define a synthetic context-based object. The synthetic context-based object is associated with at least one specific data store in a data structure, where the specific data store contains data that is associated with data contained in the non-contextual data object and the context object. An ambiguous request is received from a user for data related to an ambiguous subject-matter. The context of the ambiguous request from the user is determined and associated with the synthetic context-based object that is associated with said a specific data store, where that specific data store contains data related to the context of a now contextual request from the user. The user is then provided access to the specific data store while blocking access to other data stores in the data structure.

Claims

1. A processor-implemented method for securing data stores, the processor-implemented method comprising:

associating, by one or more hardware processors, a non-contextual data object with a context object to define a synthetic context-based object, wherein the non-contextual data object ambiguously relates to multiple subject-matters, wherein the context object is selected from a plurality of context objects stored in a context object database, wherein the context object provides a context that identifies a specific subject-matter, from the multiple subject-matters, of the non-contextual data object, and wherein data within the non-contextual data object is generic until said data is matched to a specific context object from the context object database;

associating, by the one or more hardware processors, the synthetic context-based object with at least one specific data store in a data structure, wherein said at least one specific data store comprises data that is associated with data contained in the non-contextual data object and the context object;

receiving, by the one or more hardware processors, a string of binary data, wherein the string of binary data describes an ambiguous request from a user for data related to an ambiguous subject-matter;

determining, by the one or more hardware processors, a context of the ambiguous request from the user to create a contextual request;

associating, by the one or more hardware processors, the context of the contextual request from the user with the synthetic context-based object, wherein said at least one specific data store contains data that is related to the context of the contextual request from the user;

receiving, by the one or more hardware processors, the user input that describes the purpose of the ambiguous request;

determining, by the one or more hardware processors, the context of the ambiguous request from the user according to a purpose of the ambiguous request;

providing, by the one or more hardware processors, the user with access to said at least one specific data store while blocking access to other data stores in the data structure;

constructing, by the one or more hardware processors, a dimensionally constrained hierarchical synthetic context-based object library for multiple synthetic context-based objects, wherein synthetic context-based objects within a same dimension of the dimensionally constrained hierarchical synthetic context-based object library share data from a same non-contextual data object, and wherein synthetic context-based objects within the same dimension of the dimensionally constrained hierarchical synthetic context-based object library contain disparate data from different context objects;

receiving, from the user, the ambiguous request for at least one data store that is associated with synthetic context-based objects within the same dimension of the dimensionally constrained hierarchical synthetic context-based object library; and

returning, to the user, said at least one specific data store that is associated with synthetic context-based objects within the same dimension of the dimensionally constrained hierarchical synthetic context-based object library.

2. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the one or more hardware processors, the purpose of the ambiguous request by data mining a database that describes current interests of the user.

3. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the one or more hardware processors, the purpose of the ambiguous request by data mining a database that describes an educational background of the user.

4. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the one or more hardware processors, the purpose of the ambiguous request by data mining a database that identifies friends of the user.

5. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the one or more hardware processors, the purpose of the ambiguous request by data mining a database that describes where the user resides.

6. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the one or more hardware processors, the purpose of the ambiguous request by data mining a database that describes an employment history of the user.

7. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the one or more hardware processors, the context of the ambiguous request according to an identity of the user.

8. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said at least one specific data store is a text document, and wherein the processor-implemented method further comprises:

searching, by the one or more hardware processors, the text document for text data that is part of the synthetic context-based object; and

associating the text document that contains said text data with the synthetic context-based object.

9. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said at least one specific data store is a video file, and wherein the processor-implemented method further comprises:

searching, by the one or more hardware processors, metadata associated with the video file for text data that is part of the synthetic context-based object; and

associating the video file having said metadata with the synthetic context-based object.

10. The processor-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said at least one specific data store is a web page, and wherein the processor-implemented method further comprises:

searching, by the one or more hardware processors, the web page for text data that is part of the synthetic context-based object; and

associating the web page that contains said text data with the synthetic context-based object.

11. A computer program product for securing data stores, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having program code embodied therewith, the program code readable and executable by a processor to perform a method comprising:

associating a non-contextual data object with a context object to define a synthetic context-based object, wherein the context object is selected from a plurality of context objects stored in a context object database, wherein the non-contextual data object ambiguously relates to multiple subject-matters, wherein the context object provides a context that identifies a specific subject-matter, from the multiple subject-matters, of the non-contextual data object, and wherein data within the non-contextual data object is generic until said data is matched to a specific context object from the context object database;

associating the synthetic context-based object with at least one specific data store in a data structure, wherein said at least one specific data store comprises data that is associated with data contained in the non-contextual data object and the context object;

receiving an ambiguous request from a user for data related to an ambiguous subject-matter;

determining a context of the ambiguous request from the user to generate a contextual request;

associating the context of the contextual request from the user with the synthetic context-based object, wherein said at least one specific data store contains data that is related to the context of the ambiguous request from the user;

receiving the user input that describes the purpose of the ambiguous request;

determine the context of the ambiguous request from the user according to a purpose of the ambiguous request;

providing the user with access to said at least one specific data store while blocking access to other data stores in the data structure;

constructing a dimensionally constrained hierarchical synthetic context-based object library for multiple synthetic context-based objects, wherein synthetic context-based objects within a same dimension of the dimensionally constrained hierarchical synthetic context-based object library share data from a same non-contextual data object, and wherein synthetic context-based objects within the same dimension of the dimensionally constrained hierarchical synthetic context-based object library contain disparate data from different context objects;

receiving, from the user, the ambiguous request for at least one data store that is associated with synthetic context-based objects within the same dimension of the dimensionally constrained hierarchical synthetic context-based object library; and

returning, to the user, said at least one specific data store that is associated with synthetic context-based objects within the same dimension of the dimensionally constrained hierarchical synthetic context-based object library.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the program code is further readable and executable by the processor to:

determine the purpose of the ambiguous request by data mining a database that describes current interests of the user.

13. A computer system comprising:

a processor, a computer readable memory, and a computer readable storage medium;

first program instructions to associate a non-contextual data object with a context object to define a synthetic context-based object, wherein the non-contextual data object ambiguously relates to multiple subject-matters, wherein the context object is selected from a plurality of context objects stored in a context object database, wherein the context object provides a context that identifies a specific subject-matter, from the multiple subject-matters, of the non-contextual data object, and wherein data within the non-contextual data object is generic until said data is matched to a specific context object from the context object database;

second program instructions to associate the synthetic context-based object with at least one specific data store in a data structure, wherein said at least one specific data store comprises data that is associated with data contained in the non-contextual data object and the context object;

third program instructions to receive an ambiguous request from a user for data related to an ambiguous subject-matter;

fourth program instructions to determine a context of the ambiguous request from the user to generate a contextual request;

fifth program instructions to associate the context of the contextual request from the user with the synthetic context-based object that is associated with said at least one specific data store, wherein said at least one specific data store contains data that is related to the context of the ambiguous request from the user;

sixth program instructions to receive the user input that describes the purpose of the ambiguous request; and

wherein the sixth program instructions are stored on the computer readable storage medium for execution by the processor via the computer readable memory;

seventh program instructions to determine the context of the ambiguous request from the user according to a purpose of the ambiguous request; and

wherein the seventh program instructions are stored on the computer readable storage medium for execution by the processor via the computer readable memory;

eighth program instructions to provide the user with access to said at least one specific data store while blocking access to other data stores in the data structure;

ninth program instructions to construct a dimensionally constrained hierarchical synthetic context-based object library for multiple synthetic context-based objects, wherein synthetic context-based objects within a same dimension of the dimensionally constrained hierarchical synthetic context-based object library share data from a same non-contextual data object, and wherein synthetic context-based objects within the same dimension of the dimensionally constrained hierarchical synthetic context-based object library contain disparate data from different context objects;

tenth program instructions to receive, from the user, the ambiguous request for at least one data store that is associated with synthetic context-based objects within the same dimension of the dimensionally constrained hierarchical synthetic context-based object library; and

eleventh program instructions to return, to the user, said at least one specific data store that is associated with synthetic context-based objects within the same dimension of the dimensionally constrained hierarchical synthetic context-based object library;

and wherein the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, and eleventh program instructions are stored on the computer readable storage medium for execution by the processor via the computer readable memory.