Methods and devices for automatically encrypting files
AssigneeBlackBerry Limited
InventorsNeil Patrick Adams, Robert Joseph Lombardi, Jasmin Mulaosmanovic
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An automatic file encryption method and device for automatically encrypting a file. A processor identifies a characteristic associated with likely sensitive content based on a usage pattern of encrypting files having the characteristic. Creation of a new file is detected and the newly-created file is analyzed to determine whether the file contains sensitive content based upon it having the characteristic. If the file is found to have the characteristic, then the file is automatically encrypted.
Claims18
A computing device comprising:
- a processor;
- a memory;
- and
- an automatic file encryption application stored in the memory and containing processor-executable instructions to automatically encrypt a file, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, are to cause the processor to:
- store a hashed characteristic associated with likely sensitive content based on a communication received from a remote server specifying the hashed characteristic and based on a usage pattern, wherein the usage pattern is derived at the remote server from previous file encryption operations on other computing devices encrypting different files having the characteristic,
- detect creation of the file,
- generate a hash of at least a portion of the file,
- determine that the file contains sensitive content based upon the hash matching the hashed characteristic, and
- responsive thereto, encrypt the file.
A computer-implemented method of automatically encrypting a file stored on a computing device, the method comprising:
- storing a hashed characteristic associated with likely sensitive content based on a communication received from a remote server specifying the hashed characteristic and based on a usage pattern, wherein the usage pattern is derived at the remote server from previous file encryption operations on other computing devices encrypting different files having the characteristic;
- detecting creation of the file;
- generating a hash of at least a portion of the file;
- determining that the file contains sensitive content based upon the hash matching the hashed characteristic;
- and
- responsive thereto, encrypting the file.
A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing processor-executable instructions to automatically encrypt a file on a computing device, wherein the processor-executable instructions, when executed by a processor of the computing device, are to cause the processor to:
- store a hashed characteristic associated with likely sensitive content based on a communication received from a remote server specifying the hashed characteristic and based on a usage pattern, wherein the usage pattern is derived at the remote server from previous file encryption operations on other computing devices encrypting different files having the characteristic,
- detect creation of the file,
- generate a hash of at least a portion of the file,
- determine that the file contains sensitive content based upon the hash matching the hashed characteristic, and
- responsive thereto, encrypt the file.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.