Method and apparatus for handling files containing confidential or sensitive information
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsKulvir Singh Bhogal, Hung The Dinh, Teng Hu, Nizamudeen Ishmael JR., Mandeep Singh Sidhu
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method, apparatus, and computer instructions for managing files in a data processing system. An attribute for a file is specified as having a special designation. The file with the attribute having the special designation is processed, by the operating system, in a different manner from other files when performing operations, such as, for example, copying the file to a removable media, printing the file, or sending the file over a network.
Claims50
A method in a data processing system for managing files in the data processing system, the method comprising the data processing system implemented steps of:
- specifying an attribute for a file as having a special designation;
- and
- processing, by the operating system, the file with the attribute having the special designation in a different manner from other files when performing at least one of copying the file to a removable media, printing the file, and sending the file over a network.
A method in a data processing system for managing files, the method comprising:
- responsive to receiving a request to access a file, determining whether a selected attribute has been set for the file;
- and
- responsive to the selected attribute being set, processing the request to access the file in a different manner from other files without the selected attribute when the request is to copy the file to a removable media.
A method in a data processing system for handling file access, the method comprising:
- responsive to detecting a request to transfer a file outside of the data processing system, determining whether a confidentiality attribute has been set for the file;
- and
- responsive to the confidentiality attribute being set for the file, handling the request based on a policy.
A data processing system for managing files in the data processing system, the data processing system comprising:
- a bus system;
- a communications unit connected to the bus system;
- a memory connected to the bus system, wherein the memory includes a set of instructions;
- and
- a processing unit connected to the bus system, wherein the processing unit executes the set of instructions to specify an attribute for a file as having a special designation;
- and processes, by the operating system, the file with the attribute having the special designation in a different manner from other files when performing at least one of copying the file to a removable media, printing the file, and sending the file over a network.
A data processing for managing files, the data processing system comprising:
- a bus system;
- a communications unit connected to the bus system;
- a memory connected to the bus system, wherein the memory includes a set of instructions;
- and
- a processing unit connected to the bus system, wherein the processing unit executes the set of instructions to determine whether a selected attribute has been set for the file in response to receiving a request to access a file;
- and processes the request to access the file in a different manner from other files without the selected attribute when the request is to copy the file to a removable media in response to the selected attribute being set.
A data processing system for handling file access, the data processing system comprising:
- a bus system;
- a communications unit connected to the bus system;
- a memory connected to the bus system, wherein the memory includes a set of instructions;
- and
- a processing unit connected to the bus system, wherein the processing unit executes the set of instructions to determine whether a confidentiality attribute has been set for the file in response to detecting a request to transfer a file outside of the data processing system;
- and handle the request based on a policy in response to the confidentiality attribute being set for the file.
A data processing system for managing files in the data processing system, the data processing system comprising:
- specifying means for specifying an attribute for a file as having a special designation;
- and
- processing means for processing, by the operating system, the file with the attribute having the special designation in a different manner from other files when performing at least one of copying the file to a removable media, printing the file, and sending the file over a network.
A data processing system for managing files, the data processing system comprising:
- determining means, responsive to receiving a request to access a file, for determining whether a selected attribute has been set for the file;
- and
- processing means, responsive to the selected attribute being set, for processing the request to access the file in a different manner from other files without the selected attribute when the request is to copy the file to a removable media.
A data processing system for handling file access, the data processing system comprising:
- determining means, responsive to detecting a request to transfer a file outside of the data processing system, for determining whether a confidentiality attribute has been set for the file;
- and
- handling means, responsive to the confidentiality attribute being set for the file, for handling the request based on a policy.
A computer program product in a computer readable medium for managing files in the data processing system, the computer program product comprising:
- first instructions for specifying an attribute for a file as having a special designation;
- and
- second instructions for processing, by the operating system, the file with the attribute having the special designation in a different manner from other files when performing at least one of copying the file to a removable media, printing the file, and sending the file over a network.
A computer program product in a computer readable medium for managing files, the computer program product comprising:
- first instructions, responsive to receiving a request to access a file, for determining whether a selected attribute has been set for the file;
- and
- second instructions, responsive to the selected attribute being set, for processing the request to access the file in a different manner from other files without the selected attribute when the request is to copy the file to a removable media.
A computer program product in a computer readable medium for handling file access, the computer program product comprising:
- first instructions, responsive to detecting a request to transfer a file outside of the data processing system, for determining whether a confidentiality attribute has been set for the file;
- and
- second instructions, responsive to the confidentiality attribute being set for the file, for handling the request based on a policy.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.