Identification of potentially sensitive information in data strings
AssigneeSecurityMetrics, Inc.
InventorsBradley R. Caldwell, Alan B. Butt
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Methods for identifying potentially sensitive information and protecting such potentially sensitive information include scanning systems that collect and/or disseminate such information. Without limitation, systems collect and/or disseminate personal identification numbers (e.g., personal identification numbers, tax identification numbers, etc.), such as merchant systems, bank systems, healthcare systems, and the like, that collect, use, or disseminate sensitive information may be scanned to identify sequences of data that are likely to be sensitive, and may take actions to protect such sequences of data. Scanning and protection systems are also disclosed.
Claims20
A system for identifying potentially sensitive information, comprising:
- a scanning device configured to communicate with a memory device that stores data including potentially sensitive information, the scanning device programmed to:
- evaluate a plurality of intermittently spaced, evaluated bytes of the data;
- tag each evaluated byte of the plurality of intermittently spaced, evaluated bytes that corresponds to a decimal number or a dash to provide a tagged byte;
- sequentially evaluate and enumerate bytes preceding and following each tagged byte until a value of a preceding sequentially evaluated byte and a value of a following sequentially evaluated byte do not correspond to decimal numbers or dashes;
- determine whether a number of sequential enumerated bytes corresponds to a length of a sensitive data string;
- identify a string of sequential enumerated bytes that falls within the length of the sensitive data string as a suspected sensitive data string;
- and
- search for a place name within a predetermined number of bytes preceding the suspected sensitive data string and a predetermined number of bytes following the suspected sensitive data string.
A system for identifying potentially sensitive information, comprising:
- a scanning device configured to communicate with a memory device that stores data including potentially sensitive information, the scanning device programmed to:
- search for a suspected sensitive data string;
- and
- upon identifying a suspected sensitive data string, search for a place name within a predetermined number of bytes preceding the suspected sensitive data string and a predetermined number of bytes following the suspected sensitive data string.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.