Systems and methods for replacing sensitive information stored within non-secure environments with secure references to the same

A system for replacing sensitive information stored within non-secure applications with secure references to the sensitive information, the system comprising:

• a culling module that:
• identifies sensitive information stored within a non-secure application that fails to protect the sensitive information from illegitimate access;
• protects the sensitive information by:
• removing the sensitive information from the non-secure application;
• storing the sensitive information within a secure application that protects the sensitive information from illegitimate access;
• a reference-creation module that replaces the sensitive information originally stored within the non-secure application with a non-sensitive description of the sensitive information that points to the sensitive information stored within the secure application;
• an access-control module that:
• identifies a request by a user to access at least a portion of the sensitive information identified in the non-sensitive description;
• determines that at least a portion of the request satisfies a data-loss-prevention policy;
• upon determining that at least a portion of the request satisfies the data-loss-prevention policy, transfers the user from a window frame displaying the non-secure application to a window frame displaying the secure application to provide access to at least a portion of the sensitive information via the secure application;
• at least one hardware processor configured to execute the culling module, the reference-creation module, and the access-control module.

A non-transitory computer-readable-storage medium comprising one or more computer-executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a computing device, cause the computing device to:

• identify sensitive information stored within a non-secure application that fails to protect the sensitive information from illegitimate access;
• protect the sensitive information by:
• removing the sensitive information from the non-secure application;
• storing the sensitive information within a secure application that protects the sensitive information from illegitimate access;
• replace the sensitive information originally stored within the non-secure application with a non-sensitive description of the sensitive information that points to the sensitive information stored within the secure application;
• identify a request by a user to access at least a portion of the sensitive information identified in the non-sensitive description;
• determine that at least a portion of the request satisfies a data-loss-prevention policy;
• upon determining that at least a portion of the request satisfies the data-loss-prevention policy, transfer the user from a window frame displaying the non-secure application to a window frame displaying the secure application to provide access to at least a portion of the sensitive information via the secure application.