Data loss prevention

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11580248-B2
Application number	US-202117169887-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 8, 2021
Priority date	Dec 29, 2016
Publication date	Feb 14, 2023
Grant date	Feb 14, 2023

Abstract

Techniques for providing data loss prevention, including data exfiltration prevention and crypto-ransomware prevention, are provided. In some embodiments, a slack-space file system is created by using a modified packing algorithm to increase and/or optimize an amount of slack space created by files stored in a standard file system. A program for accessing and indexing the slack-space file system may be stored, and requests by a user to store data on a storage medium of a computer system may cause the information to be stored in the slack-space file system, where it may be protected from destructive malware that operates solely on the standard file system. In some embodiments, sensitive information may be hidden by storing the information in an alternate data stream of a file and by replacing the information in the unnamed data stream of the file with non-sensitive information that may appear to be sensitive.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer system for storing data, comprising:
one or more processors; and
memory storing one or more programs configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including instructions for:
receiving an instruction to store data in a first file system on a storage medium of the system, wherein the first file system comprises a plurality of files and slack space, wherein the slack space comprises space in the storage medium between the end of a file in the first set of files and the end of a cluster allocated by the first file system to store the file; and
in response to receiving the instruction to store the data in the first file system, storing the data instead in a second file system on the storage medium, wherein the second file system is configured to store a second set of files in the slack space of the first file system.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the data is stored at a location in the slack space based on an index of the second set of files that are stored in the slack space.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the index of the second set files that are stored in the slack space of the first file system is inaccessible to the first file system.

4. The system of claim 2 , wherein the index of the second set files is stored, along with instructions for storing and reading the second set of files from the slack space, as a slack-space file-system program.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the one or more programs include instructions for erasing pointers associated with the slack-space file-system program.

6. The system of claim 4 , wherein the slack-space file-system program is stored in a registry of the system.

7. The system of claim 4 , wherein the slack-space file-system program is encrypted and compressed.

8. The system of claim 4 , wherein the one or more programs include instructions for initializing the slack-space file-system program via a loader program, wherein the loader program is stored as a library of the system.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the loader program is stored as a first dynamic-link library.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the loader program is configured to be executed when the first dynamic-link library is called by a second dynamic-link library.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more programs includes instructions for, in response to receiving the instruction to store data in the first file system, making a determination to store the data in the second file system and not in the first file system.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the determination is based on one or more of a file size of the data, an amount of storage space available on one or both of the first file system and the second file system, a file type of the data, whether the data contains secure information, and a level of security of information contained in the data.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more programs including instructions for:
receiving a second instruction to store second data in the second file system; and
in response to receiving the second instruction, storing the second data in the second file system.

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein the cluster is a predetermined minimum amount of contiguous space that can be allocated by the first file system.

15. A method for storing data, performed at a computer system comprising one or more processors and memory, the method comprising:
receiving an instruction to store data in a first file system on a storage medium of the system, wherein the first file system comprises a plurality of files and slack space, wherein the slack space comprises space in the storage medium between the end of a file in the first set of files and the end of a cluster allocated by the first file system to store the file; and
in response to receiving the instruction to store the data in the first file system, storing the data instead in a second file system on the storage medium, wherein the second file system is configured to store a second set of files in the slack space of the first file system.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the data is stored at a location in the slack space based on an index of the plurality of files that are stored in the slack space.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the index of the plurality of files is stored, along with instructions for storing and reading the plurality of files from the slack space, as a slack-space file-system program.

18. The method of claim 17 , comprising erasing pointers that indicate the slack-space file-system program.

19. The method of claim 15 , comprising, in response to receiving the instruction to store data in the first file system, making a determination to store the data in the second file system and not in the first file system.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the determination is based on one or more of a file size of the data, an amount of storage space available on one or both of the first file system and the second file system, a file type of the data, whether the data contains secure information, and a level of security of information contained in the data.

21. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs configured to be executed by one or more processors of a device with one or more processors and memory, the one or more programs including instructions for:
receiving an instruction to store data in a first file system on a storage medium of the system, wherein the first file system comprises a plurality of files and slack space, wherein the slack space comprises space in the storage medium between the end of a file in the first set of files and the end of a cluster allocated by the first file system to store the file; and
in response to receiving the instruction to store the data in the first file system, storing the data instead in a second file system on the storage medium, wherein the second file system is configured to store a second set of files in the slack space of the first file system.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 21 , wherein the data is stored at a location in the slack space based on an index of the plurality of files that are stored in the slack space.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 22 , wherein the index of the plurality of files is stored, along with instructions for storing and reading the plurality of files from the slack space, as a slack-space file-system program.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 23 , wherein the one or more programs include instructions for erasing pointers indicating the slack-space file-system program.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 21 , wherein the one or more programs include instructions for, in response to receiving the instruction to store data in the first file system, making a determination to store the data in the second file system and not in the first file system.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 25 , wherein the determination is based on one or more of a file size of the data, an amount of storage space available on one or both of the first file system and the second file system, a file type of the data, whether the data contains secure information, and a level of security of information contained in the data.

Assignees

• Noblis Inc

Inventors

• Monaco Matthew K
• Negron Daniel
• Satira Brian

Classifications

• H04L63/1441

  Countermeasures against malicious traffic (countermeasures against attacks on cryptographic mechanisms H04L9/002) · CPC title

• G06F2221/2107

  File encryption · CPC title

• G06F21/6245

  Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes · CPC title

• G06F3/064

  Management of blocks · CPC title

• G06F21/6227 Primary

  where protection concerns the structure of data, e.g. records, types, queries · CPC title