Data protection program and data protection method

1. A computer-readable medium storing therein a data protection program for protecting data stored in a resource to be protected, said data protection program enabling a computer to carry out a processing sequence comprising:

when a program capable of accessing said resource to be protected starts, registering a process ID of a process operating as said program capable of accessing said resource to be protected in an access permission management table;

generating, by the process operating as said program capable of accessing said resource to be protected, a key that is uniquely determined depending on a password entered by a user;

registering said key associated with the process ID of the process operating as said program capable of accessing said resource to be protected in said access permission management table;

if an access request to access said resource to be protected is received, by a driver, acquiring a process ID of a process operating as a request source program which has outputted said access request;

determining whether access to said resource to be protected is permitted or not based on whether the process ID of the process operating as said request source program has been registered in said access permission management table or not;

if access to said resource to be protected is permitted, processing data in said resource to be protected in response to said access request; and

when said program capable of accessing said resource to be protected ends, deleting said process ID of said process operating as said program capable of accessing said resource to be protected from said access permission management table;

wherein when the data in said resource to be protected is processed, if said access request is a request to write data, then data transferred from a process which executes said request source program is encrypted and then stored in said resource to be protected, and if said access request is a request to read data, data from said resource to be protected is decrypted and then transferred to a process which executes said request source program;

and wherein when the data in said resource to be protected is to be encrypted and decrypted, encrypting and decrypting, by said driver, the data using said key registered in said access permission management table in association with the process ID of the process which executed said request source program.

2. The computer-readable medium according to claim 1 wherein said processing sequence further comprises:

when data in said resource to be protected is to be encrypted and decrypted, encrypting and decrypting the data using a value provided by combining said key associated with the process ID about the request source program and a specific value preset in said computer.

3. The computer-readable medium according to claim 1 , wherein said processing sequence further comprises:

registering process ID about a folder, which contains data to be protected, in a protection resource management table; and

using only said folder registered in said protection resource management table as said resource to be protected.

4. A method of protecting data stored in a resource to be protected, said method comprising:

when a program capable of accessing said resource to be protected starts, registering a process ID of a process operating as said program capable of accessing said resource to be protected in an access permission management table;

generating, by the process operating as said program capable of accessing said resource to be protected, a key that is uniquely determined depending on a password entered by a user;

registering said key associated with the process ID of the process operating as said program capable of accessing said resource to be protected in said access permission management table;

if an access request to access said resource to be protected is received, by a driver, acquiring a process ID about a request source program which has outputted said access request;

determining whether access to said resource to be protected is permitted or not based on whether the process ID of the process operating as said request source program has been registered in said access permission management table or not;

if access to said resource to be protected is permitted, processing data in said resource to be protected in response to said access request; and

when said program capable of accessing said resource to be protected ends, deleting said process ID of said process operating as said program capable of accessing said resource to be protected from said access permission management table;

wherein when the data in said resource to be protected is processed, if said access request is a request to write data, then data transferred from a process which executes said request source program is encrypted and then stored in said resource to be protected, and if said access request is a request to read data, data from said resource to be protected is decrypted and then transferred to a process which executes said request source program;

and wherein when the data in said resource to be protected is to be encrypted and decrypted, encrypting and decrypting, by said driver, the data using said key registered in said access permission management table is association with the process ID of the process which executes said request source program.

5. An apparatus for protecting data stored in a resource to be protected, said apparatus comprising:

identification information registering means for, when a program capable of accessing said resource to be protected starts, registering a process ID of a process operating as said program capable of accessing said resource to be protected in an access permission management table;

generating means, achieved by the process operating as said program capable of accessing said resource to be protected, for generating a key that is uniquely determined depending on a password entered by a user;

registering means for registering said key associated with the process ID of the process operating as said program capable of accessing said resource to be protected in said access permission management table;

identification information acquiring means included in a driver for, if an access request to access said resource to be protected is received, acquiring said process ID about a request source program which has outputted said access request;

access permission/inhibition determining means for determining whether access to said resource to be protected is permitted or not based on whether the a process ID of a process operating as said request source program has been registered in said access permission management table or not;

data processing means for, if access to said resource to be protected is permitted,processing data in said resource to be protected in response to said access request;

identification information deleting means for, when said program capable of accessing said resource to be protected ends, deleting said process ID of said process operating as said program capable of accessing said resource to be protected from said access permission management table;

data processing means for, when the data in said resource to be protected is processed, if said access request is a request to write data, then data transferred from a process which executes said request source program is encrypted and then stored in said resource to be protected, and if said access request is a request to read data, data from said resource to be protected is decrypted and then transferred to a process which executes said request source program; and

encryption/decryption processing means included in said driver for, when the data in said resource to be protected is to be encrypted, encrypting and decrypting the data using said key registered in said access permission management table in association with the process ID of the process which executes said request source program.