Computer network storage environment hostile to fault-intolerant electronic file types
View Patent ↗A method and system for operating a network server to discourage inappropriate use are disclosed. The method provides for altering files on the server in such a way so as essentially not affect acceptable, desired file types in any noticeable way, and to substantially corrupt undesirable file types. The method may be applied to every file copied to or from a memory of the server. In the alternative, the method may be applied only to selected files or types of files on the server. In particular, the files corrupted by altering according to the invention are executable software files and compressed files, that are generally not fault-tolerant. Fault tolerant files, such as uncompressed text and graphics files in common Internet-compatible formats, are not noticeably affected. The network server will therefore no longer be useful for storing or transferring undesirable files, and such use will be discouraged. According to a related embodiment of the invention, a system comprises a server having an application that performs one of the embodiments of the method according to the invention.
1. A method for operating a network server to discourage use of server memory for fault-intolerant files, wherein the server is connected to a plurality of public clients and is operable to transfer public files between a memory of the server and the plurality of clients, wherein the public files comprise files of fault-tolerant types, and files of fault-intolerant types, the method comprising the steps of:
selecting a file from a plurality of public files in a memory of the server;
selecting a portion of the file, the selected portion comprising at least one bit of information in the file, wherein the file consists of the selected portion and a remaining portion larger than the selected portion; and
altering the selected portion to create an altered file while leaving the remaining portion of the file unaltered, whereby the file is disabled for its intended purpose if the file is a fault-intolerant type and the file is not disabled for its intended purpose even while remaining altered if the file is a fault-tolerant type.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising storing the altered file in the memory.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising storing both the file and the altered file in the memory.
4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising serving the altered file in response to a request for the file from one of the plurality of clients.
5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising marking the altered file with a flag indicating that the tile has been altered.
6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising inserting identifying information into the altered file.
7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first selecting step further comprises selecting the file without determining whether the file is a fault-tolerant type of file or a fault-intolerant type of file.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first selecting step further comprises selecting the file only if the file is larger than a specified size.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first selecting step further comprises selecting the file after determining that the file is likely to be a fault-intolerant type of file.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first selecting step further comprises selecting the file after determining that the file is free of any flag indicating that the file has been altered.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first selecting step further comprises selecting the file comprised of a plurality of compressed files, and wherein the second selecting step further comprises selecting the portion comprising at least one bit from each of the plurality of compressed files.
12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second selecting step further comprises selecting the portion beginning at a specified position after a first bit of the file.
13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second selecting step further comprises selecting the portion beginning at least ten kilobytes after a first byte of the file.
14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second selecting step further comprises selecting the portion beginning at a randomly selected position in the file.
15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second selecting step further comprises selecting the portion within at least one non-text byte of the file.
16. A system, comprising:
a server adapted to connect to a network and to transfer public files between the server and a plurality of public clients, wherein the public files comprise files of fault-tolerant types, and files of fault-intolerant types;
a processor operably associated with the server, the processor configured to perform the steps of:
selecting a file from a plurality of public files in a memory of the server;
selecting a portion of the file, the selected portion comprising at least one bit of information in the file, wherein the file consists of the selected portion and a remaining portion larger than the selected portion; and
altering the selected portion to create an altered file while leaving the remaining portion of the file unaltered, whereby the file is disabled for its intended purpose if the file is a fault-intolerant type and the file is not disabled for its intended purpose even while remaining altered if the file is a fault-tolerant type.
17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the processor is further configured to mark the altered file with a flag indicating that the file has been altered.
18. The system of claim 16 , wherein the processor is further configured to insert identifying information into the altered file.
19. The system of claim 16 , wherein the processor is further configured to select the portion of the file beginning at a specified file position after a beginning of the file.
20. The system of claim 16 , wherein the processor is further configured to store the altered file so as to be accessible to the server.