Information security method and appparatus
View Patent ↗A method and apparatus for ensuring that important confidential or proprietary information is not inadvertently released through email and similar transmissions. When file security firewall resident on a file security server or another network node receives an email intended for transmission, it determines whether the file revision history should be removed from any attachments. If so, the email is buffered and the attachments are extracted for file revision history by a file revision history remover associated with the firewall or an available proprietary file revision history remover. Once the file revision history removal is attempted, successfully or unsuccessfully, a reformed email is created, including either the original attachments or, in their place, a version of the attachment from which file revision history has been removed.
1. A method for processing email transmissions, comprising:
extracting one or more attachments associated with an email message;
determining for each of one or more files of the one or more attachments whether a file revision history removal is required, wherein determining whether the file revision history removal is required comprises at least determining whether a file revision history removal flag indicating a sender's preference has been set;
further determining, for each file requiring the file revision history removal, whether the file revision history is proprietary or non-proprietary;
sending each file requiring the file revision history removal to a proprietary file revision history remover if the file revision history is proprietary, and to a file revision history remover if the file revision history is non-proprietary;
processing each file requiring file revision history removal by removing the corresponding proprietary file revision history using the proprietary file revision history remover and by removing the corresponding non-proprietary file revision history using the file revision history remover to produce one or more processed attachments;
reforming the email message by attaching any processed attachments and any extracted attachments containing no file revision history; and
forwarding the reformed email message toward a corresponding email message destination.
2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising forwarding the email message toward the destination if it is determined that the file revision history removal is not required for any of the one or more attachments.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining whether the file revision history removal is required further comprises determining whether the email includes any attachments not associated with a set file revision history removal flag.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining whether the file revision history removal is required further comprises comparing email header information to a file revision history removal profile.
5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising sending a notification to an email originator that the email message has been forwarded in a reformed format.
6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising sending a copy of the reformed email message to the email originator with the notification.
7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising, prior to processing the determined file using said proprietary file history remover, sending a request to an email originator requesting confirmation that a proprietary file revision history removal should be performed and receiving a positive response from the email originator.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein forming the reformed email message further comprises including each original attachment for which the file revision history could not be removed.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein said proprietary file history remover is used to process the determined file in response to the further determining that the determined file includes the proprietary file revision history.
10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising building and transmitting a revision file if it is determined that the proprietary file revision history remover should be used to attempt removal of the proprietary file revision history from the determined file.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the revision file comprises at least the determined file required removal of the proprietary file revision history and instructions for said removal.
12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising sending a notification to an email originator that a reformed email message has been forwarded in place of the original email.
13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more files include at least one email attached file and at least one email embedded file.
14. A network node, comprising:
at least one network interface for receiving email transmissions from an email originator; and
a file security firewall, for processing each received email message to provide a corresponding reformed email message for transmission toward a respective email destination, configure to perform:
extracting one or more attachments associated with an email message;
determining for each of one or more files of the one or more attachments whether a file revision history removal is required, wherein determining whether the file revision history removal is required comprises at least determining whether a file revision history removal flag indicating a sender's preference has been set;
further determining, for each determined file required the removal of the file revision history, whether the file revision history is proprietary or non-proprietary;
processing, based on said further determining, each determined file by removing the corresponding proprietary file revision history using a proprietary file revision history remover or by removing the corresponding non-proprietary file revision history using a file revision history remover, to produce one or more processed attachments;
reforming the email message by attaching any processed attachments and any extracted attachments containing no file revision history.