IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,664,998
Granted Patent B2
US 11,664,998 · App. 16/884,728 · Granted May 30, 2023

Intelligent hashing of sensitive information

Inventors: Jon Walheim (San Francisco, CA); Girish Ratnam (Plano, TX); Thomas Jefferson Sandridge (Tampa, FL); Nicholas Bokun (Stratford, NJ); Jacob Thomas Covell (New York, NY)
Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
H04L9/3236G06N20/00
View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,664,998
App. No.
16/884,728
Filed
May 27, 2020
Granted
May 30, 2023
Kind
B2
Art Unit
2437
USPC
713/168
Abstract

Described are techniques for preserving data security for sensitive information. The techniques including identifying sensitive information in first audio data from a first client device. The techniques further comprise generating second audio data including hashed sensitive information, where the hashed sensitive information comprises an audio clip that replaces the sensitive information and that is based on the sensitive information. The techniques further comprise transmitting the second data including the hashed sensitive information to a second client device. The techniques further comprise receiving third audio data including the hashed sensitive information from the second client device. The techniques further comprise generating fourth audio data by replacing the hashed sensitive information with the sensitive information and transmitting the fourth audio data including the sensitive information to the first client device.

Claims (63)

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

identifying sensitive information in first audio data from a first client device;

generating second audio data including hashed sensitive information, wherein the hashed sensitive information comprises an audio clip that replaces the sensitive information, that is based on the sensitive information, and that retains linguistic characteristics of the sensitive information, wherein the linguistic characteristics are selected from a group consisting of:

phonetic characteristics, syntactic characteristics, and semantic characteristics;

transmitting the second audio data including the hashed sensitive information to a second client device;

receiving third audio data including the hashed sensitive information from the second client device;

generating fourth audio data by replacing the hashed sensitive information with the sensitive information; and

transmitting the fourth audio data including the sensitive information to the first client device.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein identifying the sensitive information in the first audio data further comprises:

comparing extracted portions of the first audio data to a sensitive information database; and

classifying respective extracted portions matching a respective entry in the sensitive information database as the sensitive information.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein identifying the sensitive information in the first audio data further comprises:

determining that an extracted portion of the first audio data does not match any record in a sensitive information database;

generating a sensitivity score for the extracted portion of the first audio data in response to determining that the extracted portion of the first audio data does not match any record in the sensitive information database;

determining that the sensitivity score satisfies a sensitivity score threshold; and

classifying the extracted portion of the first audio data as the sensitive information.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the sensitivity score is generated by a content sensitivity model that is trained using machine learning algorithms.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein generating the second audio data including the hashed sensitive information further comprises storing a correspondence between the sensitive information and the hashed sensitive information in a mapping table; and

wherein generating fourth audio data by replacing the hashed sensitive information with the sensitive information further comprises matching the hashed sensitive information with the sensitive information based on the correspondence in the mapping table.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the hashed sensitive information includes an indicator that identifies the hashed sensitive information as data with a sensitive information classification.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the indicator further includes an explanation of the sensitive information classification, wherein the explanation relates to a match in a sensitive information database.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the method further comprises:

receiving feedback related to an accuracy of the sensitive information classification; and

updating, based on the feedback, the sensitive information database.

9. The method of claim 6 , wherein the indicator further includes an explanation of the sensitive information classification, wherein the explanation relates to a sensitivity score generated by a sensitivity score model above a sensitivity score threshold.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the method further comprises:

receiving feedback related to an accuracy of the sensitive information classification; and

updating, based on the feedback, the sensitivity score model.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the method is performed by a data security application according to software that is downloaded to the data security application from a remote data processing system.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11 , wherein the method further comprises:

metering a usage of the software; and

generating an invoice based on metering the usage.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the linguistic characteristics comprise the phonetic characteristics.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the linguistic characteristics comprise the syntactic characteristics.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the linguistic characteristics comprise the semantic characteristics.

16. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more computer-readable storage media storing program instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, are configured to cause the one or more processors to perform a method comprising:

identifying sensitive information in first audio data from a first client device;

generating second audio data including hashed sensitive information, wherein the hashed sensitive information comprises an audio clip that replaces the sensitive information, that is based on the sensitive information, and that retains linguistic characteristics of the sensitive information, wherein the linguistic characteristics are selected from a group consisting of:

phonetic characteristics, syntactic characteristics, and semantic characteristics;

transmitting the second audio data including the hashed sensitive information to a second client device;

receiving third audio data including the hashed sensitive information from the second client device;

generating fourth audio data by replacing the hashed sensitive information with the sensitive information; and

transmitting the fourth audio data including the sensitive information to the first client device.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein identifying the sensitive information in the first audio data further comprises:

comparing extracted portions of the first audio data to a sensitive information database; and

classifying respective extracted portions matching a respective entry in the sensitive information database as the sensitive information.

18. The system of claim 16 , wherein identifying the sensitive information in the first audio data further comprises:

determining that an extracted portion of the first audio data does not match any record in a sensitive information database;

generating, in response to determining that the extracted portion of the first audio data does not match any record in the sensitive information database, a sensitivity score for the extracted portion of the first audio data based on inputting the extracted portion of the first audio data to a content sensitivity model that is trained using machine learning algorithms;

determining that the sensitivity score satisfies a sensitivity score threshold; and

classifying the extracted portion of the first audio data as the sensitive information.

19. The system of claim 16 , wherein generating the second audio data including the hashed sensitive information further comprises storing a correspondence between the sensitive information and the hashed sensitive information in a mapping table; and

wherein generating fourth audio data by replacing the hashed sensitive information with the sensitive information further comprises matching the hashed sensitive information with the sensitive information based on the correspondence in the mapping table.

20. A computer program product comprising one or more computer readable storage media, and program instructions collectively stored on the one or more computer readable storage media, the program instructions comprising instructions configured to cause one or more processors to perform a method comprising:

identifying sensitive information in first audio data from a first client device;

generating second audio data including hashed sensitive information, wherein the hashed sensitive information comprises an audio clip that replaces the sensitive information, that is based on the sensitive information, and that retains linguistic characteristics of the sensitive information, wherein the linguistic characteristics are selected from a group consisting of:

phonetic characteristics, syntactic characteristics, and semantic characteristics;

transmitting the second audio data including the hashed sensitive information to a second client device;

receiving third audio data including the hashed sensitive information from the second client device;

generating fourth audio data by replacing the hashed sensitive information with the sensitive information; and

transmitting the fourth audio data including the sensitive information to the first client device.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 27, 2020
From: WALHEIM, JON; RATNAM, GIRISH; SANDRIDGE, THOMAS JEFFERSON; BOKUN, NICHOLAS; COVELL, JACOB THOMAS
To: INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 052763/0873 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20210377035A1 · Dec 2, 2021