US 11,983,288 B1
Operating system enhancements to prevent surreptitious access to user data files
Karen Heart, Forest Park, IL (US); and Alexander Rasin, Chicago, IL (US)
Assigned to Secure Computing, LLC, Forest Park, IL (US)
Filed by Secure Computing, LLC, Forest Park, IL (US)
Filed on Dec. 17, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/555,265.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/276,546, filed on Nov. 5, 2021.
Int. Cl. G06F 21/62 (2013.01)
CPC G06F 21/6218 (2013.01) 21 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of preventing unauthorized access to user data files, performed at a computing device having one or more processors and memory storing one or more programs configured for execution by the one or more processors, the method comprising:
receiving a request from an application to open a data file, the request including a name of the data file and a path to the data file;
in response to receiving the request:
determining whether the path corresponds to a designated storage location for user data files;
determining whether access to the data file has previously been granted for the application;
in accordance with a determination that (i) the path corresponds to a designated storage location for user data files and (ii) access to the data file has not previously been granted for the application:
accessing an operating system volition table to determine whether access volition has been asserted, wherein access volition has been asserted when the volition table includes a record for a volition assertion for the data file by the application within a preceding predefined period of time;
in accordance with a determination that access volition has been asserted, permitting the application to access the data file; and
in accordance with a determination that access volition has not been asserted, displaying a user interface box prompting a user of the computing device to decide whether or not to grant the application access to the data file.