Intercepting Data for Secure Transmission via Format Conversion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current security measures for sensitive data transmission are inadequate, as newer technologies like website access and email are vulnerable to hacking, while older technologies like fax machines, despite being less convenient, offer superior security due to their isolation from networked environments.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that intercept data from insecure environments and convert it into a format incapable of execution on computing devices, allowing secure transmission by rendering it as print or image data, thereby enhancing security by isolating the data format and preventing execution risks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If newer technologies like website access and email are used for data transmission, then convenience and accessibility are improved, but security is worsened due to vulnerability to hacking and network compromise
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a fax machine as an intermediary device between the networked computing environment and the recipient. The fax machine receives data from the network, prints it to physical media, and delivers it without being connected to the computing network. This intermediary breaks the direct network connection, preventing remote intruders from accessing the data transmission path while still enabling convenient data delivery.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the data transmission process into two distinct parts: (1) networked transmission to the fax machine, and (2) physical delivery from the fax machine to the recipient. By separating these functions, the system maintains the convenience of networked transmission while eliminating the security risks of direct networked access to confidential data.
2Reliability
If older technology like fax machines is used for data transmission, then security is improved due to isolation from networked environments, but convenience and accessibility are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the fax machine universally accessible by placing it in a location that anyone can access, such as a public area or shared space within an organization. This allows any employee or authorized person to use the fax machine without requiring specialized knowledge or access rights, thereby maintaining convenience while preserving the security benefits of fax technology.
3Speed
If confidential data is transmitted over network connections, then accessibility and speed are improved, but susceptibility to hacking and compromise increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the confidential data from the networked computing environment at the fax machine, where it is printed to physical media. This extraction removes the data from the vulnerable networked environment, eliminating the risk of remote intruders accessing or compromising the data during transmission, while still achieving rapid delivery through the fax machine's printing capability.
Data Source
AI summary
A sending processing environment establishes a connection with a receiving processing environment for purposes of providing data during a communication session from the sending environment to the receiving environment. The communication session is monitored and the data being sent is intercepted. The data is rendered from a first format that the data was sent in into an innocuous format that is incapable of being executed on any computing device. The data in the innocuous format is then provided to the receiving environment where the data can only be viewed.