Microsoft patents system to upgrade data labels from 'maybe' to 'definitely' sensitive
Microsoft describes a security tool that looks at files flagged as potentially sensitive and checks their metadata to confirm if they actually contain confidential information. If the metadata matches sensitive patterns, the system updates the file's label to 'sensitive' and shows this change in a security dashboard.
In the filing’s own words
Methods, systems, and computer storage media for providing data security posture management using a sensitive data reclassification engine in a security management system. Data security posture management provides security operations—including identifying and remediating risk exposure—to securely manage data, resources, and workloads. In operation, sensitive data scan results are accessed. A scanned data item having a first data sensitivity confidence score—and a first data classification that indicates that the scanned data item is a potentially sensitive data item—is identified in the sensitive data scan results. Based on the scanned data item having the first data classification, scanned metadata comprising a sensitive data attribute is accessed. Based on a second data sensitivity confidence score associated with the sensitive data attribute and the scanned data item, the first data classification is replaced with a second data classification that indicates that the scanned data item is a sensitive data item.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. A computerized system comprising: one or more computer processors; and computer memory storing computer-useable instructions that, when used by the one or more computer processors, cause the one or more computer processors to perform operations, the operations comprising: accessing sensitive data scan results associated with a computing device in a computing environment; based on the sensitive data scan results, identifying a scanned data item having a first data sensitivity confidence score and a first data classification that indicates that the scanned data item is a potentially sensitive data item; based on the scanned data item having the first data classification, accessing a scanned metadata record of the scanned data item; determining that the scanned metadata record comprises a sensitive data attribute; using the sensitive data attribute, generating a second data sensitivity confidence score for the scanned data item; based on the second data sensitivity confidence score, replacing the first data classification with a second data classification that indicates that the scanned data item is a sensitive data item; and communicating a security posture visualization to cause display of the security posture visualization comprising an identifier of the scanned data item associated with the second data classification.
Facts
- Company
- Microsoft (Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC)
- Official title
- SENSITIVE DATA RECLASSIFICATION ENGINE IN A SECURITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
- Publication number
- US20260278159A1
- Application number
- 19679297
- Filed
- May 15, 2026
- Published
- Sep 17, 2026
- Inventors
- 2
- Claims
- 20
Classified under
G06F 21/6245 Physics & computingG06F 16/285 Physics & computingMore from Microsoft in Security & privacy
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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.