Patent ID: 7890768

Claim:
A method for identifying sensitive data from a user-entered input sequence based on user-defined criteria, the method comprising: receiving user-defined criteria for identifying sensitive data within user-entered input sequences that include sensitive data and padding data, the user-defined criteria including a formulaic interval padding rule identifying a location of padding data character using a formula based upon at least one of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division of at least one of a first padding data location and a first number of padding characters; presenting a request for sensitive data from a requesting agent; determining whether the request is associated with any of the user-defined criteria or default criteria for sensitive data entry, and, in response to determining that the request is associated with any of the user defined criteria or default criteria for sensitive data entry, notifying the user of a criteria-based data entry mode; receiving an input sequence that includes sensitive data and padding data entered by the user according to the criteria-based data entry mode; identifying the sensitive data within the input sequence using the criteria-based data entry mode; and providing the identified sensitive data to the requesting agent in response to the request for sensitive data, wherein at least one of the preceding actions is performed on at least one electronic hardware component.