Patent ID: 8688734

Claim:
A method for controlling user access to directories and files of a computer, the method comprising: receiving an user/group file whitelist, wherein the received user/group file whitelist is stored in a data storage medium and comprises published directories and/or files associated with a group of one or more users; determining that an administrator has performed an act of publishing one or more previously unpublished directories and/or files, wherein the act of publishing specifies that the previously unpublished directories and/or files are to be published to the group of one or more users that is associated with the stored user/group file whitelist; authenticating a user as belonging to the specified group of one or more users to whom the previously unpublished directories and/or files are published; and automatically adding, based on the act of publishing to the specified group, the previously unpublished directories and/or files to the stored user/group file whitelist, wherein the stored user/group file whitelist in the data storage medium is updated with the previously unpublished directories and/or files.