Patent ID: 8166313

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for processing dump files, the method comprising: receiving an original dump file from a client machine to be forwarded to a dump file recipient, wherein the original dump file is generated from a software component running within the client machine, the original dump file recording certain runtime data and/or activities of the software component; parsing the original dump file to identify certain content of the original dump file that matches one or more predetermined data patterns; anonymizing the original dump file by modifying the identified content of the original dump file according to one or more predetermined algorithms associated with the one or more predetermined data patterns, such that the identified content of the original dump file is no longer exposed, generating an anonymized dump file; verifying that technical infrastructure of the original dump file is maintained within the anonymized dump file after modifying content of the original dump file; and transmitting the anonymized dump file to the dump file recipient, wherein technical infrastructure of the original dump file is maintained within the anonymized dump file after the anonymization such that a utility application designed to process the original dump file can still process the anonymized dump file without exposing the identified content of the original dump file to the dump file recipient.