Patent ID: 7293175

Claim:
A method for use in a multi-level secure system for sanitizing a message, said method comprising the steps of: establishing a computer-based sanitization tool for sanitizing messages based on predefined sanitization rules, wherein said multi-level secure system includes at least first and second security levels and wherein first security level users are authorized to receive sensitive information that second security level users are not authorized to receive; first using said computer-based sanitization tool for receiving a message for potential distribution; second operating said computer-based sanitization tool for identifying at least first and second potential recipients having first and second security clearances, respectively; third operating said computer-based sanitization tool for sanitizing said received message to generate a first sanitized message for transmission to said first potential recipient; and fourth operating said computer-based sanitization tool for sanitizing said received message to generate a second sanitized message, different than the first sanitized message, for transmission to said second potential recipient, wherein said step of third operating comprises identifying first sensitive information within said message based on said first security clearance of said first potential recipient and protecting said first sensitive information such that said first sensitive information is not useable by said first potential recipient, and said step of fourth operating comprises identifying second sensitive information based on said second security clearance of said second potential recipient and protecting said second sensitive information such that said second sensitive information is not useable by said second potential recipient.