Patent ID: 8191162

Claim:
A method for securing content present in a restricted file in a data processing system, wherein the data processing system is connected to a server, the restricted file being stored locally in the data processing system in an encrypted format, the method comprising the steps of: receiving a first request from an entity for executing at least one operation from a first set of operations on the content of the restricted file, the entity being a software application, each restricted file having a unique identifier and the content of the restricted file being pre-associated with the corresponding unique identifier; authenticating the entity at the data processing system for executing at least one operation from the first set of operations on the content of the restricted file, the authentication being performed based on predefined policies, wherein the predefined policies are stored at the server; caching a header data of the restricted file, wherein the caching comprises receiving the restricted file and saving the header data, and wherein the header data comprises the unique identifier of the restricted file; decrypting the content of the restricted file except the header data if the authentication is successful, wherein decrypting the content except the header data facilitates providing permission for executing the at least one operation from the first set of operations and prevents any secure data stored in the header data from being interpreted by the entity; receiving a second request from the entity for executing at least one operation from a second set of operations on the content of the restricted file; authenticating the entity at the data processing system for executing the at least one operation from the second set of operations; extracting the unique identifier from the cached header data; encrypting the content of the restricted file subsequent to authenticating the entity sending the second request, wherein the encrypting further comprises embedding the unique identifier into the encrypted content; and executing the at least one operation of the second set of operations on the encrypted content, the execution of the at least one operation on the encrypted content protecting the restricted file from being misused, whereby the restricted file is under a control of the data processing system, wherein each of the first set of operations and the second set of operations are tracked using the unique identifier, wherein the above steps are performed by a microprocessor, the microprocessor being included in the data processing system.