Patent ID: 8225091

Claim:
In a computing device, a method for protecting sensitive files from unauthorized access, comprising: detecting a connection of the computing device to an electronic device; accessing an authorized connection list, wherein the authorized connection list comprises a list of at least one authorized network or a list of at least one authorized connection type; determining whether the connection is identified in the authorized connection list; and if the connection is not identified in the authorized connection list: accessing sensitive file information which identifies multiple sensitive files stored on the computing device, wherein the sensitive files are not identified until after the connection has been identified as not being in the authorized connection list, wherein the sensitive file information is separate from the sensitive files; and preventing access to all of the sensitive files identified by the sensitive file information by performing an access prevention task after the connection is not identified in the authorized connection list, wherein the sensitive files continue to be stored on the computing device but all of the sensitive files cannot be accessed when access is being prevented.