Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a system and method implemented for lowering the number of fingerprints of fragments of a file added to the digital fingerprint library using a winnowing window method. The digital fingerprint library stores fingerprints of fragments of files matching certain criteria, e.g., containing protected information. When an unknown file is examined, that library is used to compare fingerprints of fragments of size N from the unknown file to the fingerprints stored in the library. The method automatically determines criteria for adding fingerprints to the digital fingerprint library or skipping them.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to pre-processing of files to better prepare them for the process of comparing fingerprints of fragments of fixed size N from these files to other files that contain similar information but may be structured differently. The pre-processing method and system are applied to files with known protected data before fingerprints of some of the N-fragments from these files are added to the digital fingerprint library and to the unknown files before the fingerprints of some of their N-fragments are compared to the fingerprints of other N-fragments of data stored in the digital fingerprint library.

Abstract: A system for identifying of presence of protected data in an unknown file includes a processor coupled to a memory storing instructions, the processor being configured to implement the instructions to apply a sliding window process to generate one or more fragments of length, for each generated fragment, check whether information about the generated fragment exists in a library of known fragments of protected data, and if the information about the generated fragment from the unknown file exists in the library of known fragments of protected data, perform steps to reflect an existence of the information about the generated fragment.