Spider Software — Using Spider Software to Find Sensitive Data

ITS Help Documents >> IT Security >> Private Data Software >> Using Spider Software to Find Sensitive Data

Overview

Spider is an application written at Cornell University for the specific purpose of searching computers for sensitive data.  Spider searches through the content of all files looking for matches to the criteria it is given.  With the permission of Cornell, ITS has repackaged and redistributed Spider with a custom default configuration.  This document assumes the use of the custom configuration.

These instructions cover:

• Performing a Spider Sensitive Data Search
• Interpreting the Log
• Opening the Referenced File

Performing a Spider Sensitive Data Search

1. Click on the Start button, select All Programs, then Cornell Spider, and finally the Spider application, as shown below:

2. The Spider window opens. Click on the Run Spider button to start the search.

3. Spider will then build the file list and start scanning the C:\ drive for sensitive data.  This can take a long time depending on the size of your hard drive.  This also uses many of your computer's resources.  If you are scanning files on a laptop, it is recommending your computer is plugged in and not using battery power.

Note: Spider only scans the “c:\” drive by default. If you have other drives that you would like to scan (an extra hard drive or USB thumb drive, for example), change the start dir path in Configure -> Settings, Files tab, then Directory tab.

Interpreting the Log

1. When the search is complete, the log window will appear.  The log displays a list of files that are likely to contain sensitive data.  The first item on each line is the path, or the location, of the file.

2. The next item on each line is the criteria which Spider used to determine if the data is private.  There may be more than one search criterion listed.

Opening the Referenced File

1. You can open the file from Spider in order to verify the information is actually private or if it is a false positive.  To do this, click the View Links button.

2. Click the link to the file you would like to open.

3. The file will open using the default application for the file extension.

4. Verify the contents of each file to check for false positives.  To help you determine if the data Spider found is classified as private data, go to www.colorado.edu/its/security/awareness/privacy or contact the IT Service Center.

Get Help
IT Service Center
303-735-HELP (5-4357 from an on-campus phone)
help@colorado.edu