Checkpoints
Inspect a string for sensitive information
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Redacting sensitive data from text content
/ 50
Cloud Data Loss Prevention API: Qwik Start
GSP107
Now part of Sensitive Data Protection, the Cloud Data Loss Prevention (DLP) API provides programmatic access to a powerful detection engine for personally identifiable information (PII) and other privacy-sensitive data in unstructured data streams.
The DLP API provides fast, scalable classification and optional redaction for sensitive data elements like credit card numbers, names, social security numbers, passport numbers, and phone numbers. The API supports text and images – just send data to the API or specify data stored on your Cloud Storage, BigQuery, and Cloud Datastore instances.
In this lab, you set up a JSON file to analyze, send it to the DLP API, to inspect a string of data for sensitive information, then redact any sensitive information that was found.
What you'll learn
In this lab, you use the DLP API to do the following:
- Inspect a string for sensitive information
- Redact sensitive data from text content
Setup and requirements
Before you click the Start Lab button
Read these instructions. Labs are timed and you cannot pause them. The timer, which starts when you click Start Lab, shows how long Google Cloud resources will be made available to you.
This hands-on lab lets you do the lab activities yourself in a real cloud environment, not in a simulation or demo environment. It does so by giving you new, temporary credentials that you use to sign in and access Google Cloud for the duration of the lab.
To complete this lab, you need:
- Access to a standard internet browser (Chrome browser recommended).
- Time to complete the lab---remember, once you start, you cannot pause a lab.
How to start your lab and sign in to the Google Cloud console
-
Click the Start Lab button. If you need to pay for the lab, a pop-up opens for you to select your payment method. On the left is the Lab Details panel with the following:
- The Open Google Cloud console button
- Time remaining
- The temporary credentials that you must use for this lab
- Other information, if needed, to step through this lab
-
Click Open Google Cloud console (or right-click and select Open Link in Incognito Window if you are running the Chrome browser).
The lab spins up resources, and then opens another tab that shows the Sign in page.
Tip: Arrange the tabs in separate windows, side-by-side.
Note: If you see the Choose an account dialog, click Use Another Account. -
If necessary, copy the Username below and paste it into the Sign in dialog.
{{{user_0.username | "Username"}}} You can also find the Username in the Lab Details panel.
-
Click Next.
-
Copy the Password below and paste it into the Welcome dialog.
{{{user_0.password | "Password"}}} You can also find the Password in the Lab Details panel.
-
Click Next.
Important: You must use the credentials the lab provides you. Do not use your Google Cloud account credentials. Note: Using your own Google Cloud account for this lab may incur extra charges. -
Click through the subsequent pages:
- Accept the terms and conditions.
- Do not add recovery options or two-factor authentication (because this is a temporary account).
- Do not sign up for free trials.
After a few moments, the Google Cloud console opens in this tab.
Activate Cloud Shell
Cloud Shell is a virtual machine that is loaded with development tools. It offers a persistent 5GB home directory and runs on the Google Cloud. Cloud Shell provides command-line access to your Google Cloud resources.
- Click Activate Cloud Shell at the top of the Google Cloud console.
When you are connected, you are already authenticated, and the project is set to your Project_ID,
gcloud
is the command-line tool for Google Cloud. It comes pre-installed on Cloud Shell and supports tab-completion.
- (Optional) You can list the active account name with this command:
- Click Authorize.
Output:
- (Optional) You can list the project ID with this command:
Output:
gcloud
, in Google Cloud, refer to the gcloud CLI overview guide.
Set an environmental variable for your project ID
- In Cloud Shell, run the following command to set an environment variable for your project ID:
Task 1. Inspect a string for sensitive information
This section shows you how to ask the service to scan sample text using the projects.content.inspect REST method. The JSON file you create contains an InspectConfig and a ContentItem object.
- Using your preferred editor (
nano
,vim
, etc.) or Cloud Shell, create a JSON request file with the following text, and save it asinspect-request.json
:
- Obtain an authorization token using your account:
A huge string is returned. You need this token for the next step.
- Use
curl
to make acontent:inspect
request, replacingACCESS_TOKEN
with the string that was returned in the previous step:
curl
you use the -d
option (for "data") and precede the filename with an @
sign. This file should be in the same directory in which you execute the curl
command.
It saves the curl
response in inspect-output.txt
file. Check the output using below command:
You should see a response similar to the following:
Upload output to Cloud Storage
Run the following command to upload the curl response on Cloud Storage for activity tracking validation:
Task 2. Redacting sensitive data from text content
The DLP API can automatically redact sensitive data from text files instead of giving you a list of findings.
Try sending the API JSON file using deidentifyConfig object, so sensitive information is redacted from the output.
- Create a new JSON file (called
new-inspect-file.json
) that includes the following:
- Use
curl
to make acontent:deidentify
request (ACCESS_TOKEN
has been replaced with a command to print the access token):
It saves the curl
response in redact-output.txt
file. Check the output using below command:
You should see a response similar to the following:
You've sent your first request to the DLP API and redacted sensitive information from output!
Upload output to Cloud Storage
Run the following command to upload the curl response on Cloud Storage for activity tracking validation:
Congratulations!
You used the Cloud Data Loss Prevention (DLP) API to inspect for, and then redact sensitive data from text content.
Next steps / Learn more
This lab is part of a series of labs called Qwik Starts. These labs are designed to give you a little taste of the many features available with Google Cloud. Review the list of "Qwik Starts" in the lab catalog to find the next lab you'd like to take!
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Manual Last Updated November 22, 2024
Lab Last Tested November 22, 2024
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