Described are various embodiments of a secure cloud-based system. In one such embodiment, the secure cloud-based system includes a distribution of digital network processing resources and a central digital processing environment. The central processing environment includes a secure network interface to each of said digital processing resources; a digital hardware processor; and a deployment engine operable to serially deploy a unique ephemeral machine executable code instance, via said secure network interface, to a given one of said digital processing resources to be executed thereon for a predetermined runtime period, wherein execution of each said unique ephemeral machine executable code instance is automatically terminated after said predetermined runtime period to be operatively replaced by a subsequent unique ephemeral machine executable code instance.

Methods and systems for detecting a privacy violation in an image file. A policy to be used by a master imaging application is obtained and a file system is monitored for a digital image modified by a monitored imaging application. It is then determined that the digital image file includes at least some content in violation of a defined setting for the master imaging application and, based on the determination that the digital image file includes at least some content in violation of the defined setting for the master imaging application, taking an action.