API Gateway Data Classification for Compliance

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional systems face challenges in efficiently classifying, managing, and responding to data access requests and deletion requests due to resource-intensive manual processes, especially when dealing with sensitive data across multiple databases and systems, leading to burdensome compliance with regulations like GDPR.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a system that classifies API calls at an application programming interface (API) gateway, automatically tagging sensitive data based on access policies, allowing for automated data classification and management, thereby simplifying access control and compliance with data governance policies.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If manual data classification procedures are implemented, then data can be tagged and classified, but resource consumption and time required increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata classification accuracyVSAvoidtime for manual tagging

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs data classification automatically at the point of data entry or API call, before the data needs to be accessed or managed. This preliminary automatic classification eliminates the need for subsequent manual tagging operations, resolving the contradiction between classification accuracy and time consumption.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If data classification is updated across multiple databases, then data governance policies are maintained, but system overhead and resources increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepolicy complianceVSAvoidsystem overhead

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments data classification by implementing it at the API gateway level rather than across entire databases. Each API call is classified independently based on its specific data access patterns, allowing policy compliance to be maintained without requiring complex system-wide updates across multiple databases.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

3Productivity

If automated API call classification is implemented, then resource burden is reduced, but determining data sharing permissions becomes more complex

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveclassification efficiencyVSAvoidaccess control determination

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The API gateway serves as an intermediary that automatically determines data sharing permissions based on the classified data types. Instead of requiring complex access control logic throughout the system, the gateway mediates all data access requests, using the classification information to automatically enforce appropriate permission policies, thereby simplifying access control determination while maintaining high classification efficiency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS12165106B2Data classification in application programming interfaces at attribute level

Publication Date: 2024.12.10 ATLASSIAN PTY LTD

AI summary

A system for classifying data stored in a collaborative work environment. The system includes a gateway service that receives and processes queries from client devices. The gateway service is configured to query classifications of each API call to determine whether a result of servicing that API call contains classified data. In response to determining that a field of a result of servicing an API call contains classified data, determining whether the API call can be serviced based on the classification.