Data Anonymization via Tokenization for Secure Cloud Sync
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Solution Overview
Problem
As more enterprises use third-party hosted applications, there is a need for efficient data security measures to protect data from unauthorized access, especially given regulatory requirements and the need to manage data across different computing devices.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for anonymizing data on a user computing device before transmission to a destination computing device, using techniques such as tokenization and symmetric key encryption, ensuring that only anonymized data is stored on the destination device, while maintaining the ability to search and sort the data in its original form.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If data is transmitted in plain text to a third-party hosted application, then data can be easily stored and accessed by the destination computing device, but data security and protection from unauthorized access deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs anonymization of data before transmission to the destination computing device. The anonymization process replaces sensitive data with pseudonymous values or tokens in advance, so that even if the data is stored or accessed by unauthorized parties, the original sensitive information remains protected. This preliminary action resolves the contradiction by ensuring data security before the harmful effect can occur.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an anonymization layer as an intermediary between the user computing device and the destination computing device. This intermediary component transforms the data structure before transmission, allowing the destination device to store and process data without accessing the original sensitive information. The intermediary resolves the contradiction by enabling easy data access while maintaining security through the anonymization transformation.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If data is anonymized before transmission to protect security, then data security improves, but the ability to search and sort data in its original form deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates a copy of the data structure that contains anonymized values instead of original sensitive data. This copy preserves the structural integrity and operational characteristics of the original data, allowing search and sort operations to be performed on the anonymized copy with the same efficiency. The copying approach resolves the contradiction by providing a functional equivalent that maintains security while preserving operational capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The anonymization process changes the parameter values of the data (replacing them with pseudonymous equivalents) while maintaining the data's structural properties and relationships. This parameter transformation allows the data to be processed, searched, and sorted in the same way as original data, while the changed parameters ensure security. This resolves the contradiction by showing that security and operational ease can coexist through parameter transformation.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If data is encrypted or anonymized during transmission, then data protection during transmission improves, but processing complexity and system resource requirements worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses disposable anonymization tokens or pseudonymous values that can be easily generated and discarded. These temporary anonymized representations of data provide security during transmission and storage but do not require complex long-term management systems. The disposable nature of the anonymization mechanism reduces processing complexity and resource requirements while maintaining transmission security, resolving the contradiction between security improvement and complexity increase.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and system for anonymizing data to be stored in a destination computing device is disclosed. A first data store is provided in a first user computing device, the first data store including a file folder designated as a first sync folder. A destination data store is provided in a destination computing device, the destination data store including a file folder designated as a destination sync folder. A file stored in the first sync folder is also stored in the destination sync folder and the file stored in the destination sync folder is anonymized before transmission of the file to the destination computing device over a network for storage in the destination sync folder.