Data Masking Collision Handling via Encryption and Preprocessing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing data masking techniques face challenges in efficiently managing collisions and maintaining referential integrity while minimizing storage and security complexities, especially when dealing with large datasets and varying data types.

Innovation Solution

A data masking process that includes a preprocessing stage to identify and calculate replacement data for collisions, and a processing stage that generates masked data on-the-fly using encryption and length reduction, ensuring referential integrity and security without storing all masked data.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If all possible masked data are stored in advance, then data masking can be performed quickly during runtime, but storage costs and security complexities increase significantly

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata masking speedVSAvoidstorage space required

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-calculating and storing only the necessary replacement values for collided input data during a preprocessing stage, rather than storing all possible masked data. This allows the system to prepare collision handling in advance while minimizing storage requirements, resolving the contradiction between fast runtime performance and storage efficiency.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system creates simplified copies of the data masking logic in the form of pre-calculated replacement values for collision cases. Instead of storing complete masked datasets, only essential replacement mappings are preserved, enabling quick lookup during runtime while dramatically reducing storage demands.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

2Reliability

If encryption is applied to all input data, then security is maintained, but processing time and computational resources increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata securityVSAvoiddata processing time

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by differentiating the treatment of data based on collision status. Non-collided data receives simple substitution masking (fast), while only collided data undergoes encryption processing (secure but slower). This localized application of security measures maintains overall data security while minimizing processing time for the majority of data points.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The system applies encryption partially - only to the subset of data that experiences collisions during masking. For the larger portion of non-collided data, a faster substitution method is used. This partial application of the more intensive encryption operation maintains security where needed while reducing overall processing time.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

3Quantity of substance

If replacement data are generated dynamically during processing, then storage requirements are minimized, but processing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestorage space requiredVSAvoidprocessing logic complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent resolves this contradiction by performing the complex replacement data generation in advance during a preprocessing stage. The system pre-identifies all collision cases and pre-generates appropriate replacement values, storing only these results. During runtime, the simplified lookup and substitution logic replaces the complex dynamic generation, achieving both low storage requirements and low processing complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

4Adaptability or versatility

If collision handling is performed without preprocessing, then the system can handle unexpected input data, but runtime performance deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvehandling of unexpected dataVSAvoidruntime processing speed

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-processing test data to identify all potential collision cases before actual data masking operations. This preprocessing stage creates a collision map that enables the system to quickly handle both expected and unexpected input data during runtime, maintaining adaptability while ensuring fast processing performance through pre-computed replacement strategies.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS8700918B2Data masking

Publication Date: 2014.04.15 VERIZON PATENT & LICENSING INC

AI summary

Method, device, and storage medium to receive test data including multiple test strings, wherein the test data is a data set that includes all possible values of input strings to be data masked; encrypt each of the test strings; select a portion of the encrypted test string; compare each portion to the corresponding test string; determine, for each portion, whether the portion of is equal to the corresponding test string; assign the portion as a replacement string when the portion is not equal to the corresponding test string; determine whether each replacement string is unique; store each replacement string that is not unique; generate, for each replacement string that is not unique, an alternate replacement string; and output an alternate replacement string, as a masked string in response to a determination that art input string matches one of the stored test strings associated with one of the alternate replacement strings.