Automated Data Sanitization Gatekeeping for Secure Test Data Overlay
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing data sanitization processes are manual and prone to inadvertent exposure of critical and confidential information during data overlay from production to non-production environments, lacking automation and effective supervision.
Innovation Solution
An automated system utilizing a data sanitization component, gatekeeper, and machine learning algorithms to sanitize data and restrict the export of protected information, incorporating a user input layer, computing layer, and data import layer to manage data sanitization protocols and user access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If data sanitization is performed manually, then developers can access overlayed data for testing purposes, but there is a risk of inadvertent exposure of critical and confidential information
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an automated data sanitization system that acts as an intermediary between the data overlay process and the destination environment. This system automatically detects, identifies, and masks sensitive information before data is transferred to non-production environments, thereby enabling developer access while preventing confidential data exposure through automated intervention rather than manual processes
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary data sanitization by automatically scanning and masking sensitive information before the data overlay occurs. The system proactively identifies protected health information, personally identifiable information, and other confidential data elements in advance of the transfer process, applying masking rules to ensure security is established prior to any potential exposure risk
2Reliability
If automated data sanitization is implemented, then data security is improved, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent describes a multi-functional automated sanitization system that performs multiple tasks within a unified architecture: data scanning, sensitive information detection, masking rule application, and audit trail generation. By consolidating these functions into a single integrated system rather than separate manual processes, the patent achieves enhanced security while managing complexity through functional consolidation
Solution Approach 2:
The automated sanitization system operates autonomously by self-identifying sensitive data elements, self-applying appropriate masking rules based on pre-configured policies, and self-monitoring the overlay process. This self-service capability reduces the need for complex manual intervention and supervision, thereby improving security while keeping operational complexity manageable
3Ease of manufacture
If manual sanitization scripts are used, then the process is simple to implement, but it is time-consuming and error-prone
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical processes (developers writing and executing sanitization scripts) with an automated computational system. The automated system uses algorithms to detect, identify, and mask sensitive information, substituting human-driven manual script execution with machine-driven automated processing, thereby dramatically improving efficiency while maintaining ease of implementation through standardized automated workflows
Data Source
AI summary
Provided herein is an automated data sanitization system for sanitizing and overlaying data to a non-production environment. The system may include a data sanitization rule engine, which may be configured to receive a recommended set of rules for sanitizing a data source and/or define rules for the dataset. The system may include a feature comparison component, which may be configured to generate suggested sanitization rules for a new dataset, based on comparison with previous datasets. The system may include a data sanitization component, which may be configured to implement sanitization of a plurality of datasets. The system may include a gatekeeper, which may be configured to restrict export of a non-sanitized data source and/or to restrict overlaying of a non-sanitized data source onto a non-production environment.