Encrypted Database Search Using Unique Identifier Entries
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for searching over encrypted data, such as those using deterministic encryption and tokenization, can reveal the underlying encryption mechanism to attackers, and require significant resources or external indexing, which complicates efficient querying and storage.
Innovation Solution
A system that modifies a database by creating unique identifier entries through a mapping function and secure compression functions, allowing for efficient searching over encrypted data without increasing search time, storage, or processor resources, by storing these identifiers within the database.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If deterministic encryption is used for searching encrypted data, then search functionality is enabled, but the encryption mechanism becomes vulnerable to attacker analysis
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-computing and storing unique identifier entries in the database before search operations. These identifiers are generated using secure compression functions and hashing mechanisms, allowing the system to prepare encrypted data structures in advance that enable efficient searching without compromising security during actual search operations
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism by using unique identifier entries as mediators between the search query and the encrypted data. These identifiers act as a bridge that allows searching over encrypted data without exposing the underlying encryption mechanism, as attackers would need to analyze the compression function outputs rather than the encryption itself
2Ease of operation
If external indexing is used to enable searching, then search capability is improved, but device complexity and storage requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the indexing function directly into the database structure by storing unique identifier entries within the database itself rather than maintaining separate external indexes. This integration eliminates the need for complex external indexing structures and simplifies the overall system architecture while maintaining search functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The unique identifier entries serve multiple functions simultaneously: they act as indices for search operations, are stored within the database structure, and can be updated alongside the encrypted data. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate indexing mechanisms and reduces overall system complexity
3Reliability
If secure compression functions are applied to create unique identifiers, then search security is improved, but processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-computing the unique identifier entries using secure compression functions and storing them in the database before search operations occur. This allows the computationally intensive hashing and compression operations to be performed in advance, so that actual search operations only require simple comparisons rather than full recomputation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates copies of the essential identifying information in transformed form (unique identifier entries) that can be used for search operations without requiring the original encrypted data to be processed during searches. These identifier copies enable fast comparison-based searching while maintaining security
4Productivity
If unique identifier entries are stored within the database, then search efficiency is improved, but storage requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the unique identifier entries directly into the database storage structure, combining the index functionality with the data storage. This integration allows the identifiers to be stored alongside the encrypted data they reference, eliminating the need for separate index storage and reducing overall storage overhead compared to external indexing structures
Data Source
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AI summary
There is provided an apparatus configured to: create a respective second unique identifier entry for each data instance stored in an encrypted database in association with a first unique identifier by: applying a mapping function to the data instance to generate a mapped value, applying a first secure compression function to a hash-key and the mapped value to generate a first hashed-value, applying a second secure compression function to the first hashed-value and the first unique identifier entry associated with the data instance to generate the second unique identifier entry, and storing within the database the second unique identifier entry associated with the respective data instance of the plurality of data instances; and output the database for searching over encrypted data instances stored in the database.