Format-Preserving Data Masking System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional data masking techniques are not application-friendly and struggle to preserve the format of sensitive data elements, leading to errors and performance issues in business applications, especially when handling complex data formats like license plates or credit card numbers.
Innovation Solution
A format-preserving data masking system that characterizes data elements using syntactic definitions and irreversible functions, allowing for transparent and secure data transformation without encryption, ensuring consistent output under the same conditions and maintaining application performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional data masking techniques are applied, then data sensitivity is protected, but application performance and data format consistency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the masking approach by changing from traditional substitution methods to format-preserving encryption that maintains syntactic parameters (data types, lengths, patterns) while altering the actual data values. This allows applications to process masked data without format validation errors, thus maintaining productivity while ensuring security.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a masking layer as an intermediary between the data storage layer and application layer. This intermediary transforms sensitive data into format-preserving masked data, allowing applications to operate normally on masked data while the actual sensitive data remains protected in the database.
2Shape
If format-preserving encryption is used, then data format is maintained, but handling of complex data types with syntactic rules becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments complex data types into their constituent parts (e.g., separating the numeric and alphabetic portions of a license plate). Each segment is masked independently using format-preserving encryption, making it easier to handle complex syntactic rules while maintaining the overall data format structure.
3Productivity
If encryption is avoided, then processing speed is improved, but data security may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses lightweight format-preserving encryption algorithms that provide security without the overhead of traditional encryption/decryption operations. The masking transformation is designed to be computationally inexpensive, enabling fast processing while maintaining security, effectively creating a 'disposable' masking layer that doesn't require heavy cryptographic processing.
Data Source
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AI summary
An apparatus, computer-readable medium and computer-implemented method for masking data, including applying an irreversible function to a first data element to generate a derivative data element, the first data element being of a first data type and the derivative data element being of a second data type different than the first data type, selecting at least a portion of the derivative data element to serve as a template, generating a masked data element as the result of converting the template from the second data type to the first data type.