Secure Database Aggregation via Homomorphic Encryption and Bucketization

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing data encryption methods, such as AES and FHE, hinder efficient data aggregation in databases by preventing servers from performing computations on encrypted data, leading to increased bandwidth usage, processing resources, and security vulnerabilities like data leakage.

Innovation Solution

The system employs dynamic and grouping bucketization techniques, combined with additive homomorphic encryption and static shifting, to enable secure data aggregation on encrypted datasets without revealing group membership, reducing processing power consumption and preventing data leakage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If standard database encryption techniques (AES) are used to encrypt data before uploading to a shared server, then data security is improved, but the server is unable to perform grouping or data aggregation functionality on the encrypted data, leading to increased bandwidth usage and processing resources

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata securityVSAvoiddata aggregation capability
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent transforms the encryption approach by changing the mathematical parameters of the encryption scheme from standard AES to additive homomorphic encryption. This parameter change allows the encryption to maintain security while enabling specific computational operations (addition and scalar multiplication) to be performed on encrypted data, thereby resolving the contradiction between data security and data aggregation capability

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary encoding layer that maps data values to encrypted representations preserving additive relationships. This intermediary transformation layer enables the server to perform aggregation operations on encrypted data without decrypting it, effectively mediating between the security requirements of encryption and the computational requirements of data aggregation

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If data is encrypted using standard encryption techniques, then data security is improved, but bandwidth usage and transmission overhead increase due to inability to aggregate data on the server

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata securityVSAvoidbandwidth usage
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

By changing the encryption parameter from standard AES to additive homomorphic encryption, the system enables server-side aggregation of encrypted data. This reduces the amount of data that needs to be transmitted, as the server can process and aggregate encrypted records locally before returning results, thereby reducing bandwidth consumption while maintaining security

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent extracts the aggregation operation from the client side and moves it to the server side, performing computations on encrypted data before transmission. This extraction of the aggregation function to the server reduces the volume of data that must be transmitted over the network, reducing bandwidth usage while preserving data security through encryption

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Reliability

If data is encrypted using standard encryption techniques, then data security is improved, but processing resources required by individual devices increase due to need to individually aggregate received datasets

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata securityVSAvoidprocessing resources
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces an intermediary encoding scheme that enables the server to perform aggregation operations on encrypted data. This intermediary representation allows the server to compute aggregates of encrypted values without decryption, shifting the processing burden from individual client devices to the server and reducing client-side energy consumption while maintaining security

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The encrypted data structure is designed to enable self-service aggregation at the server level. The homomorphic properties of the encryption allow the server to autonomously perform aggregation operations on encrypted data without requiring client intervention or additional client processing resources, thereby reducing the energy burden on individual devices

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

4Reliability

If data is encrypted to protect confidentiality, then data security is improved, but the ability to perform computations on the data is lost

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata confidentialityVSAvoidcomputational capability
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the cryptographic parameters from standard symmetric encryption to additive homomorphic encryption. This parameter change fundamentally alters the mathematical properties of the encryption to preserve additive relationships, enabling computations on encrypted data while maintaining confidentiality. The encryption scheme is specifically parameterized to allow aggregation operations without decryption

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces dynamic encoding and bucketization techniques that adapt the encryption representation based on the data distribution and query requirements. This dynamic approach maintains data confidentiality while enabling flexible computational operations on encrypted data, resolving the contradiction between security and computational capability by making the encryption system adaptable to different operational needs

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentUS10839087B2Secure data aggregation in databases using dynamic bucketization and grouping bucketization
Publication Date: 2020.11.17 SAP SE
  • US10839087B2 patent drawing
  • US10839087B2 patent drawing
  • US10839087B2 patent drawing

AI summary

Disclosed herein are system, method, and computer program product embodiments for secure data aggregation in databases. An embodiment operates by identifying a value column and a group column of a plurality of columns of a dataset. Two distinct group values of the group column are identified. A first group value is replaced with a first substitute value, and a second group value is replaced with a second substitute value. A value of the value column of each of the plurality of records and the substitute values are encrypted. The plurality of encrypted records are uploaded to a server.