Key Map Search for Encrypted Files
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing file search systems face challenges in maintaining document security while allowing users to search for files containing specific keywords or phrases, especially when multiple users access encrypted documents across different devices, as storing plaintext terms could compromise security and managing authentication and encryption keys becomes cumbersome.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that associate each file with a key map containing bit values indicating the presence of key terms, allowing for secure searching by comparing search maps with key maps without exposing file information, using bit operations to determine matching files and employing obfuscation and inverted index tables to enhance security and efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If plaintext key terms are stored on the server to enable searching, then search functionality is improved, but document security is compromised due to potential information leakage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential searchability information (presence/absence of key terms) from the encrypted documents and stores this minimal data structure (bitmap) on the server. The full plaintext content remains encrypted and is not stored on the server, thus enabling search functionality while minimizing information exposure to the server and preventing leakage of actual document content.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism (bitmap/index structure) that mediates between the encrypted document content and the search function. This intermediary contains only binary indicators of term presence without exposing the actual terms or document content, allowing the server to perform searches on encrypted documents without accessing or leaking sensitive information.
2Reliability
If authentication and encryption keys are managed for multiple users and devices, then document security is maintained, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal key management approach where a single encryption key is used across multiple devices and users for accessing shared documents. This eliminates the need to manage separate keys for each user-device combination, reducing key management complexity while maintaining security through the use of encryption and the intermediary bitmap structure that works uniformly across all access points.
3Reliability
If encrypted documents are stored on shared servers, then document security is improved, but search capability is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the document information into two distinct parts: the encrypted content (stored securely on the server) and the searchable bitmap index (also stored on the server). This segmentation allows the encrypted documents to remain secure while the separate bitmap structure enables efficient search operations without requiring decryption of the actual document content.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts only the essential searchability information (presence/absence of key terms) from the encrypted documents and stores this minimal data structure (bitmap) on the server. The full plaintext content remains encrypted and is not stored on the server, thus enabling search functionality while minimizing information exposure to the server and preventing leakage of actual document content.
Data Source
AI summary
Approaches for searching for key terms in a plurality of files include associating a respective key map with each file of the plurality of files in memory of a server. Each key map includes a plurality of bit values and each bit value indicates for a key term whether or not the key term is present in the associated file. The server inputs a search map, and the search map includes a plurality of bit values. Each bit value in the search map indicates for a key term whether or not the key term is a key term to search. The server determines for each key map, whether or not the key map satisfies the search map. Data indicating each file of the plurality of files having an associated key map that satisfies the search map is output by the server.