Local Search Indexing for Data Center Content Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing network systems fail to effectively restrict the exposure of sensitive content and vulnerabilities within a data center, as search engines can retrieve and expose confidential data and vulnerability fingerprints, even after they have been deleted or restricted, due to web crawlers and search engines caching this information.
Innovation Solution
A system that includes a local indexing component to crawl and index content within a data center, a manager component to receive search specifications and identify targeted content, and a firewall that restricts access to sensitive or vulnerable information, using pre-indexing mechanisms to prevent external exposure of sensitive content and fingerprints of vulnerabilities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If web crawlers and search engines cache content for retrieval, then content availability is improved, but sensitive data exposure risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary indexing of all content within the data center before external search requests arrive. This pre-indexing creates a local search capability that allows the firewall to quickly identify and block requests for sensitive content, preventing exposure before it can occur. The local index is built in advance using crawlers that traverse the internal network structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a local search engine and firewall system as an intermediary layer between external search engines and the data center content. This intermediary performs local searching and filtering, allowing legitimate content to be accessed while blocking requests for sensitive information. The intermediary maintains a local index and uses it to intercept and evaluate search requests before they can access protected content.
2Loss of information
If external search engines crawl data center content, then information discoverability is improved, but vulnerability exposure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary vulnerability scanning and fingerprinting of all data center content, building a local database of known vulnerability signatures. This pre-established knowledge base enables the firewall to quickly identify and block search requests that attempt to exploit known vulnerabilities, preventing exposure before it can occur.
Solution Approach 2:
The local search engine acts as an intermediary that filters search requests through vulnerability checks. Before allowing external search engines to access content, the system evaluates requests against the local vulnerability database, blocking any requests that match known vulnerability patterns while allowing legitimate searches to proceed.
3Reliability
If content is deleted or restricted after crawling, then data security is improved, but search engine cache still exposes the data
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements continuous monitoring and feedback loops that track content changes within the data center. When content is deleted or restricted, the local index is automatically updated to reflect these changes. The firewall receives real-time notifications of content modifications and adjusts its blocking rules accordingly, ensuring that cached or indexed sensitive content is immediately blocked from external access.
Solution Approach 2:
The firewall pre-establishes blocking rules for sensitive content based on the local index, preventing external access before search engines can retrieve the data. When content is restricted or deleted internally, the system proactively updates the blocking rules in advance, ensuring that even if external search engines have cached versions, the current restricted content cannot be accessed through the firewall.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for identifying sensitive content or indications of vulnerabilities is provided. A local search engine may index content at a data center. Specifications of sensitive data or fingerprints of vulnerabilities may be received from various internal or external sources. Targeted data may include vulnerable software, confidential content, dynamic or static web pages, or application data. Based on searches for targeted data, one or more components may be notified, enabling one or more security actions, including restricting publication of the targeted data.