Message Data Segmentation for Secure Database Storage

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Solution Overview

Problem

Organizations face challenges in handling and protecting confidential information received through online forms and messages, as they often unintentionally leak protected data, leading to compliance issues and significant fines under regulations like GDPR, especially when such information is not requested but included in user submissions.

Innovation Solution

A computer system parses messages to identify key-value pairs containing confidential information, replaces these values with plaintext tags, and stores the redacted message in a plaintext database while storing the key-value pairs in a secure database, ensuring secure handling and compliance with data protection regulations.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If confidential information is stored in plaintext databases for easy access, then ease of operation is improved, but data security deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveease of access to message dataVSAvoiddata security

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments confidential information from general message data by extracting key-value pairs containing sensitive data (e.g., phone numbers, email addresses) and storing them separately in encrypted form in a secure database, while storing only redacted messages in the plaintext database. This segmentation allows general message access to remain easy while protecting sensitive information through separate secure storage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Reliability

If all message data is stored securely with encryption, then data security is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata securityVSAvoidease of access to message data

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts confidential information from messages using pattern recognition to identify key-value pairs containing sensitive data. These extracted elements are removed from the message body and stored separately in encrypted form, while the remaining redacted message is stored in plaintext. This extraction allows secure handling of sensitive data while maintaining easy access to non-sensitive message content.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Loss of information

If confidential information is retained in accessible formats, then information utility is improved, but risk of data leakage increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinformation utilityVSAvoidrisk of data leakage

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies different quality characteristics to different parts of the message data. Confidential information is stored in encrypted form with restricted access in a secure database, while non-confidential message content is stored in plaintext for easy access. This local differentiation of data quality ensures that sensitive information receives enhanced protection while maintaining utility of non-sensitive information.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUS20240111896A1Splitting and reconstructing data between secure and nonsecure databases

Publication Date: 2024.04.04 INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINE CORPORATION

AI summary

A method, an apparatus, a system, and a computer program product for processing messages. A computer system parses a message to identify key value pairs for confidential information in the message. The computer system creates a redacted message in which values in the key value pairs identified for the confidential information are replaced with plaintext tags. The computer system stores the key value pairs in a secure database. The computer system stores the redacted message in a plaintext database.