Middleware for IT Application Migration to Blockchain
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing IT applications in centralized systems are not directly compatible with blockchain technologies due to differences in interfaces, authorization systems, IT security, deletion options, and memory release, making it difficult to extend them to fulfill blockchain goals without significant changes.
Innovation Solution
Integration of a middleware program into the operating system and database systems for cryptographic encryption and decryption of data, maintaining existing central IT systems while creating a management blockchain for authorization and access control, ensuring data security and compliance with GDPR by making data unreadable upon key deletion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If existing IT applications are extended to blockchain technology, then data security and traceability are improved, but device complexity and difficulty of implementation increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a middleware component that acts as an intermediary between existing IT applications and the blockchain system. This middleware handles the complex tasks of cryptographic encryption, data formatting, and blockchain interaction, allowing existing applications to be extended to blockchain with minimal changes while maintaining data security and traceability without requiring applications to directly implement complex blockchain protocols
2Reliability
If cryptographic encryption is implemented for all data, then data security and GDPR compliance are improved, but processing speed and productivity decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments data into different types and applies encryption selectively. Critical personal data and sensitive information are encrypted with strong cryptographic methods to ensure GDPR compliance, while non-sensitive data may use lighter encryption or hashing. This segmentation allows the system to maintain high security standards for protected data while preserving processing speed for less sensitive operations
3Ease of operation
If centralized authorization systems are retained, then ease of operation is improved, but adaptability to decentralized blockchain architecture decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The middleware serves as a translation layer between centralized authorization systems and the decentralized blockchain architecture. It converts centralized authorization decisions into blockchain-compatible formats, allowing existing authorization systems to continue operating as before while enabling seamless interaction with the decentralized blockchain network, thus maintaining ease of operation while achieving blockchain adaptability
4Reliability
If data is permanently chained in blockchain, then traceability and non-repudiation are improved, but ability to delete data for GDPR compliance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts personally identifiable information (PII) and sensitive data from the permanently chained blockchain data structure. Instead of storing raw personal data on the immutable blockchain, the system stores only necessary transactional data and uses cryptographic references. When data deletion is required for GDPR compliance, the extracted sensitive information can be removed or anonymized while maintaining the integrity of the blockchain chain through cryptographic hashing and reference mechanisms
Data Source
AI summary
So that a method of migrating an IT-application running on a central system to an IT-application (1) using blockchain technology or Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) that runs on several nodes (3), including all or certain data, so that the entire processing of the IT-application (1) takes place in the nodes (3) including all relevant data, and for a secure traceability of the processing the data required for this are concatenated by a concatenation (11) and the nodes (3) exchange the required data via a network (13), can be carried out as simply and largely automatically as possible, it is provided in accordance with the invention that a program is integrated in the operating-system (4) and/or before and/or in and/or after database-system(s) (5) and/or IT-applications (1) as middleware (6), so that the IT-application (1) is not application (1) does not have to be modified or only slightly modified, and that, in accordance with the authorizations and thus the relevant read protection, the data blocks (7) or parts thereof are cryptographically encrypted (9) before writing and the data blocks (7) or parts thereof are cryptographically decrypted (10) after reading.