Obfuscated Data Processing for Secure Fuzzy Matching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing encryption techniques secure data but render it unusable for processing techniques like fuzzy logic, as they fail to recognize relationships between encrypted data strings, leading to vulnerabilities when processing sensitive information.
Innovation Solution
Obfuscating sensitive information using a common obfuscation key to generate obfuscated data that can be processed without revealing the underlying information, allowing for matching and processing operations like fuzzy matching logic to be applied on the obfuscated data.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If existing encryption techniques are used to secure data, then security is improved, but the data becomes unusable for processing techniques like fuzzy logic
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the data protection approach into two distinct layers: encryption for security-critical operations and obfuscation for processing operations. This allows different transformation techniques to be applied based on the operational context, enabling both secure storage and processable data states without requiring the entire system to use one approach exclusively.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces obfuscated data as an intermediary form between encrypted data and plain text. This intermediate state maintains security properties while preserving structural relationships necessary for processing techniques like fuzzy logic, acting as a mediator that satisfies both security requirements and processing needs.
2Ease of operation
If data is stored in unencrypted form to enable processing, then processability is improved, but security is worsened due to vulnerability to internal and external threats
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the transformation parameter from full encryption to obfuscation when processing is required. This parameter change maintains the security property of preventing unauthorized access while altering the data structure sufficiently to allow processing operations. The system dynamically adjusts the transformation level based on operational context.
3Reliability
If encryption is applied to sensitive information, then unauthorized access is reduced, but processing techniques cannot recognize relationships between data strings
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by preserving specific structural properties of the data locally within the obfuscated form while transforming the overall content. This allows processing techniques to recognize relationships at the structural level without requiring access to the semantic meaning of the original data, maintaining both security and relationship recognition capability.
4Ease of operation
If obfuscation is used instead of encryption, then processing operations can be performed, but the level of security protection may be reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a dynamic data protection system that switches between encryption and obfuscation modes based on operational context. Data is encrypted at rest for maximum security, then obfuscated when processing is required, and decrypted only when absolutely necessary. This dynamic approach optimizes both security and processability at different stages of the data lifecycle.
Data Source
AI summary
In some aspects, a computing system can receive a request for a processing operation that involves a query. The computing system can extract a query parameter indicating an entity or information type. The computing system can parse, using the query parameter, an obfuscated dataset that is generated by electronically transforming (i) first sensitive information into first obfuscated data using an obfuscation key and (ii) second sensitive information into second obfuscated data using the obfuscation key. The sensitive information is unreadable in the obfuscated data. The computing system can match the query parameter to the first obfuscated data and the second obfuscated data based on a relationship between the first obfuscated data and the second obfuscated data. The relationship is independent of a meaning of the first and second sensitive information. The computing system can performing the processing operation using the first and second obfuscated data.