Permission-Based Data Masking for Secure Database Querying
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current database management systems face challenges in maintaining confidentiality and facilitating data sharing and processing of medical information due to stringent privacy regulations like HIPAA, which hinder easy access and analysis of medical, dental, and psychological data across institutions, and limit the ability to develop and test software with realistic datasets.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of data sundering methods, where data is split into separate records with modified record keys and stored with altered IDs, allowing for obfuscation without encryption, enabling secure and efficient data retrieval and operations while maintaining privacy, using a combination of user and private keys for secure access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If data is encrypted to protect confidentiality, then data security is improved, but search operations become resource intensive and slow
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the data storage structure by separating the searchable index from the encrypted data fields. The index contains encrypted primary key values that can be efficiently searched, while the actual sensitive data remains encrypted in the data fields. This segmentation allows search operations to work with the smaller index structure rather than decrypting and searching through all data fields.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary index structure that mediates between search operations and encrypted data. The index contains encrypted primary key values that serve as intermediaries, allowing the system to perform searches without decrypting the actual data fields. This intermediary layer enables efficient search operations while maintaining data encryption.
2Reliability
If personal identifiable information is protected through HIPAA restrictions, then patient privacy is improved, but data sharing and analysis between institutions are hindered
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a copy of the data structure with encrypted primary key values in the index, which can be shared and searched without exposing the actual personal identifiable information. This copying approach allows institutions to share data structures and perform searches across institutions while maintaining privacy protections, as the shared index contains only encrypted key values rather than actual PII.
3Reliability
If test databases are created without realistic data variations, then data privacy is improved, but software testing and error detection are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables the creation of test databases that are copies of production database structures with encrypted primary key values. These test databases can include realistic data variations and permutations for thorough software testing, while the encryption of primary keys ensures that no actual personal identifiable information is exposed. This copying approach allows comprehensive testing with realistic data patterns while maintaining privacy.
Data Source
AI summary
An improvement to a database management system including creating a record key for the data, storing the data with an altered record ID obfuscates the data without an encryption step. In some embodiments hashing includes adding or subtracting a predetermined number from the record key. The record key may be created by combining a user key and a private key. Data querying operations may include extensions that allow for field specific operations to sunder and thereby obscure personally identifiable information. To retrieve data, the method provides for receiving a record request including parameters that conditionally determine if personally identifiable information should be returned as the proper data. The parameters may be user credential information wherein masked or unmasked personal identifiable information is provided based on the user's credentials. These methods may be incorporated into database operations providing a secure database without the resource overhead of encryption.