Secure Path Traversal via Component Hashing and Dictionary Indexing

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current solutions for protecting path components from exposure to malicious actors, such as hashing or obfuscating the entire path, prevent analysis of telemetry data, making it difficult for manufacturers to determine usage patterns and file access statistics.

Innovation Solution

A computing device hashes each component of a path using a hash function and a salt, replacing the components with indices from a dictionary, allowing for secure traversal and analysis of directory structures without exposing personally identifiable information.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the entire path is hashed or obfuscated, then security of path components is improved, but the ability to analyze telemetry data deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesecurity of path componentsVSAvoidtelemetry data analyzability

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The path is segmented into individual components (directory names, file names), and each component is hashed separately rather than hashing the entire path. This allows the system to maintain security while preserving the ability to analyze patterns across multiple paths by comparing hashed components.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of storing or transmitting the actual path components, the patent uses hashed copies of each component. These hashed copies maintain the structural relationships needed for analysis while preventing exposure of sensitive information.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

2Loss of information

If path components are hashed individually, then telemetry data analysis capability is maintained, but the complexity of the system increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetelemetry data analyzabilityVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent pre-hashes path components and stores them in a dictionary before telemetry analysis. This preliminary action allows the system to efficiently compare and analyze paths without performing complex hashing operations during the analysis phase, reducing overall system complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces a dictionary as an intermediary structure that maps hashed path components to their original forms. This intermediary enables efficient analysis by allowing the system to work with simplified hashed representations while maintaining the ability to retrieve original path information when needed.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS11907379B2Creating a secure searchable path by hashing each component of the path

Publication Date: 2024.02.20 DELL PROD LP

AI summary

In some examples, a computing device creates an event log when an event occurs. If the event log includes a path comprising one or more components, the computing device may determine a hash, using a hash function and a salt, for each of the components and substitute each component in the path with an index to the hash stored in a dictionary. In this way, the computing device replaces each component of the path with an index to a hash in the dictionary to create a modified path. The resulting modified path can be traversed and searched. For example, a search term may be hashed using the hash function and salt, and the dictionary associated with the logs searched for a match. In this way, a particular file name or a particular folder name can be identified in the modified path.