Automated Sensitive Data Exposure Detection via Hash Matching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems lack efficient methods to detect exposed sensitive data, often requiring human intervention that can lead to delayed detection of data exposure, whether inadvertent or malicious.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising an external database, an internal database, an internal catalog, and a control circuit that performs a two-pronged approach to detect exposed sensitive data by searching for content matches and hash associations, generating notifications based on confidence scores.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If human actors manually monitor and report exposed sensitive data, then detection accuracy can be maintained through human judgment, but detection time increases significantly (weeks, months, or years)
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-service by automatically monitoring external databases and repositories for exposed sensitive data without requiring continuous human intervention. The control circuit autonomously executes searches, compares hashes, and generates notifications, enabling the system to detect exposures independently and rapidly.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical human monitoring process with an automated electronic system. The control circuit uses hash comparison and content search queries to substitute human judgment and manual review, achieving rapid automated detection while maintaining accuracy through cryptographic hash matching.
2Productivity
If automated systems are implemented to detect exposed data rapidly, then detection time is reduced to hours, but system complexity increases due to multiple databases and search mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The system is segmented into distinct functional components: an external database for storing sensitive data hashes, an internal database for monitoring, an internal catalog for organizing search candidates, and a control circuit for coordinating operations. This segmentation allows each component to specialize in a specific task, improving overall detection efficiency despite the increased number of elements.
Solution Approach 2:
The control circuit acts as an intermediary that coordinates between the external database, internal database, and search operations. It manages the flow of information by transmitting content search queries and hash search queries, and by processing results to determine whether sensitive data has been exposed, thereby simplifying the interaction between complex components.
3Reliability
If comprehensive searches are performed across external databases to ensure complete detection, then detection coverage is improved, but resource consumption increases due to multiple search queries and data processing
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary action by pre-computing and storing cryptographic hashes of sensitive data in the external database before deployment. This allows the monitoring system to quickly compare hashes during detection operations without performing full content analysis, significantly reducing computational resources required during actual detection while maintaining comprehensive coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameter of data representation by transforming sensitive data into hash values. This transformation enables efficient comparison and search operations, as hash matching is computationally much less intensive than full content comparison, thereby reducing energy consumption while maintaining detection reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
In some embodiments, apparatuses and methods are provided herein useful to determining if sensitive data has been exposed externally. In some embodiments, a system for determining if sensitive data has been exposed externally comprises an internal database including a plurality of internal repositories, and a control circuit configured to receive hash search results based on a hash search query to an external database, determine which repositories in the subject group of repositories includes an expression, generate a notification, and transmit the notification.