Sensitive Data Interceptors for Secure Transaction Processing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Intermediaries in transaction processing ecosystems have access to sensitive data, risking breaches and violating regulatory data security and privacy requirements, while needing to provide value-added services without storing or seeing this data.
Innovation Solution
A system using interceptors to decrypt, strip, and encrypt sensitive data, storing it temporarily in In-Memory Cache, and ensuring it's not accessible during processing, with Hardware Security Module encryption and decryption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If intermediaries process transaction data directly, then processing efficiency is improved, but data security and privacy compliance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The transaction data is segmented into two distinct parts: sensitive data (e.g., account numbers, personal information) and non-sensitive data (e.g., transaction amount, timestamp). The sensitive data is extracted and encrypted separately, while the non-sensitive data undergoes normal processing. This segmentation allows intermediaries to process transactions efficiently without handling plaintext sensitive information, thus maintaining both productivity and data security compliance.
Solution Approach 2:
An encryption intermediary layer is introduced between the intermediary system and the sensitive data. This layer encrypts sensitive data before it enters the processing system and decrypts it only when absolutely necessary for validation. The intermediary acts as a mediator that enables processing while protecting sensitive information, resolving the contradiction between processing efficiency and security compliance.
2Productivity
If intermediaries store transaction data for processing, then processing capability is improved, but data exposure risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
Sensitive data is encrypted in advance before being stored in the intermediary system's database or cache. This preliminary encryption action ensures that even if the stored data is accessed or leaked, the sensitive information remains protected. The system maintains full processing capability by storing encrypted versions of sensitive data alongside non-sensitive transaction details, eliminating data exposure risk while preserving processing functionality.
3Measurement precision
If intermediaries access sensitive data for validation, then processing accuracy is improved, but security compliance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of accessing the original sensitive data for validation, the system creates and uses encrypted copies of the sensitive information. These encrypted copies contain all necessary validation information (such as encrypted account numbers that can still be matched and validated) while maintaining security. The validation process operates on these secure copies, achieving both validation accuracy and security compliance simultaneously.
Data Source
AI summary
A system, platform, program product, and/or method for protecting sensitive data including decrypting an incoming message comprising a base message and the sensitive electronic data; removing the sensitive electronic data from the incoming message to create a stripped message; encrypting the sensitive electronic data; storing the encrypted sensitive electronic data in In-Memory Cache; and permitting the stripped message to be further processed without the sensitive electronic data. The system, platform, program product and/or method in an embodiment further includes: retrieving from the In-Memory Cache the encrypted sensitive electronic data; decrypting the encrypted sensitive electronic data retrieved from the In-Memory Cache; and injecting the sensitive electronic data into the stripped message. In a further aspect the system, platform, program product and/or method further includes encrypting the outbound message with the sensitive electronic data and permitting the encrypted outbound message with the sensitive electronic data to reach an external computing system.