Shared Namespace Manager for Secure Database Memory Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
In computing environments, especially database systems, existing memory management techniques fail to securely share data among cooperating processes without compromising privacy, particularly in multi-tenant databases where data isolation is crucial.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a Shared Namespace Manager (SNM) that creates and manages memory namespaces accessible only to authorized cooperating processes, using handles and namespace descriptors to control access rights and encryption/decryption of data, ensuring private data sharing without the overhead of message passing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If operating system supported shared memory is used to allow multiple processes to share data, then data sharing capability is improved, but data privacy and security are compromised because any process can access all shared memory segments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides shared memory into isolated namespaces, where each namespace contains data accessible only to specific processes. This segmentation allows data sharing within authorized groups while preventing unauthorized access, resolving the contradiction between sharing capability and privacy protection.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a Shared Namespace Manager as an intermediary component that controls access to memory namespaces. This mediator enforces access policies, allowing processes to share data only with authorized processes, thus maintaining both sharing capability and data privacy.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If process private memory is used to ensure data isolation and security, then data privacy is improved, but data sharing capability deteriorates because data cannot be accessed by other processes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates shared namespaces that are segmented from private process memory but provide controlled sharing capabilities. Processes can allocate memory in shared namespaces and grant access to specific processes, achieving both privacy and sharing needs simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic access control where processes can add or remove other processes from their shared namespaces at runtime. This dynamic capability allows data to remain private by default while enabling selective sharing when needed, resolving the static contradiction between isolation and sharing.
3Ease of operation
If global shared memory is used to allow any process to access data, then accessibility is improved, but security control deteriorates because unauthorized processes can access sensitive data
Solution Approach 1:
The Shared Namespace Manager acts as an intermediary that provides ease of access to authorized processes while maintaining security control. It manages namespace creation, process addition/removal, and access enforcement, making secure sharing as easy as traditional shared memory while preventing unauthorized access.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different access control qualities to different memory namespaces. Each namespace can have its own access policies tailored to specific processes or process groups, allowing high accessibility for public data while maintaining strict security for sensitive data, thus resolving the contradiction between ease of access and security control.
Data Source
AI summary
Many computer applications comprise multiple threads of executions. Some client application requests are fulfilled by multiple cooperating processes. Techniques are disclosed for creating and managing memory namespaces that may be shared among a group of cooperating processes in which the memory namespaces are not accessible to processes outside of the group. The processes sharing the memory each have a handle that references the namespace. A process having the handle may invite another process to share the memory by providing the handle. A process sharing the private memory may change the private memory or the processes sharing the private memory according to a set of access rights assigned to the process. The private shared memory may be further protected from non-sharing processes by tagging memory segments allocated to the shared memory with protection key and/or an encryption key used to encrypt/decrypt data stored in the memory segments.