Telemetry Deobfuscation via Mapping Database

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Solution Overview

Problem

In virtualized computing environments, analyzing telemetry data from web clients is hindered by obfuscated strings, which prevent analytics agents from identifying user interactions effectively, as they cannot deobfuscate sensitive information without compromising user privacy.

Innovation Solution

A telemetry agent collects raw data, and a mapping program creates a database associating obfuscated strings with their deobfuscated counterparts from properties files, allowing analytics agents to translate and analyze the data while maintaining user-sensitive information obfuscated.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If obfuscated strings are used in telemetry data to protect user privacy, then user-sensitive information is protected, but analytics agents cannot effectively identify and analyze user interactions

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuser privacy protectionVSAvoiduser interaction identification

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a mapping database as an intermediary between obfuscated strings and their original meanings. The database stores mappings between obfuscated string identifiers and original string values, allowing analytics agents to translate obfuscated data back to meaningful information without exposing sensitive user data in the telemetry stream itself. This resolves the contradiction by enabling analysis while maintaining privacy through the intermediary mapping mechanism.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent performs preliminary action by pre-computing and storing the mapping between obfuscated and original strings in a database before analytics processing. Instead of deobfuscating data in real-time during analysis, the mapping relationships are established in advance, allowing fast translation during analytics while avoiding the need to store or transmit plain-text sensitive data. This enables effective analysis without compromising privacy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Loss of information

If all strings are deobfuscated for analysis, then complete user interaction information is available, but user-sensitive information is exposed

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuser interaction analysis completenessVSAvoiduser-sensitive information exposure

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by differentiating between sensitive and non-sensitive strings and applying different processing strategies to each. Non-sensitive strings are deobfuscated for complete analysis, while sensitive strings remain obfuscated or are selectively deobfuscated based on their sensitivity classification. This allows the system to achieve complete analysis where needed while maintaining privacy protection where required, resolving the contradiction through localized quality differentiation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the state parameter of strings based on their sensitivity classification. Sensitive strings maintain their obfuscated state (parameter change prevented), while non-sensitive strings are transformed to their original form (parameter change applied). This selective parameter change enables the system to achieve complete analysis for non-sensitive data while preserving privacy for sensitive data, resolving the contradiction through conditional parameter transformation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Loss of information

If a mapping database is created to store obfuscated string mappings, then deobfuscation is enabled for analysis, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestring deobfuscation capabilityVSAvoidmapping database management

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of informationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements self-service by having the mapping database automatically generated and maintained through programmatic processes. The system automatically creates the mapping database from source code strings, automatically updates it when new strings are introduced, and automatically manages the mapping relationships without requiring manual intervention. This automation reduces the operational complexity of managing the mapping database while enabling comprehensive deobfuscation capability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS10621179B2Method for deobfuscation of customer clickstream telemetry data

Publication Date: 2020.04.14 VMWARE INC

AI summary

One or more embodiments provide techniques for analyzing telemetry data. A telemetry agent collects streams of raw telemetry data from the web client. The telemetry data includes obfuscated strings. For each obfuscated string, a mapping program references a database associating the obfuscated string to attributes of a properties file of the web client. The attributes include at least the deobfuscated string corresponding to the obfuscated string. An analytics agent translates the streams of raw telemetry data to streams of modified telemetry data. The streams of modified telemetry data include deobfuscated string from the attributes corresponding to the properties file. The analytics agent analyzes the streams of modified telemetry data.