Apparatus and method for continuous data protection in a distributed computing network

• US 20080082837A1
• Filed: 09/27/2007
• Published: 04/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Protegrity USA, Inc. (Xcelera Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Protegrity USA, Inc. (Xcelera Inc.)
• Inventors: Mattsson, Ulf
• Application Number:
  US11/904,684
• Publication Number:
  US 20080082837A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/193
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/1408 by using cryptography for digital transmission H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/602 Providing cryptographic facilities or services
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6209 to a single file or object, e.g. in a secure envelope, encrypted and accessed using a key, or with access control rules appended to the object itself
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6227 where protection concerns the structure of data, e.g. records, types, queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0464 using hop-by-hop encryption, i.e. wherein an intermediate entity decrypts the information and re-encrypts it before forwarding it
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0637 Modes of operation, e.g. cipher block chaining [CBC], electronic codebook [ECB] or Galois/counter mode [GCM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3236 using cryptographic hash functions

Abstract

A system for secure data storage and transmission is provided. The system comprises a first security module for protecting data in a first data at rest system and a second security moducle for protecting data in a second data at rest system. At least one encryption parameter for the second data at rest system differs from at least one encryption parameter for the first data at rest system so that a datum is reencrypted when the datum is transferred from the first data at rest system to the second data at rest system.

Claims

1. A system for secure data storage and transmission comprising:

a first security module for protecting data in a first data at rest system, at least a subset of data stored in the first data at rest system being encrypted, the first security module associated with a first key domain defining encryption parameters for the first data at rest system; and

a second security module for protecting data in a second data at rest system, at least a subset of data stored in the second data at rest system being encrypted, the second security module associated with a second key domain defining encryption parameters for the second data at rest system, at least one encryption parameter for the second data at rest system differing from at least one encryption parameter for the first data at rest system so that a datum is reencrypted when the datum is transferred from the first data at rest system to the second data at rest system.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein encryption parameters comprise encryption keys or encryption algorithms.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the first security module encrypts data stored on the first data at rest system.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the second security module encrypts data stored on the second data at rest system.

5. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a security management module, wherein the security management module promulgates a security policy.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the security management module is communicatively coupled with the first security module and the second security module.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the security management module stores an audit log.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein encryption parameters in the first key domain may be altered independently of encryption parameters in the second key domain.

9. A selective data access system comprising:

a first data field encrypted with a first encryption key; and

a second data field encrypted with a second encryption key, wherein a first user has access to the first encryption key and a second user has access to a second encryption key.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein a third user has access to both the first and the second encryption keys.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the first data field and the second data field reside in the same database.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the first data field and the second data field reside in the same table.

13. A method of data transfer comprising:

storing data and encryption status information for the data in a first data at rest system;

examining the encryption status information when transferring the data from the first data at rest system to a second data at rest system; and

reencrypting the data if the first data at rest system and the second data at rest system are associated with different key domains.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the key domains define encryption parameters.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein encryption parameters comprise encryption keys or encryption algorithms.

16. A method for providing partial access to data comprising:

generating a report for a third party, wherein the report includes obfuscated sensitive information;

allowing the third party to examine the report; and

providing access to unobfuscated sensitive information if the third party identifies information of interest.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the obfuscated sensitive information is pronouncable.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein generating a report comprises obtaining obfuscated data from a substitution cipher.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the obfuscated sensitive data is of the same data category as the unobfuscated sensitive data.

20. A method as recited in claim 16, wherein the report includes obfuscated sensitive data selected from the group consisting of names, social security numbers, indications of treatment, telephone numbers and combinations thereof.

21. A method of secure data transport comprising:

encrypting a datum;

storing the datum in a first data at rest system; and

transferring the datum to a second data at rest system, wherein the datum remains encrypted during transfer and storage.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the first data at rest system is associated with a first domain and the second data at rest system is associated with a second domain.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the datum is encrypted in accordance with the second domain before transfer.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the datum is encrypted in accordance with the second domain after transfer.