Oracle International Corporation

Chon Hei Lei

Daniel ManHung Wong

Thomas F Keefe

Min-Hank Ho

Douglas James McMahon

Vikram Reddy Pesati

Paul Youn

Eric Sedlar

Vipin Samar

Janaki Narasinghanallur

Nipun Agarwal

Sam Idicula

Vikram Kapoor

Thomas Baby

Patrick F Sack

Chi Ching Chui

Mohammed Irfan Rafiq

Nina Lewis

Rama Vissapragada

Ji-Won Byun

Mingkang Xu

Ahmed Alomari

Jesper Andersen

Christine Pae Guthrie

MinHank Ho

Kristy Browder Edwards

Daniel Man-Hung Wong

One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that secures a database configuration from undesired modifications. This system allows a security officer to issue a configuration-locking command, which activates a lock for the configuration of a database object. When a configuration lock is activated for a database object, the system prevents a user (e.g., a database administrator) from modifying the configuration of the database object, without restricting the user from accessing the database object itself. The security officer is a trusted user that is responsible for maintaining the stability of the database configuration, such that a configuration lock activated by the security officer preserves the database configuration by overriding the privileges assigned to a database administrator.

Method and apparatus for securing a database configuration

One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that facilitates encryption of data within a column of a database. The system operates by first receiving a command to perform a database operation. Next, the system parses the command to create a parse tree. The system then examines the parse tree to determine if a column referenced in the parse tree is an encrypted column. If a column referenced in the parse tree is an encrypted column, the system automatically transforms the command to include one or more cryptographic commands to facilitate accessing the encrypted column while performing the database operation.

Method and apparatus for encrypting database columns

A method and apparatus for preserving optimization hints in a transformed query is provided. In one embodiment, the methodology is implemented by query optimization logic. Upon receiving a first query to access values in a column of a table protected by an access control policy, the query optimization logic creates a second query that is equivalent to the first query as subject to the access control policy. Furthermore, the second query contains a new predicate that conjunctively joins a clone of a first expression in a predicate of the first query with a second expression that is derived, based on the access control policy, from the first expression. In one embodiment, the query optimization logic submits the second query for execution.

Query optimization on VPD protected columns

A method and apparatus are described for sharing a session to access a database. A database server receives, in a session, a session context identifier and a command. The session context identifier identifies a session context to use for the session. The session context is a set of information or commands that plug into a session state and specify how commands in the session are to be performed for a particular user or privilege level. In response to receiving the identifier, the database server associates the session context with the database session for the connection. The database server uses the session context to process the command. The session context may then be detached from the session, allowing another user to attach to the session via another session context.

Pluggable session context

One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that implements a security policy in a database. During operation, the system receives a request associated with a set of objects in the database. Next, the system obtains a set of access control lists (ACLs) associated with the database, wherein a respective ACL specifies one or more access privileges associated with a user or user group, and wherein a respective ACLs is not specific to a particular object in the database. The system then evaluates the ACLs to obtain a set of ACL results associated with the request and processes the request by applying the set of ACL results to the objects without evaluating the ACLs repeatedly for each of the objects.

Method and system for optimizing row level security in database systems

One embodiment of the present invention provides a system for managing keys. During operation, the system authenticates a client at a key manager. Next, the system receives a token from the client at the key manager, wherein the token is associated with a customer key, and includes a token authenticator. This token authenticator comprises one-half of an authenticator pair which is used to determine if the client is the owner of the customer key. Next, the system decrypts the token using a master key. The system then verifies a client authenticator, which comprises the other half of the authenticator pair which is used to determine if the client is the owner of the customer key. If the client is the owner of the customer key, the system sends the customer key to the client, which enables the client to encrypt/decrypt data. Finally, the client deletes the customer key.

Method and apparatus for managing cryptographic keys

Described herein is an approach that may be used to control access to information requested by a query, where access is granted or denied to all the information requested based on factors that relate to information requested as a whole rather than on individual-by-individual row basis. Also described is a mechanism in which a database server dynamically creates and computes another query in response to receiving a query, and then uses the computed results to determine whether access to the data requested by the received query may be granted.

Enforcing data privacy aggregations

One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that decrypts an encrypted column in a row. During operation, the system receives the encrypted column in the row. The system then determines a security domain associated with the encrypted column in the row, wherein the security domain represents a set of columns in rows encrypted using the same key. Next, the system determines a key associated with the security domain. The system then decrypts the encrypted column in the row using the key. Note that using a security domain to represent a set of columns in rows enables the database to grant access to data within the database at arbitrary levels of granularity.

Method and apparatus for encrypting and decrypting data in a database table

One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that authorizes a sensitive database operation. During operation, the system receives a request to perform a sensitive database operation. Note that, a sensitive database operation is an operation which, in the hands of a malicious user, poses a serious security threat. Next, the system determines a multiparty authorization requirement for the sensitive database operation, wherein the multiparty authorization requirement specifies a set of approvals required for authorizing the sensitive database operation. The system then sends approval requests to one or more approving parties based on the multiparty authorization requirement. Next, the system receives approvals for authorizing the sensitive database operation. The system then determines whether the approvals satisfy the multiparty authorization requirement. Next, if the approvals satisfy the multiparty authorization requirement, the system authorizes the sensitive database operation, thereby allowing the database to perform the sensitive database operation.

Method and apparatus for authorizing a database operation

One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that can expire encrypted-data. During operation, the system receives an expiry-request that includes object-identifying information, which can be used to identify a set of database objects that contain the encrypted-data, wherein a database object can be a table, a partition, a row, or a column in a row. Furthermore, a database object can have an expiration time, and it can be stored in an archive, which is typically used to store large amounts of data for long periods using a slower, but cheaper storage medium than the storage medium used by the database. The system then identifies a set of keys for the encrypted-data using the object-identifying information. Next, the system deletes the set of keys, thereby expiring the encrypted-data. Note that, deleting the set of keys ensures that the secure key repository does not contain any stale keys associated with expired encrypted-data.

Method and apparatus for expiring encrypted data

One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that facilitates using an external security device to secure data in a database without having to modify database applications. The system operates by receiving a request at the database to perform an encryption/decryption operation, wherein the encryption/decryption operation is performed with the assistance of the external security module in a manner that is transparent to database applications. In response to the request, the system passes a wrapped (encrypted) column key (a key used to encrypt data within the database) to an external security module, wherein the wrapped column key is a column key encrypted with a master key that exists only within the external security module. The system then unwraps (decrypts) the wrapped column key in the external security module to retrieve the column key. Next, the system returns the column key to the database. The system then performs an encryption/decryption operation on data in the database using the column key. Finally, the system erases the column key from memory in the database.

Method and apparatus for using an external security device to secure data in a database

Methods for enabling database privileges are provided. The methods eliminate strict dependency on tradition password, or 'secret' based security systems. Instead, database privileges are enabled based on verifying information stored in one or more frames of a call stack corresponds to trusted security logic. In another embodiment, database privileges are enabled based on policies identified in the trusted security logic. The methods and techniques described herein provide a flexible and extensible mechanisms for verifying that trusted security logic has been executed prior to enabling database privileges.

Method and apparatus for enabling database privileges

An improved method and system for centrally managing and accessing attribute information in a distributed computing system is disclosed. Applications set up application specific user attributes in a directory. When an application user connects to a server, the server automatically accesses the directory to identify the relevant user attributes for that application. These user attributes are retrieved and stored in the session context. Standard LDAP attributes can also be retrieved from the directory and stored in the session context.

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Alameda, CA, United States of America

Chon Hei Lei