Patent ID: 7571490
Filing Date: 2009-08-04
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A method for protecting data from unauthorized modification in a table, wherein the table contains at least three rows, and wherein each row contains at least three columns, the method comprising: choosing in a row one or more columns to be protected; producing an irreversible one-way hash value for the row based on the data stored in the chosen columns; communicating the one-way hash value to an auditor process; receiving an encrypted one-way hash value, which is encrypted with an auditor key, from the auditor process; and storing the encrypted one-way hash value in a column which is not directly visible to a user or a database administrator, whereby a later-produced encrypted value generated from the values in the protected columns can be compared against the previously stored encrypted one-way hash value to verify the integrity of the data stored in the protected columns.