Patent ID: 8397083

Claim:
A method for efficiently deleting a data container from a cryptainer configured to store a plurality of data containers served by a storage system having a processor, the method comprising: designating a region of storage space of the storage system as the cryptainer configured to store the plurality of data containers; storing, by a security appliance, a data container encryption key associated with each data container of the plurality of data containers within a metadata portion of each data container, wherein the data container includes the metadata portion and a data portion; encrypting, by the security appliance, the data portion of each data container with the associated data container encryption key stored within the metadata portion of each data container of the plurality of data containers; encrypting, by the security appliance, each data container encryption key stored within the metadata portion of each data container with a first secure storage key, stored in a lifetime key management server, associated with the cryptainer that stores the plurality of data containers; initiating deletion of a specified data container of the plurality of data containers stored on the cryptainer; deleting, by the security appliance, a first data container encryption key associated with the specified data container; re-keying, by the security appliance, each metadata portion of all other data containers stored in the cryptainer using a second secure storage key associated with the cryptainer; and deleting, by the security appliance and lifetime key management server, the first secure storage key to thereby delete the specified data container from the cryptainer.