Patent ID: 8190915

Claim:
A method comprising: selecting a suspect row in a database table to check for tampering; determining, by a computer, that the suspect row has not been tampered with, which involves: generating a suspect row hash for the suspect row; and comparing the suspect row hash with a stored row hash for the suspect row; determining a suspect block for the suspect row, wherein the suspect block includes a group of rows in the database table, and wherein the group of rows includes the suspect row; generating a first block hash for the suspect block by performing a hash function on both the individual row hashes of the group of rows and a signature for a previous block hash, wherein the previous block hash includes a block hash for a group of rows that precedes the suspect block in the database table; and comparing the first block hash to a corresponding stored block hash for the suspect block; and in response to determining that the first block hash does not match the stored block hash for the suspect block, determining whether a row other than the suspect row in the suspect block has been tampered with.