5 ms·
Disclaimer: I am far from a security expert. If your website is used by authenticated users i.e. requiring username password to login, then you could use their
by coo1k 10y ago
Disclaimer: I am far from a security expert.
If your website is used by authenticated users i.e. requiring username password to login, then you could use their password to encrypt relevant data and decrypt it in runtime when the user logs in. However make sure you destroy the password and decrypted information from memory after user logs out or after a certain timeout, whichever is earlier.
Since now you are not storing keys on your server, attacker wont be able to decrypt sensitive information even if he gains administrative access to your server. Each user will be holding key in form of his password. The attacker will have to get password of each user.
Use https so that the attacker wont be able to sniff out password of the user.
Downside:
1. Forgot password functionality will be hard to implement
2. If users try to login to your application after attacker gains access to it, attacker will come to know of the password and use it to decrypt information pertaining to that user.
3. Even you won't be able to see the information since you won't have the decryption key.
- tixocloud 10y agoThanks. That's a very interesting idea - I like it since users can't access each others' information. Now I'll just have to think about handling the "Forgot Password" functionality. I'm not sure for #3 if I do need to see the information although I worry that my users would be using it for nefarious purposes.
- coo1k 10y agoThere is a way to get around #3 although inefficient. Everytime information is posted by your users you can create 2 copies of encrypted information. One with users password for them to view. The other would be using your key, but you cant simply use password for encrypting your copy, that would be insecure since you need to store your password on server. Instead you can use asymmetric encryption such that you can use your public key to encrypt the information. Then you can use your private key to login to you website and view all information.
- tixocloud 10y agoBasically my database will always be 2X? Curious but given that WhatApp recently encrypts messaging end-to-end, does this mean that even they can't view the information? Does this mean WhatsApp would have no way of detecting if it's application is being used for organizing illegal activity?
- coo1k 10y agoYes. See para 2. https://blog.whatsapp.com/10000618/end-to-end-encryption https://blog.whatsapp.com/10000618/end-to-end-encryption
- coo1k 10y agoOR you could encrypt user password with your public key. Then when you login, you can decrypt user password with your private key. Then go on decrypting user information with that password. This way you won't have to make copy of information posted by users and still will be able to view it with admin login.
- zimpenfish 10y agoDoesn't that mean anyone who captures the "admin" private key has full access to the database?
- coo1k 10y agoYes, but since the key resides with admin and not on server, I am assuming the private key will be stored securely.