Multiple signatures in metadata for the same data record

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11138343-B2
Application number	US-201916251243-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 18, 2019
Priority date	Jan 18, 2019
Publication date	Oct 5, 2021
Grant date	Oct 5, 2021

Abstract

Aspects include accessing, by a processing system, one or more data records and a metadata record. The metadata record includes a first digital signature associated with the one or more data records. One or more additional digital signatures associated with the one or more data records are generated, where the first digital signature and the one or more additional digital signatures are generated based on applying at least one different digital signature generation aspect with respect to the one or more data records. The one or more additional digital signatures are stored in the metadata record.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:
accessing, by a processing system, one or more data records and a metadata record, the metadata record comprising a first digital signature associated with the one or more data records;
generating, by the processing system, one or more additional digital signatures associated with the one or more data records, wherein the first digital signature and the one or more additional digital signatures are generated based on applying at least one different digital signature generation aspect with respect to the one or more data records;
adding an update-needed tag to the metadata record based on determining that the metadata record comprises an insufficient capacity to store the one or more additional digital signatures in the metadata record;
expanding a storage capacity of the metadata record upon copying the metadata record from a first storage location to a second storage location;
replacing the update-needed tag with the one or more additional digital signatures after expanding the storage capacity of the metadata record; and
storing the one or more additional digital signatures in the metadata record.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:
reading the first digital signature and the one or more additional digital signatures from the metadata record; and
performing a validation of the one or more data records to confirm that the one or more data records are unchanged based on a combination of the first digital signature and the one or more additional digital signatures.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:
reading the first digital signature and the one or more additional digital signatures from the metadata record;
selecting between the first digital signature and the one or more additional digital signatures as a preferred digital signature; and
performing a validation of the one or more data records to confirm that the one or more data records are unchanged based on the preferred digital signature.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3 , wherein the preferred digital signature is selected based on a most recently updated digital signature identified between the first digital signature and the one or more additional digital signatures.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 3 , wherein the preferred digital signature is selected based on a greater digital signature length identified between the first digital signature and the one or more additional digital signatures.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
overwriting the first digital signature with the one or more additional digital signatures in the metadata record.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more additional digital signatures are stored in the metadata record after performing a validation of the one or more data records to confirm that the one or more data records are unchanged based on the first digital signature.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one different digital signature generation aspect comprises a difference between one or more of: a hash function, an encryption algorithm, and a key used in generating the first digital signature and the one or more additional digital signatures.

9. A system comprising:
a memory system; and
a processing system configured to perform a plurality of operations comprising:
accessing one or more data records and a metadata record stored in the memory system, the metadata record comprising a first digital signature associated with the one or more data records;
generating one or more additional digital signatures associated with the one or more data records, wherein the first digital signature and the one or more additional digital signatures are generated based on applying at least one different digital signature generation aspect with respect to the one or more data records;
adding an update-needed tag to the metadata record based on determining that the metadata record comprises an insufficient capacity to store the one or more additional digital signatures in the metadata record;
expanding a storage capacity of the metadata record upon copying the metadata record from a first storage location to a second storage location;
replacing the update-needed tag with the one or more additional digital signatures after expanding the storage capacity of the metadata record; and
storing the one or more additional digital signatures in the metadata record.

10. The system of claim 9 , wherein the processing system is further configured to perform operations comprising:
reading the first digital signature and the one or more additional digital signatures from the metadata record; and
performing a validation of the one or more data records to confirm that the one or more data records are unchanged based on a combination of the first digital signature and the one or more additional digital signatures.

11. The system of claim 9 , wherein the processing system is further configured to perform operations comprising:
reading the first digital signature and the one or more additional digital signatures from the metadata record;
selecting between the first digital signature and the one or more additional second digital signatures as a preferred digital signature; and
performing a validation of the one or more data records to confirm that the one or more data records are unchanged based on the preferred digital signature.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the preferred digital signature is selected based on a most recently updated digital signature identified between the first digital signature and the one or more additional digital signatures.

13. The system of claim 11 , wherein the preferred digital signature is selected based on a greater digital signature length identified between the first digital signature and the one or more additional digital signatures.

14. The system of claim 9 , wherein the one or more additional digital signatures are stored in the metadata record after performing a validation of the one or more data records to confirm that the one or more data records are unchanged based on the first digital signature.

15. The system of claim 9 , wherein the at least one different digital signature generation aspect comprises a difference between one or more of: a hash function, an encryption algorithm, and a key used in generating the first digital signature and the one or more additional digital signatures.

16. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a processing system to perform a plurality of operations comprising:
accessing one or more data records and a metadata record, the metadata record comprising a first digital signature associated with the one or more data records;
generating one or more additional digital signatures associated with the one or more data records, wherein the first digital signature and the one or more additional digital signatures are generated based on applying at least one different digital signature generation aspect with respect to the one or more data records;
adding an update-needed tag to the metadata record based on determining that the metadata record comprises an insufficient capacity to store the one or more additional digital signatures in the metadata record;
expanding a storage capacity of the metadata record upon copying the metadata record from a first storage loca

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Sofia Anthony Thomas

Classifications

• G06F21/6209

  to a single file or object, e.g. in a secure envelope, encrypted and accessed using a key, or with access control rules appended to the object itself · CPC title

• H04L2209/68

  Special signature format, e.g. XML format · CPC title

• G06F21/64 Primary

  Protecting data integrity, e.g. using checksums, certificates or signatures · CPC title

• G06F16/235

  Update request formulation · CPC title

• H04L9/3247 Primary

  involving digital signatures · CPC title