Attribute Encryption Implementation

The attribute encryption feature supports a wide range of encryption algorithms. Portability across different platforms is ensured. As an additional security measure, attribute encryption uses the private key of the server’s SSL certificate to generate its own key. This key is then used to perform the encryption and decryption operations. To be able to encrypt attributes, a server must be running over SSL. The SSL certificate and its private key are stored securely in the database and protected by a password. This key database password is required to authenticate to the server. The server assumes that whoever has access to this key database password is authorized to export decrypted data.

Note that attribute encryption only protects stored attributes. If you are replicating these attributes, replication must be configured over SSL to protect the attributes during transport.

If you use attribute encryption, you cannot use the binary copy feature to initialize one server from another server.