encryption & decryption

[Hendrik Van Belleghem]

> anyone familiar with encrypting & decrypting data ?
> 
> I have a database that contains adress info of clients, i want to
> encrypt it, so In case somebody steals the database its useless for
> the person who doesn't know the decryption system.

Some personal thoughts:
Data in Databases usually is already encrypted in such a way that you cant
use a plain hex viewer to steal data.

Databases also have access restriction (which in some cases is quite good)
having the data is not like having THE DATA =)

If people would have access to your encrypted data (encrypted with any
kind of algoritm you come up with), they usually also have (or can get)
access to the script itself. In which case they can easily look into the
code (even if it means disassembling it first) and decrypt the data.

Doing Queries and updates on encrypted data can be quite difficult.
Imagine a SELECT * FROM TABLE WHERE NAME = "John Doe" on a table that only
contains things like "Ag,jjzfnznddzn,kzdnczlaal;" (Random key tapping (c)
2001) 

IMHO the cleanest solution would be either to have a Database script that
can handle queries on encrypted data, and outputs it the way you want it.

anyway, just my $0.02

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Greetz

Hendrik

... I'm not an addict (maybe that's a lie) - Not an addict - K's Choice