Configuring and using Structural data encryption

Required license: Professional or Enterprise

Not available on Tonic Structural Cloud.

Required global permission: Configure Tonic Structural data encryption

About Structural data encryption

A common use case for custom processing is encrypted source data. The data might need to be decrypted before a generator is applied, and encrypted before it is saved to the destination database.

Structural data encryption allows you to configure decryption and encryption to use during data generation. The data encryption process supports AES encryption, and allows you to use either the CBC, ECB, or CFB cipher modes.

When Structural data encryption is enabled, the advanced options section of the configuration panel includes a toggle to use Structural data encryption for that column.

Generator configuration panel with data encryption setting

For columns that use both Structural data encryption and a custom value processor:

• Decryption occurs before a pre-processing custom value processor.

• Encryption occurs after a post-processing custom value processor.

You enable and configure the data encryption from the Data Encryption tab of Structural Settings view. To display Structural Settings view, in the Structural heading, click Structural Settings.

Setting the encryption key environment settings

To use Structural data encryption, you must provide:

• A Base64-encoded decryption key

• A Base64-encoded encryption key

Both key values must use the same key size - either 128, 192, or 256.

To provide the encryption and decryption keys for your instance, use the following environment settings:

• TONIC_DATA_DECRYPTION_KEY

• TONIC_DATA_ENCRYPTION_KEY

You can set these values from the Environment Settings tab on Structural Settings.

By default, Structural uses these keys for all workspaces. You can override these keys in individual workspaces. You configure the decryption and encryption keys for a workspace in the advanced override settings.

Enabling Structural data encryption

By default, Structural data encryption is disabled. To enable it, toggle Enable Data Encryption to the on position.

Data Encryption tab on Structural Settings view

Choosing whether to decrypt, encrypt, or both

When you enable Structural data encryption, you choose whether to use decryption, encryption, or both.

You use decryption if the source data is encrypted and must be decrypted before the generators are applied.

You use encryption to encrypt the transformed data before it is saved to the destination database.

To use decryption only, select Use Decryption.

To use encryption only, select Use Encryption.

To both decrypt and encrypt data, select Use Decryption and Encryption.

Viewing the AES encryption key size

Structural only supports AES encryption. The AES Encryption setting shows the current key size.

The key size is based on the values that you provided for the decryption and encryption key environment settings.

Selecting the cipher mode

From the Cipher Mode dropdown list, select the cipher mode to use for Structural data encryption. The available cipher modes are:

• CBC

• ECB

• CFB

Configuring the initialization vector

Before it decrypts or encrypts data, Structural applies an initialization vector.

By default, Structural generates a random initialization vector, and Use custom Initialization Vector (IV) is in the off position.

To provide custom initialization vectors for Structural to use:

1. Toggle Use custom Initialization Vector (IV) to the on position.

2. If the Structural data encryption configuration includes encryption, then in the Encryption IV field, enter the static initialization vector to use to encrypt data.

3. If the Structural data encryption configuration includes decryption, then in the Decryption IV field, enter the static initialization vector to use to decrypt data.

Providing a prepend value for encryption

After it encrypts the destination data, but before it stores it, Structural can prepend a string to the encrypted data.

To configure Structural data encryption to prepend a string:

1. Toggle Prepend value to encrypted data to the on position.

2. In the Custom Value field, enter the string to prepend.

Testing the data encryption

After you complete the configuration, the Preview Results panel allows you to test the decryption and encryption.

If the configuration is incomplete, you cannot run the test.

Testing decryption only

If the configuration is for decryption only:

1. In the Ciphertext field, enter an encrypted text string.

2. Click Run Test.

3. Verify that the text in the Plaintext Result field is correct.

Testing encryption only

If the configuration is for encryption only:

1. In the Plaintext field, enter an unencrypted text string.

2. Click Run Test.

3. Verify that the text in the Ciphertext Result field is correct.

Testing both decryption and encryption

If the configuration is for both decryption and encryption, then you provide an encrypted string. The test decrypts the string into plain text, then re-encrypts that string.

1. In the Ciphertext field, enter an encrypted text string.

2. Click Run Test.

3. Verify that the text in the Plaintext Result field and the Ciphertext Result field is correct.

Saving or reverting the Structural data encryption configuration

To save the configuration, click Save.

To revert any changes since you most recently saved the configuration, click Revert.