On 10/26/07, Baron Schwartz <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > mos wrote: > >> > >> The data is quite valuable because there is a lot of competition in > >> this particular marketplace and my competitors would like to get their > >> hands on it. I've spent 5 years writing the software and generating > >> the data. Let's say for the sake of argument the data is worth $1 > >> million. How do I stop my competitor from bribing some flunky at the > >> ISP into turning over the backup of my data or just e-mailing the > >> MySQL password file to him? Also I don't want anyone at the ISP > >> viewing the data or changing it because I'd be liable for any data > >> errors. > > > > Host the machines in-house. I think that could be done for less than a > > million bucks for a smallish setup. > > > > Of course, I've only ever been a bystander with that sort of project, so > > the figures may be a lot higher than I'm guessing. For instance, you'd > > want a beefy connection installed, of course. And then there's the > > salary for someone to administer to everything. > > I agree. If you're using shared hosting, forget about encryption. > Physical access to the machines ALWAYS trumps every other kind of > security, so you can't do what you're trying to do (secure data in an > insecure environment). Rent a T1 line for $500/mo and charge customers > what the data is worth. > > Baron
I also agree, however for the sake of argument could we assume that the order of the wording in the entry probably imparts a significant amount of it's value? If that is the case, I would think creating a second column of unencrypted text (with a full text index) which would be nothing more than copy of the the text with the words in a random order might provide a bit of the protection that the user is looking for.
