Partially Homomorphic Encryption for Supporting Encrypted Data Retrieval in Relational Databases

Abstract

Relational databases store information in interconnected tables and are widely used for data management and retrieval. However, in certain environments, the original values stored in a relational database cannot be exposed during data retrieval. This limitation creates a challenge because common encryption methods only transform data for storage and do not support mathematical operations needed for value matching. Partially Homomorphic Encryption is a cryptographic approach that allows specific mathematical operations to be performed directly on transformed data without restoring it to its original form. This study proposes the use of Partially Homomorphic Encryption to enable value-based data retrieval while keeping all stored values in their transformed form throughout the entire process. The method relies on homomorphic properties that allow mathematical comparison to be conducted on encrypted data, making the retrieval process possible without revealing the original values. The results show that this approach can perform data retrieval operations in a relational database while preserving the transformed structure of the stored data. The proposed method offers an alternative for environments that require data retrieval without exposing original values and demonstrates the potential of homomorphic techniques in supporting secure and functional data processing in relational database contexts.