Internal Initialization Vector (IV)
An Internal IV is used during the tokenization process to make it more difficult to detect patterns in multiple tokenized values.
Internal IV is automatically applied to the input value when the token element’s left and right properties are non-zero, designating some characters to remain in the clear. An Internal IV provides an additional security during the tokenization process.
Data to tokenize can be logically divided into three components: left, middle, and right. If an IV is used, then the left and right components are concatenated to form the IV. This IV is then added to the middle component before the value is tokenized.
Table: Examples of Tokenization with Internal IV
| Token Properties | Input Value | Output Value | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpha Token Left=1 Right=0 | 1Protegrity 2Protegrity 3Protegrity | 1aOkCUXmhXC 2DeKeldVpKj 3hASBMvvfuL | Left=1 thus the first character in the input value is not tokenized but used as internal IV. For each of three input values the value “Protegrity” is tokenized, with internal IVs “1”, “2”, and “3” respectively. Tokenized value is different for all three cases. |
| Alpha Token Left=2 Right=4 | W2Protegrity2012 W2Protegrity2013 Q2Protegrity2013 | W2NXgfOdLQEy2012 W2XdjFTIFQNC2013 Q2gWjpyMwvDJ2013 | Left=2, Right=4 thus the first 2 and the last 4 characters in the input value are not tokenized but used as internal IV. For each of three input values the value “Protegrity” is tokenized, with internal IVs “W22012”, “W22013”, and “Q22013” respectively. Tokenized value is different for all three cases. |
| Alpha Token Left=0 Right=0 | Protegrity | RlfZVOmhQD | Left and Right are undefined thus the internal IV is not used. |
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