The Database Security Problem
Every major data breach starts the same way: someone with database access who shouldn't have had it, or a misconfigured system that exposed data. Traditional encryption doesn't help because the keys are accessible to admins.
- Insider threats: DBAs, ops teams, and cloud admins can access unencrypted data
- Key management complexity: HSMs, rotation schedules, and key distribution are error-prone
- Compliance gaps: Traditional encryption doesn't satisfy "encryption at rest" for privileged access
- Backup exposure: Decryption keys often stored alongside encrypted backups
CIFER removes keys from the equation. Encryption happens in hardware-isolated enclaves that no human can access. Your data is protected even if your entire infrastructure is compromised.
What You Can Protect
Customer Records
Protect PII, contact information, and user profiles. Only authorized applications and users can decrypt customer data.
Financial Data
Secure transaction records, account details, and payment information with compliance-ready encryption.
Healthcare Information
HIPAA-compliant encryption for patient records, medical history, and healthcare data.
Business Documents
Encrypt contracts, intellectual property, and confidential business documents at rest.
Why Choose CIFER
Compliance Ready
GDPR Ready
Data encrypted at rest with user-controlled access policies. Support for data portability and right to erasure.
SOC 2 Compliant
Hardware-enforced access controls, comprehensive audit trails, and encryption at rest.
HIPAA Compliant
Technical safeguards for protected health information with role-based access control.
Integration Flow
Install SDK
Add CIFER's SDK to your application. Works with any language and database client.
Define Policies
Specify which fields to encrypt and who can decrypt them (roles, users, conditions).
Encrypt on Write
Data is automatically encrypted before hitting the database. The TEE handles all cryptography.
Decrypt on Read
Authorized applications transparently decrypt data. Unauthorized access returns ciphertext only.
Quick Example
// Initialize CIFER with your application credentials
import { CIFER } from '@cifer/sdk';
const cifer = new CIFER({
applicationId: 'your-app-id',
environment: 'production'
});
// Define which fields should be encrypted
const encryptedFields = ['ssn', 'email', 'medical_record'];
// Encrypt before inserting
const customer = {
name: 'Jane Doe',
ssn: await cifer.encrypt('123-45-6789', { policy: 'pii' }),
email: await cifer.encrypt('jane@example.com', { policy: 'contact' }),
};
await db.customers.insert(customer);
// Decrypt on read (if authorized)
const record = await db.customers.findOne({ id: customerId });
const ssn = await cifer.decrypt(record.ssn); // Returns plaintext
// Unauthorized users get: Error: Access deniedFrequently Asked Questions
How does database encryption work without key management?
CIFER generates and stores encryption keys inside TEE enclaves. When your application needs to encrypt or decrypt data, it authenticates with CIFER, and the TEE performs the cryptographic operation. Keys never leave the secure hardware boundary, so there's nothing to manage, rotate, or backup.
What's the performance impact?
Field-level encryption adds minimal latency—typically single-digit milliseconds per operation. CIFER uses hardware-accelerated cryptography and connection pooling to minimize overhead. For high-throughput workloads, we offer dedicated TEE clusters.
Can DBAs still do their jobs?
Yes. DBAs can manage schemas, indexes, backups, and maintenance operations on encrypted data. They just can't read the plaintext. Encrypted fields are stored as ciphertext that can be backed up, replicated, and migrated like any other data.
How do I query encrypted data?
For exact match queries, CIFER supports deterministic encryption that allows equality comparisons. For range queries and full-text search, we offer searchable encryption schemes. Not all operations are supported on encrypted data—we'll help you design the right schema.
What about backup and disaster recovery?
Encrypted data can be backed up normally. The ciphertext is portable. For disaster recovery, CIFER's TEE network provides geographic redundancy. As long as you can authenticate, you can decrypt your data from any CIFER region.