Encrypted search

Searchable Encryption (SE) allows you to execute queries on ciphertext: find data without ever decrypting the content or revealing the search term to the hosting server.

Encrypted search, or Searchable Encryption (SE), solves the critical problem of data utility on untrusted storage. Standard encryption (e.g., AES) breaks search functionality, forcing a choice between security and usability. SE bypasses this by employing specialized cryptographic schemes, such as Searchable Symmetric Encryption (SSE) or Public Key Encryption with Keyword Search (PEKS). The client generates an encrypted token—a 'trapdoor'—for a keyword; the server then uses a secure index (often a 'blind index') to match the token to encrypted records without learning the plaintext query. This technology is essential for SaaS and cloud providers, enabling confidential operations like searching an encrypted medical record database for 'diabetes mellitus' while maintaining HIPAA and GDPR compliance.

https://www.ironcorelabs.com/docs/encrypted-search