Title: Securing big graph databases: an overview of existing access control techniques

Authors: Basmah Alzahrani; Asma Cherif; Suhair Alshehri; Abdessamad Imine

Addresses: Department of Information Technology, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia ' Department of Information Technology, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; Center of Excellent in Smart Environment Research, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia ' Department of Information Technology, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia ' Université de Lorraine, CNRS, Inria, Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, 54506 Nancy, France

Abstract: Recently, the rapid evolution of technology has resulted in a significant increase in the volume of data generated by both users and organisations. This, in turn, has given rise to the big data phenomenon. However, traditional relational databases are ill-equipped to handle such vast and complex data. To address this challenge, the NoSQL big data management system has emerged as an efficient alternative. Within this system, the graph database has garnered significant attention from researchers due to its ability to handle complex relationships, such as those found in social networks. However, security remains a critical concern, particularly for sensitive and private data. Therefore, this survey seeks to explore recent solutions for securing graph databases, including techniques such as access control, view-based, and query rewriting approaches, as well as pattern matching algorithms for answering queries. As a result, our survey will contribute to filling the gap in existing research, as none of the previous surveys have examined these specific topics. Additionally, the survey provides recommendations for future research in this area.

Keywords: big data; graph database; access control; view; graph pattern matching; GPM.

DOI: 10.1504/IJIIDS.2024.137709

International Journal of Intelligent Information and Database Systems, 2024 Vol.16 No.3, pp.286 - 315

Received: 30 May 2023
Accepted: 18 Oct 2023
Published online: 02 Apr 2024 *

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