Supabase Searchable Encryption: What You Need to Know

• Supabase has announced a new searchable encryption feature
• The feature allows for encrypted data to be searched without decryption
• Details on the security model and implementation are scarce

The Buzz Score

The Internet’s Verdict: 70% Hyped, 30% Skeptical

Understanding Searchable Encryption

Searchable encryption is a technology that enables data to be searched without decrypting it first.

I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around what guarantees this does and does not make. If you can run “select * where secret_col == 10”… why does it matter that the column is encrypted?

This raises questions about the security benefits of searchable encryption.

Technical Details

According to some, Supabase’s implementation may use order-revealing or preserving encryption.

I came here to say that this is presumably ORE/OPE (order-revealing/preserving) encryption, not FHE, but… It is both remarkable and depressing how _little_ information is given, and how buried it is on the CipherStash website…

More information is needed to fully understand the security implications.

Focus Keyword: Searchable Encryption