Acra (software)

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Developer(s)| Cossack Labs
Initial release| 7 March 2017; 8 years ago (2017-03-07)
Repository| https://github.com/cossacklabs/acra
Written in| Go (programming language), other supported languages/platforms: Java (programming language), Go, Python (programming language), PHP, Node.js, Objective-C, Swift (programming language)
Operating system| server OS: CentOS, Debian, Ubuntu, RHEL; application OS: Windows, Linux (x86/ARM), mobile (Android (operating system))
Type| Database security
License| Apache 2.0
Website| www.cossacklabs.com/acra/

Acra (English pronunciation: [ˈa.kra]) from Ancient Greek wiktionary:ἄκρα (akra), a castle or citadel overlooking a town) is an Open-source software database security suite used for sensitive and personal Information privacy in web and mobile apps with centralised data storage.[1][2]

Acra was designed to prevent Leakage (machine learning) risks in Health care, finance, e-commerce, and Critical infrastructure protection by encrypting data, detecting of unauthorised behavior, and informing operators of the incident underway.[3]

Acra provides field level encryption, when each piece of data is encrypted with unique keys. Acra supports three form-factors: client-side encryption (developers install AcraWriter Software development kit to their applications and encrypt data in the app), “transparent” encryption (Acra works as reverse-proxy for SQL databases, encrypting and decrypting data between application and database) or as Representational state transfer API server.[4] As Reverse proxy, Acra works with SQL-compatible databases, like MySQL, PostgreSQL, MariaDB, Google Cloud Platform, Amazon Relational Database Service.[5]

Open-source Acra uses Advanced Encryption Standard and Elliptic-curve Diffie–Hellman for storage encryption, and OpenSSL as cryptographic engine.[6] Expect Database encryption, Acra provides searchable encryption (search through encrypted data), data masking (anonymization), data tokenization (pseudonymization), SQL database firewall and intrusion detection via honey token (“poison records”).[4]

Acra Searchable Encryption (Acra SE) is a solution implemented in Acra for search in encrypted data based on the blind indexing approach. It develops and evolves the original idea of the CipherSweet[7] project, is described in a White paper authored by Eugene Pilyankevich, Dmytro Kornieiev, and Artem Storozhuk.[8]

Acra was built in 2017[9] based on the high-level cryptographic library Themis (software), also developed by the British Information security company Cossack Labs.[10] The latest stable release of Acra 0.85.0 was published in March 2019,[11] the latest commit in master branch is dated November 2020.[12]

Acra Community Edition is free for commercial and non-commercial use.[13] Acra encryption suite is available as 1-Click App on DigitalOcean Marketplace[14] also free of charge. Acra has separate, proprietary, and closed-source, Enterprise Edition with a wider number of available features and integrations.[15]

In 2020, in the Hacker Noon Noonies contest, Acra was awarded 1st place medal as a Best Open Source Project[16] and 2nd place medal as Best Use of Tech for Good.[17]

## References[edit]

1. ↑ "What is Acra". Acra on Github.
2. ↑ "Acra. Linux Security. Tool and Usage". Linux Security.
3. ↑ "Acra security features". Acra on Github.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Acra. Product sheet" (PDF). Cossack Labs.
5. ↑ "Acra compatibility and intergation". Acra of Github.
6. ↑ "Cryptography in Acra". Cossack Labs.
7. ↑ "CipherSweet project". Github.
8. ↑ Eugene Pilyankevich, Dmytro Kornieiev, and Artem Storozhuk. "Proxy-Mediated Searchable Encryption in SQL Databases Using Blind Indexes". Cryptology ePrint Archive.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
9. ↑ "INTRODUCING ACRA – An Open Source Database Security Suite". IS Buzz. Retrieved 2017-03-16.
10. ↑ "Cryptography in Acra". Cossack Labs on Github.
11. ↑ "Acra releases". Acra on Github.
12. ↑ "Acra latest update". Acra on Github.
13. ↑ "Acra database security suite". Cossack Labs.
14. ↑ "Acra 1-Click App on Digital Ocean Marketplace". Digital Ocean.
15. ↑ "Acra plans". Cossack Labs.
16. ↑ "Best Open Source Project, 2020". Hacker Noon Noonies.
17. ↑ "Best Use of Tech for Good, 2020". Hacker Noon Noonies.

## External links[edit]

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