Data protection

An apparatus comprising one or more processors arranged to carry out a method comprising:

• receiving an access request in relation to data, wherein there exists Error Correcting Code (ECC) data relating to the data, wherein the ECC data is generated by running an ECC encoding algorithm on the data, wherein the ECC encoding algorithm is a Hamming-based algorithm such that the ECC data comprises Hamming parity bits relating to a combination of the data and the ECC data, and wherein the ECC data is configured to enable correction of multiple-bit errors spanning up to a predetermined number of consecutive bits of the data;
• performing a first integrity verification procedure to verify the integrity of at least the data;
• responsive to a finding of non-integrity by the first integrity verification procedure, performing an error analysis procedure based on the data and the ECC data;
• responsive to generation of corrected data by the error analysis procedure, performing a second integrity verification procedure to verify the integrity of at least the corrected data;
• wherein performing the first integrity verification procedure has a lower computational overhead than performing the error analysis procedure, and wherein the first and/or the second integrity verification procedures are not ECC-based integrity verification procedures;
• and
• responsive to a finding of integrity by the second integrity verification procedure, allowing the access request using the corrected data;
• wherein the ECC data is generated such that a multiple-bit error spanning the predetermined number of consecutive bits would cause a maximum of one error per Hamming parity stream, thereby enabling correction of the multiple-bit error.

One or more non-transitory computer readable media comprising computer program code which, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to carry out a method comprising:

• receiving an access request in relation to data, wherein there exists Error Correcting Code (ECC) data relating to the data, wherein the ECC data is generated by running an ECC encoding algorithm on the data, wherein the ECC encoding algorithm is a Hamming-based algorithm such that the ECC data comprises Hamming parity bits relating to a combination of the data and the ECC data, and wherein the ECC data is configured to enable correction of multiple-bit errors spanning up to a predetermined number of consecutive bits of the data;
• performing a first integrity verification procedure to verify the integrity of at least the data;
• responsive to a finding of non-integrity by the first integrity verification procedure, performing an error analysis procedure based on the data and the ECC data;
• responsive to generation of corrected data by the error analysis procedure, performing a second integrity verification procedure to verify the integrity of at least the corrected data;
• wherein performing the first integrity verification procedure has a lower computational overhead than performing the error analysis procedure;
• and wherein the first and/or the second integrity verification procedures are not ECC-based integrity verification procedures;
• and
• responsive to a finding of integrity by the second integrity verification procedure, allowing the access request using the corrected data;
• wherein the ECC data is generated such that a multiple-bit error spanning the predetermined number of consecutive bits would cause a maximum of one error per Hamming parity stream, thereby enabling correction of the multiple-bit error.