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Anonymization

Overview​

The Anonymizer Library is a Node.js module designed to anonymize sensitive information in various types of data, including JSON objects, URL-encoded strings, HTML content, and multipart form data. The library supports different types of data formats and allows customization of anonymization rules to suit specific needs.

File Involved​

anonymizer.js

anonymizerConfig.js

main.js

Features​

  • Email Anonymization: Replaces email addresses with a generic anonymized email.
  • Name Anonymization: Supports full name and single name anonymization.
  • Address Anonymization: Replaces street addresses, city names, and other location-specific details with anonymized placeholders.
  • Phone Number Anonymization: Replaces phone numbers with a generic anonymized number.
  • URL Anonymization: Replaces URLs with a generic anonymized URL.
  • State and ZIP Code Anonymization: Replaces state abbreviations and ZIP codes with generic placeholders.
  • Password Anonymization: Replaces passwords with a generic anonymized password.
  • HTML Content Anonymization: Anonymizes HTML content, including headers, paragraphs, and links.
  • Form Data Anonymization: Supports anonymization of multipart form data.
  • Custom Anonymization Rules: Allows users to define custom regex patterns and replacements for specific anonymization needs.

Structure​

anonymizer.js
│
├── Dependencies
│   ├── multiparty
│   ├── cheerio
│   ├── fs
│   ├── path
│
├── Regular Expressions
│   ├── emailRegex
│   ├── fullNameRegex
│   ├── singleNameRegex
│   ├── addressRegex
│   ├── phoneRegex
│   ├── urlRegex
│   ├── stateRegex
│   ├── zipRegex
│   ├── passwordRegex
│
├── Variables
│   ├── anonymizationEnabled (boolean)
│   ├── manualMode (boolean) //Important Config file for manual mode
│   ├── customAnonymizationRules //Important Config file for manual mode
│
├── Functions
│   ├── anonymizeEmail(text) // email
│   ├── anonymizeFullName(text) // full name
│   ├── anonymizeSingleName(text) // single name
│   ├── anonymizeAddress(text) // address
│   ├── anonymizePhone(text) // number
│   ├── anonymizeUrl(text) //string in url
│   ├── anonymizeState(text) //state
│   ├── anonymizeZip(text) //zip
│   ├── anonymizePassword(text) //password
│   ├── applyManual(text, rules) // config driven
│   ├── anonymizeText(text) // string
│   ├── anonymizeUrlEncoded(data) //url
│   ├── anonymizeObject(obj) // obj
│   ├── anonymizeField(key, value) // address(full)
│   ├── anonymizeHtml(htmlContent) // html
│   ├── anonymizeFormData(req, callback) // form
│   ├── anonymizeRequest(options) // https req
│   ├── anonymizeResponse(response, cb) // https res
│   ├── setAnonymization(flag) // flag setter
│   ├── isAnonymizationEnabled() // flag check
│
└── Module Exports
    ├── anonymizeRequest
    ├── anonymizeResponse
    ├── anonymizeObject
    ├── anonymizeFormData
    ├── isAnonymizationEnabled
    └── setAnonymization

Installation​

To use the Anonymizer Library in your Node.js project, you can set anonymization mode into true, no install need for anonymization feature.

//default
let anonymizationEnabled = true;

Usage​

Enabling/Disabling Anonymization​

The anonymization process can be enabled or disabled using the following functions:

Standalone Script:

When you creating your script utilizing Flexbench, by importing flexbench, set the anonymization feature via core library

const trafficSimulator = require('flexbench');

// Enable anonymization
trafficSimulator.setAnonymization(true);

// Check if anonymization is enabled
console.log(trafficSimulator.isAnonymizationEnabled()); // true

Server-app:

Go to server-app/tests/

Add code below to both multi-requests.js & simple-request.js

// Enable anonymization
trafficSimulator.setAnonymization(true);
//above start
 trafficSimulator.start(threadId);

desktop-app:

Go to desktop-app/tests/

Add code below to both multi-requests.js & simple-request.js

// Enable anonymization
trafficSimulator.setAnonymization(true);
//above start
 trafficSimulator.start(threadId);

Anonymizing Different Data Formats​

Anonymizing Text​

To anonymize a plain text string:

const anonymizedText = anonymizer.anonymizeText("Yujun Liu lives at 123 Main St.");
console.log(anonymizedText); // Anonymized Name lives at Anonymized Address.

Anonymizing URL-encoded Strings​

To anonymize a URL-encoded string:

const urlEncodedData = "email.YJ@example.com&name=Yujun+Liu";
const anonymizedData = anonymizer.anonymizeUrlEncoded(urlEncodedData);
console.log(anonymizedData); // email=anonymized_email@example.com&name=Anonymized+Name

Anonymizing JSON Objects​

To anonymize a JSON object:

const jsonObject = {
    name: "Yujun Liu",
    email: "YJ@example.com",
    address: "22 bond St, Anytown, USA"
};
const anonymizedObject = anonymizer.anonymizeObject(jsonObject);
console.log(anonymizedObject);
// { name: 'Anonymized Name', email: 'anonymized_email@example.com', address: 'Anonymized Address' }

Anonymizing HTML Content​

To anonymize HTML content:

const htmlContent = '<h1>Yujun Liu</h1><p>Email: YujunLiu@example.com</p>';
const anonymizedHtml = anonymizer.anonymizeHtml(htmlContent);
console.log(anonymizedHtml); 
// <h1>Anonymized Title</h1><p>Email: anonymized_email@example.com</p>

Anonymizing Multipart Form Data​

To anonymize multipart form data:

const req = {}; // your HTTP request object
anonymizer.anonymizeFormData(req, (err, anonymizedData) => {
    if (err) {
        console.error('Error anonymizing form data:', err);
    } else {
        console.log('Anonymized form data:', anonymizedData);
    }
});

Anonymizing HTTP Requests and Responses​

Anonymizing HTTP Requests​

To anonymize an HTTP request before sending it:

const options = {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
    body: JSON.stringify({ name: 'Yujun Liu', email: 'YujunLiu@example.com' })
};

const anonymizedRequestOptions = anonymizer.anonymizeRequest(options);

Anonymizing HTTP Responses​

To anonymize an HTTP response after receiving it:

const response = {}; // your HTTP response object
const anonymizedResponse = anonymizer.anonymizeResponse(response, (anonymizedResponse) => {
    console.log('Anonymized response:', anonymizedResponse);
});

Configuration(Manual Mode)​

The library is designed to work with a configuration file (e.g., anonymizerConfig.json) where custom anonymization rules can be specified. The configuration can include:

  • Custom regex patterns for anonymization
  • Replacement values for specific fields
  • Manual mode for applying specific rules

Error Handling​

The library includes error handling to catch and report issues during the anonymization process. Errors are logged to the console, and the original data is returned if anonymization fails.

License​

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.