The Hidden Bug in CLWW: Why a 1-in-256 Error Matters for Database Encryption

CLWW order-preserving encryption is widely deployed in databases to enable sorting and searching on encrypted data, but a subtle bug causes incorrect ordering in approximately 1 out of every 256 comparisons. This flaw could impact the correctness and security of systems relying on encrypted database columns for sensitive operations. The proposed fix requires minimal overhead — just one additional byte per ciphertext — making it practical for organizations to adopt.