Anonymous Cloud Data Storage via Virtual Intermediary
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Solution Overview
Problem
Modern cloud storage systems lack anonymity, as they allow intruders and authorities to identify user data blocks, compromising user privacy by revealing ownership information.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for anonymous cloud data storage, where user data is encrypted and stored using a unique block key calculated from an anonymous key and block number, with a hash function value used to generate a file name, ensuring that the storage side does not know the data's ownership, and a Virtual Cloud Service distributes data across public accounts to maintain anonymity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If cloud storage systems store data with user account associations, then data accessibility and user management are improved, but user data anonymity and privacy protection deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a Virtual Cloud Service as an intermediary layer between users and the physical cloud storage system. This service acts as a mediator that handles data storage operations while preventing the underlying storage system from accessing or associating data with user identities. The Virtual Cloud Service receives encrypted data and metadata from clients, performs storage operations, and returns results without revealing user identity information to the storage infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the cloud storage system into multiple independent components: client devices, Virtual Cloud Service, and physical storage infrastructure. Each segment operates independently with defined interfaces. The Virtual Cloud Service segment specifically handles the anonymity function by decoupling user identity from stored data, allowing the storage system to function without knowing user identities.
2Reliability
If cloud storage systems implement encryption, then data security is improved, but the ability to determine data ownership deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary encryption and anonymization actions before data is stored in the cloud. Clients encrypt data and generate anonymous metadata (including anonymous keys and hash values) prior to transmission. This preliminary processing ensures that when data reaches the storage system, ownership information has already been removed, making it impossible for the storage system to determine ownership even with access to the data.
3Device complexity
If cloud storage systems use simple storage structures, then system complexity is reduced, but privacy protection capabilities deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The Virtual Cloud Service acts as an intermediary that adds privacy protection functionality without requiring changes to the underlying simple storage structure. The complexity of anonymization and encryption is contained within the Virtual Cloud Service layer, while the physical storage infrastructure remains simple and unchanged. This allows privacy protection to be implemented without increasing the complexity of the storage system itself.
Data Source
AI summary
A process of writing to a non-anonymous cloud storage is provided. On a client side, a write request to block X is received. A block key for the block numbers X is calculates as a function, which uses an Anonymous Key and X as its arguments. A hash function value of the block key is calculated. The content and the hash value are transferred to a Virtual Cloud Service. Then, on the Virtual Cloud Service, public cloud accounts are selected based on part of the hash value. A file name is generated from the calculated hash value. The content of block X is stored to the file with the generated name within the selected cloud account. Thus, there is no data reflecting the ownership of the user files on the cloud storage that is revealed.