Cloud Data Security via Asymmetric Key Partitioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
As network connectivity improves, traditional computing paradigms face challenges in maintaining security and indexing data on client devices, leading to increased costs and security concerns in cloud-based data storage systems, where data is pooled and access needs to be limited to prevent unintended disclosure.
Innovation Solution
A cloud-based data repository system utilizing symmetric and/or asymmetric cryptographic keying technology to encrypt data with a public key corresponding to a user-specific private key, allowing secure storage and decryption only by the private key holder, with AI and MLR for probabilistic analysis to infer user identity and storage location, and partitioning data based on user identity, data type, and other criteria.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If data is stored in a cloud-based repository, then storage capacity and accessibility are improved, but security and data protection become more difficult to maintain
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments data into user-specific partitions within the cloud repository, where each user's data is isolated in its own partition. This segmentation allows the cloud to store data for multiple users while maintaining security boundaries, so that one user cannot access another user's data even though all data resides in the same cloud infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces encryption as an intermediary layer between the cloud storage system and user data. Data is encrypted before being stored in the cloud, and decryption keys are managed separately. This intermediary encryption mechanism allows the cloud to store data securely without needing to trust the cloud provider with the actual data contents, resolving the security concern while maintaining cloud storage benefits.
2Speed
If symmetric key cryptography is used for data encryption, then encryption speed is improved, but key transmission security becomes compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses asymmetric key pairs (public and private keys) as an intermediary mechanism to solve the key transmission problem. The public key can be freely transmitted and shared, while the private key remains secure with the user. This allows efficient encryption (using the public key) without the security risks associated with transmitting symmetric keys, effectively resolving the contradiction between speed and security.
3Reliability
If data is encrypted with a public key, then data protection is improved, but decryption complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs asymmetric cryptography where the public key (intermediary for encryption) is simple and publicly available, while the private key (intermediary for decryption) is complex and securely held. This creates a convenient asymmetry where encryption is straightforward using the public key, but decryption requires the complex private key that only the authorized user possesses, thus maintaining both protection and manageable complexity.
4Ease of manufacture
If cloud-based data storage is implemented, then cost efficiency is improved, but access control and data sharing become more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the cloud storage into user-specific partitions, allowing cost-efficient shared storage infrastructure while maintaining clear access boundaries. Each user's data resides in their own partition, making it easy to control access (users can only access their own partition) while still benefiting from the cost efficiency of shared cloud infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses encryption keys as intermediaries to control data access. Users receive their private decryption keys as intermediaries that grant access to their encrypted data. This mechanism simplifies access control (just need to provide the key) while maintaining security, making the system both cost-efficient and easy to operate.
Data Source
AI summary
A system that enables a cloud-based data repository to function as a secure ‘drop-box’ for data that corresponds to a user is provided. The ‘drop box’ can be facilitated through the use of cryptographic keying technologies. For instance, data that is ‘dropped’ by or on behalf of a particular user can be encrypted using a public key that corresponds to a user-specific private key. Thus, although the data resides within the large pool of ‘cloud-based’ data, it is protected since it can only be decrypted by using the private key, which is kept secret. The innovation can further facilitate user-centric secure storage by partitioning the cloud-based repository into multiple partitions, each of which corresponds to specific indexing criteria.