Cloud-Based Item Data Security via Cryptographic Key Segmentation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In supply chains, there is a challenge in sharing item-level data while maintaining confidentiality and controlling access, especially in ad hoc networks with dynamically changing suppliers, where sensitive information may be inadvertently shared with competitors or unauthorized entities.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a method using cryptographic techniques, such as generating unique identifiers and encryption keys based on random numbers associated with items, allows secure sharing and access control of item-level data within a supply chain, using a central repository like cloud storage, where only authorized parties can decrypt and access the data.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If item-level data is shared across the supply chain to enable services and optimizations, then productivity and manufacturing efficiency are improved, but confidentiality and security of sensitive information deteriorate due to potential unauthorized access
Solution Approach 1:
A cloud-based intermediary system is introduced to host the item-level data repository. Suppliers interact with this intermediary through standardized APIs rather than directly accessing each other's data systems. The intermediary manages cryptographic key pairs, handles encryption/decryption operations, and controls access permissions, thereby enabling data sharing while maintaining security through a trusted third-party mediation layer.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transforms data from its original plaintext state to encrypted state using cryptographic parameters (public keys, private keys, encryption algorithms). Data is stored and transmitted in encrypted form, with decryption parameters selectively provided to authorized parties. This parameter transformation ensures that data remains secure during storage and transmission while being accessible to authorized suppliers who possess the appropriate decryption credentials.
2Ease of operation
If all suppliers have access to the same item-level data repository, then ease of operation and data sharing are improved, but access control and confidentiality deteriorate due to potential data leakage to competitors
Solution Approach 1:
Each supplier is equipped with their own cryptographic key pair (public key and private key) that they control independently. Suppliers can autonomously encrypt their contributed data using their private key and store it in the shared repository. When retrieving data, they use their private key to decrypt only the portions they are authorized to access. This self-service cryptographic approach eliminates the need for complex centralized access control lists while maintaining granular security.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs asymmetric cryptography where each supplier has a unique public key (shared openly) and a corresponding private key (kept secret). This asymmetric key structure enables differentiated access control: any supplier can contribute data using their public key, but only the data owner (or authorized parties with the owner's private key) can decrypt specific data portions. This asymmetry provides built-in access control without requiring complex permission management systems.
3Reliability
If cryptographic keys are generated and managed for each item to ensure security, then reliability and confidentiality are improved, but device complexity and computational overhead worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The cryptographic system is segmented at the item level, with each item in the supply chain having its own unique cryptographic key pair. This segmentation allows fine-grained security control where compromise of one item's keys does not affect other items. The cloud intermediary manages this segmentation by maintaining separate key records for each supplier-item combination, enabling reliable security through distributed key management rather than centralized monolithic key storage.
Data Source
AI summary
Implementations of the present disclosure are directed to sharing data in a supply chain, the data corresponding to an item having a tag associated therewith. Methods include determining a random number from the tag, the random number being unique to the item, selecting a first integer and a second integer, generating a first public key based on the first integer and a semi-public key based on the second integer, generating an identifier based on the first public key and the random number, generating a key based on the semi-public key and the random number, encrypting the data using the key to provide encrypted data, defining a tuple comprising the identifier and the encrypted data, and transmitting the tuple over a network for storage in a persistent storage device.