Secure Cloud Storage Key Custodian Architecture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for securely storing and sharing confidential information, such as healthcare records, are inadequate as they rely solely on cryptography, which is insufficient without secure management of encryption keys, leading to unauthorized access.
Innovation Solution
A secure key-value cloud storage system using public key encryption, where a unique public/private key pair is assigned to the information owner, with the private key retained by the owner or their proxy, and stored encrypted on a cloud provider, ensuring only authorized access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If cryptography is used to protect confidential information, then information security is improved, but key management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the private key from the cloud storage system and assigns it to a key custodian entity. This separation removes the key management burden from the cloud provider, reducing their complexity while maintaining security. The cloud provider only handles encrypted data, not the keys themselves.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a key custodian as an intermediary between the information owner and the cloud storage system. This intermediary holds and manages the private keys, simplifying the overall system architecture by centralizing key management in a trusted third party rather than requiring the cloud provider to manage keys.
2Quantity of substance
If the cloud provider stores encrypted information, then storage cost is reduced, but liability for information security increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the decryption capability (private key) from the cloud storage system and assigns it to a key custodian. This extraction eliminates the cloud provider's ability to access the information, thereby removing their liability for security breaches while they continue to provide storage services.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary security measures by encrypting data with public keys before storage and ensuring only authorized key custodians hold the corresponding private keys. This preliminary encryption creates a security barrier that prevents unauthorized access, including by the cloud provider themselves, thus preemptively addressing liability concerns.
3Reliability
If public key encryption is implemented, then access control is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the key custodian a universal entity that can serve multiple cloud storage providers and information owners. The key custodian manages keys across different systems and providers, reducing overall system complexity by creating a standardized key management interface rather than requiring each system to implement its own key management.
Data Source
AI summary
A secure information storage system is disclosed. In an example embodiment, the secure information storage system comprises a first proxy system, a cloud storage system, an exchange registry, an access portal and a cloud-registry interface.