Cryptographic Chain Group Membership Content Sharing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current big data analytics systems face challenges in scalability, security, and privacy, particularly when computing and data storage are not collocated, leading to concerns about data confidentiality, sovereignty, and protection from breaches, especially in large-scale distributed environments like Cloud, Big Data, and IoT workflows.
Innovation Solution
A method involving segmenting files into encrypted segments, using multiple encryption keys, and distributing these segments across multiple locations, with optional obfuscation and reordering, to enhance security and privacy, allowing secure sharing and searchability while maintaining confidentiality and referential integrity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If data is stored and processed in distributed cloud environments without collocation, then scalability and flexibility are improved, but data security and privacy protection deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments data into multiple encrypted segments distributed across different storage locations. Each segment is encrypted with a unique key, and the complete data can only be reconstructed when all segments are gathered and decrypted. This segmentation approach enables scalable distributed storage while maintaining security, as compromising one segment does not expose the entire dataset.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements nested encryption where data segments are encrypted with segment-specific keys, which are then encrypted with a master key derived from multiple user credentials. This multi-layer nested encryption structure allows the system to scale across distributed environments while maintaining robust security through layered protection mechanisms.
2Reliability
If multiple encryption keys are used for data segments, then security is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a master encryption key that serves multiple functions: it encrypts individual segment keys, enables data reconstruction, and provides access control. This universal master key approach simplifies the system by reducing the number of independent key management operations needed, despite using multiple segment-specific encryption keys for enhanced security.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges multiple user credentials (passwords, biometrics, tokens) into a single master key through a key derivation function. This combining approach maintains high security by using multiple authentication factors while simplifying key management operations, as the derived master key can be used uniformly across all encrypted segments.
3Productivity
If data segments are distributed across multiple locations, then availability and scalability are improved, but data confidentiality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different encryption qualities to different data segments based on their sensitivity and access requirements. Critical segments can use stronger encryption algorithms or additional authentication factors, while less sensitive segments use standard encryption. This localized quality approach maintains high availability through distributed storage while preserving confidentiality through differentiated security measures.
Data Source
AI summary
In some embodiments, a first device may generate a data block for an ordered set of data blocks such that the data block is cryptographically chained to a given data block preceding the data block in the ordered set. The first device may obtain an encryption key used to encrypt information related to the data block, and use group members' keys to encrypt the encryption key to generate a group key. As an example, the group's members may include a first member associated with the first device and other members. The keys used to encrypt the encryption key may include the other members' keys. The first device may transmit the ordered set and the group key to a communication resource (e.g., accessible by the members). Other devices (associated with the other members) may use the ordered set and the group key to obtain content related to the ordered set.