Distributed Encrypted Data Blocks for Cloud Confidentiality
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Solution Overview
Problem
Cloud infrastructure poses significant threats to information confidentiality due to the lack of inherent security in encryption techniques, allowing unauthorized access despite geographical distribution of encrypted data.
Innovation Solution
The method involves encrypting information using a Propagating Cipher-encrypted Block Chaining (PCBC) cipher, splitting it into blocks where one block is required for decrypting the others, and distributing these blocks across different locations, ensuring that even if an attacker gains access to all blocks and the symmetric key, they cannot restore the plaintext.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If encrypted information is stored in cloud infrastructure, then accessibility and scalability are improved, but confidentiality and security are worsened due to lack of physical segregation and potential unauthorized access
Solution Approach 1:
The encrypted information is divided into multiple encrypted blocks distributed across different cloud locations. Each block alone is insufficient to decrypt the original information, requiring an attacker to compromise multiple locations simultaneously, thereby significantly enhancing security while maintaining cloud accessibility
Solution Approach 2:
A threshold decryption mechanism is introduced as an intermediary layer between storage and access. The system requires collaboration of multiple encrypted blocks through a threshold scheme to reconstruct the original information, preventing unauthorized access even if some blocks are compromised
2Object-affected harmful factors
If encryption techniques are used to protect information, then confidentiality is improved, but security is worsened because encryption algorithms are not inherently secure and can be broken
Solution Approach 1:
The encryption scheme is segmented into multiple blocks where the decryption capability is distributed. Even if the encryption algorithm is broken or keys are compromised, an attacker cannot decrypt the information without obtaining all necessary blocks from multiple secure locations
Solution Approach 2:
The system prepares multiple encrypted blocks in advance and distributes them to different locations before any potential security breach. This pre-distribution ensures that even if security is compromised later, the attacker cannot reconstruct the information without accessing all distributed blocks
3Reliability
If encrypted information is split into multiple portions and stored in remote locations, then security is improved, but access complexity and retrieval time are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-distributing encrypted blocks to multiple geographically dispersed locations before they are needed. This ensures that when decryption is required, all necessary blocks are already in place and can be quickly assembled, reducing retrieval time while maintaining security
Solution Approach 2:
The system merges multiple encrypted blocks from different locations into a single decrypted output through an efficient threshold decryption process. This combining operation is optimized to minimize the time required to reconstruct the original information from distributed blocks
Data Source
AI summary
A method, system, and/or computer program product stores information in a distributed data-processing environment. The method comprises: encrypting, by one or more processors, a piece of information; splitting, by one or more processors, the encrypted piece of information into at least one first encrypted block and at least one second encrypted block, at least part of said at least one first encrypted block being required for decrypting said at least one second encrypted block; distributing, by one or more processors, said at least one first encrypted block for storing in at least one first location; and distributing, by one or more processors, said at least one second encrypted block for storing in at least one second location.