Distributed One-Time Pad Encryption for Data Sovereignty
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for secure storage of personal data in the cloud face challenges such as territorial privacy laws, risk of data leakage due to advanced algorithms or compromised encryption keys, and lack of independence in encryption pads, making them insecure and vulnerable to quantum attacks.
Innovation Solution
The system employs a method of encrypting input data multiple times using independently random or pseudorandom one-time-pads, each used only once, and stores these encrypted data shards and one-time-pads at different, geographically separated locations, making it difficult for attackers to decrypt the data without access to all shards.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If data is encrypted and stored in cloud storage providers that distribute or migrate content across multiple geographic sites, then data redundancy and load balancing are improved, but data sovereignty and compliance with territorial privacy laws deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments encrypted data into multiple data shards that are distributed across different geographic locations. Each shard alone is insufficient to reconstruct the original data, ensuring that no single location possesses complete private information. This segmentation enables cloud providers to maintain redundancy and migrate shards across sites while complying with territorial privacy laws, as each jurisdiction only holds a fragment of the overall data.
2Ease of operation
If encryption keys are stored centrally to facilitate data access, then ease of operation is improved, but security deteriorates due to increased risk of key compromise
Solution Approach 1:
The encryption key material is segmented into multiple data pads that are distributed across different locations. Each data pad alone is insufficient to decrypt the data, and the system requires a threshold number of pads to reconstruct the encryption capability. This segmentation eliminates centralized key storage, reducing the attack surface while maintaining operational ease through automated threshold cryptography protocols.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements nested encryption layers where data is encrypted with multiple data pads in sequence, creating nested ciphertext layers. Each layer requires a corresponding data pad to peel away, creating a nested structure where decryption proceeds layer by layer. This nested approach enables controlled access without centralized key management, as each layer's decryption depends on having the specific nested pad.
3Productivity
If derived data pads are generated from reusable base data pads to handle large amounts of data, then productivity is improved, but security deteriorates due to quantum vulnerability and attack vectors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent generates data pads that are designed to be used once and then discarded or rotated, rather than reusing base pads extensively. Each data pad serves its encryption purpose and is then invalidated, preventing attackers from accumulating enough information through repeated exposure to the same pad material. This disposable approach to encryption material, combined with frequent rotation, provides quantum-resistant security while maintaining productivity through automated pad generation and management systems.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer implemented method of securely storing an anonymised input data item, the method including: (i) obtaining a first set of data points defining a representation of the input data item, wherein each data point is defined by a numeric value; (ii) generating a plurality n of random or pseudorandom second sets of data points, where n is two or more, each set including a one-time-pad, (iii) encrypting the first set of data points n times using the n one-time-pads; and (iv) storing each of the n one-time-pads and the encrypted first set of data points at respective different locations.