Homomorphic Encryption for Secure Data Aggregation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing encryption schemes in communication systems do not effectively secure the aggregation of data from multiple clients while ensuring that individual client data remains confidential and is only revealed to a server, as they often require centralized key construction and limited delegation possibilities.
Innovation Solution
A distributed, homomorphic encryption scheme is implemented, where clients encrypt data using their shares of the decryption key and a server encryption key, allowing for secure aggregation without revealing individual client data to the server, using a homomorphic combination unit to combine encrypted data based on the server encryption key, and enabling the server to decrypt the aggregated data without accessing individual client shares.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If centralized key construction is used in encryption schemes, then key management is simplified, but data confidentiality and client privacy are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The decryption key is segmented into multiple shares distributed to different clients. Each client holds a share of the decryption key rather than the complete key. This segmentation allows the server to aggregate encrypted data without having access to individual client data, as it would need all key shares to decrypt, thus maintaining data confidentiality while simplifying key management operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a new dimension to key management by implementing a distributed key architecture where the decryption key exists in multiple dimensions (shares) across different clients. This dimensional transformation allows the system to achieve both centralized operational simplicity and decentralized security, as the server can perform aggregations without possessing any single key dimension that would compromise confidentiality.
2Reliability
If a server aggregates encrypted data without decryption, then data privacy is maintained, but the server cannot process or compute meaningful results
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces homomorphic encryption as an intermediary mechanism that allows the server to perform computations on encrypted data without decrypting it. The homomorphic properties enable the server to aggregate encrypted values and obtain an encrypted result that, when decrypted by authorized clients, yields the correct computational outcome. This intermediary approach maintains data privacy throughout the processing chain while enabling meaningful data aggregation and analysis.
3Reliability
If distributed encryption schemes are implemented, then data confidentiality is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal homomorphic encryption scheme that serves multiple functions within a single framework. The same encryption mechanism enables data confidentiality, supports distributed key management, allows server-side aggregation of encrypted data, and provides client-controlled decryption. This multi-functionality reduces overall system complexity by consolidating what would otherwise require separate mechanisms into a single unified approach.
Data Source
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AI summary
This invention relates to a method and a system (100) for aggregating data. The system (100) comprises: a first client (101a) and a second client (101b), wherein the first client (101a) and the second client (101b) each have access to a client encryption key pk, a respective share sk1, sk2 of a client decryption key sk and a server encryption key pk', wherein the first client (101a) is configured to encrypt data m1 from the first client (101a) on the basis of the client encryption key pk, the share sk1 of the client decryption key sk of the first client (101a) and the server encryption key pk' for generating encrypted data c1 from the first client (101a) and wherein the second client (101b) is configured to encrypt data m2 from the second client (101b) on the basis of the client encryption key pk, the share sk2 of the client decryption key sk of the second client (101b) and the server encryption key pk' for generating encrypted data c2 from the second client (101b); a homomorphic combination unit (103a) configured to combine the encrypted data c1 from the first client (101a) with the encrypted data c2 from the second client (101b) by means of a homomorphic operation on the basis of the server encryption key pk' for generating a homomorphic combination c1,2 of the encrypted data c1 from the first client (101a) and the encrypted data c2 from the second client (101b), wherein the homomorphic combination c1,2 does not depend on the client encryption key pk, the share sk1 of the client decryption key sk of the first client (101a) and the share sk2 of the client decryption key sk of the second client (101b); and a server (105) configured to decrypt the homomorphic combination c1,2 of the encrypted data c1 from the first client (101a) and the encrypted data c2 from the second client (101b) on the basis of a server decryption key sk'.