Notary Service for Cloud Data Authenticity Verification
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Solution Overview
Problem
In cloud storage, particularly for sensitive data like patient records, there is a need to ensure data authenticity and integrity over long periods, as corruption or alteration can lead to incorrect diagnoses and liability disputes between users and cloud providers, with existing methods lacking effective verification and accountability mechanisms.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a Notary Service Provider (NSP) using Function as a Service (FaaS) to create and verify digital signatures for stored data, ensuring data integrity and authenticity by generating and verifying hash codes, and providing a third-party attestation for data authenticity, thereby preventing data corruption and identifying its source.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If data is stored in cloud object storage for long periods, then storage cost is reduced and scalability is improved, but data authenticity and integrity cannot be verified over time
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by generating digital signatures and hash codes at the time of data storage, storing these verification artifacts alongside the data. This preliminary verification infrastructure is established before any potential data alteration occurs, enabling future authenticity verification without adding complexity to the storage operation itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a notary service as an intermediary component that independently verifies data authenticity by checking digital signatures and hash codes. This mediator separates the verification function from both the data owner and cloud storage provider, providing trusted third-party validation without requiring direct integration between conflicting parties.
2Reliability
If cloud providers store data without verification mechanisms, then storage operations are simplified, but accountability for data corruption cannot be established
Solution Approach 1:
The system establishes accountability through preliminary actions by requiring cloud providers to generate and store digital signatures and hash codes at the time of data ingestion. These verification artifacts are created and stored as part of the initial storage operation, creating an auditable trail that can later prove or disprove data integrity without complicating the core storage function.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where the notary service independently verifies data authenticity by checking digital signatures and hash codes, then provides verification results back to data owners and regulators. This feedback loop creates accountability by providing objective evidence of whether data has been altered, enabling cloud providers to demonstrate compliance without continuous manual monitoring.
3Reliability
If digital signatures are stored with data in the same cloud location, then verification is simplified, but signatures can be deleted or corrupted along with the data
Solution Approach 1:
The notary service acts as an intermediary that maintains independent copies of digital signatures and hash codes, separate from both the data owner and cloud storage provider. This intermediary storage location ensures that verification artifacts cannot be deleted or corrupted along with the original data, as the notary maintains its own secure copy for independent verification.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies local quality by differentiating storage locations and access controls for different components: data is stored in cloud object storage, while digital signatures and hash codes are stored in separate, secured locations with restricted access. The notary service maintains its own local copy of verification artifacts with specialized security measures, ensuring that each component has appropriate protection tailored to its function.
Data Source
AI summary
One example method includes accessing stored data, associating a unique identifier with the data, creating a hash by hashing a combination that comprises the unique identifier and the data, transmitting the hash to a notary service, receiving, from the notary service, a digital signature that corresponds to the hash, appending the digital signature to the data, and storing, as an object, a combination that comprises the digital signature, the data, and the unique identifier.