Multi-User Searchable Encryption via Proxy Re-Encryption

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current multi-user searchable encryption systems face challenges in balancing data security and efficient search functionality, particularly in cloud storage environments where data encryption must prevent inference of data patterns and ensure adaptability to user changes.

Innovation Solution

A multi-user searchable encryption system is implemented using a key generation server that issues primary and secondary keys, with a proxy server re-encrypting keywords and symmetric keys, allowing for secure and efficient search over encrypted data by generating trapdoors and decryption parameters, while maintaining tables to store location addresses of encrypted data.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If data is encrypted to ensure security, then data security is improved, but search functionality deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata securityVSAvoidsearch functionality
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments data into multiple encrypted blocks with separate encryption keys, allowing selective decryption and search of specific portions without compromising overall data security. Each block can be independently searched while maintaining encryption for non-searched blocks.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

An intermediary component is introduced that handles the conversion between encrypted data and searchable formats, enabling search operations on encrypted data without requiring full decryption, thus maintaining security while restoring search functionality.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Productivity

If data is stored in plaintext for easy search, then search efficiency is improved, but data security deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesearch efficiencyVSAvoiddata security
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

Different portions of the data system have different encryption characteristics - frequently searched data is stored in a more accessible encrypted format, while other data maintains stronger encryption, optimizing the balance between security and search efficiency locally rather than uniformly.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

Data is pre-processed and indexed in encrypted form before search operations, allowing the system to perform search operations on prepared encrypted structures rather than decrypting entire datasets during search, thus maintaining both security and efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Quantity of substance

If cloud storage is used to reduce costs, then storage cost is improved, but data control and security deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestorage costVSAvoiddata control
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements dynamic control mechanisms where encryption keys and access permissions can be dynamically adjusted based on user roles, data sensitivity, and operational requirements, allowing flexible data control in the cloud environment without requiring centralized plaintext management.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes cryptographic parameters such as key lengths, encryption algorithms, and access policies based on data classification and security requirements, enabling differentiated security control in cloud storage without uniform restrictions on all data.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS9515994B2Keyword ordered storage, search and retrieval on encrypted data for multiuser scenario
Publication Date: 2016.12.06 INFOSYS LTD
  • US9515994B2 patent drawing
  • US9515994B2 patent drawing
  • US9515994B2 patent drawing

AI summary

A method and system for a multi-user searchable encryption system over ordered keywords is disclosed. The system includes a key generation server which issues a primary key to a user terminal device and a secondary key to a proxy server. A trapdoor is sent by the user terminal and received by the proxy server. The trapdoor is encrypted at the proxy server. The proxy server receives cypher text from the user terminal and sends the cypher text to the database server. A search keyword inputted by the user at the user terminal is used to perform a lookup in encrypted data.