TRUSTED CLOUD COMPUTING AND SERVICES FRAMEWORK

• US 20100211781A1
• Filed: 06/24/2009
• Published: 08/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Auradkar, Rahul V., D'Souza, Roy Peter
• Granted Patent: US 9,165,154 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6209 to a single file or object, e.g. in a secure envelope, encrypted and accessed using a key, or with access control rules appended to the object itself
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2101 Auditing as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/42 Anonymization, e.g. involving pseudonyms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/60 Digital content management, e.g. content distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/80 Wireless network architectures or network communication protocols for wireless network security H04W12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0866 involving user or device identifiers, e.g. serial number, physical or biometrical information, DNA, hand-signature or measurable physical characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3271 using challenge-response
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/033 of the user plane, e.g. user's traffic

Abstract

A digital escrow pattern is provided for network data services including searchable encryption techniques for data stored in a cloud, distributing trust across multiple entities to avoid a single point of data compromise. In one embodiment, a key generator, a cryptographic technology provider and a cloud services provider are each provided as separate entities, enabling a publisher of data to publish data confidentially (encrypted) to a cloud services provider, and then expose the encrypted data selectively to subscribers requesting that data based on subscriber identity information encoded in key information generated in response to the subscriber requests, e.g., a role of the subscriber.

Claims

1. A method for subscribing to data, comprising:

requesting a subset of searchably encrypted data by at least one subscriber device;

receiving cryptographic key information from a key generation component that generates the cryptographic key information based on identity information associated with the at least one subscriber device;

decrypting the subset of encrypted data as allowed by capabilities defined in the cryptographic key information; and

validating that a correct subset of encrypted data consistent with the requesting is received by the at least one subscriber device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the validating includes performing a proof of data possession to prove that the correct subset is received by the at least one subscriber device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving includes receiving cryptographic key information from a key generation component executing in a separate region of control that generates the cryptographic key information based on at least one role determined from the identity information.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising verifying content of the subset of encrypted data was not deleted or modified prior to receiving the subset of encrypted data.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the verifying includes performing a proof of retrievability to prove lack of interference with the content.

6. A system, comprising:

at least one data store storing selectively accessible encrypted data records wherein at least one subscriber requests a subscription to a subset of data records, a first independent entity generates cryptographic key information based on identity information associated with the at least one subscriber, and a second independent entity performs decrypting of the subset based on the cryptographic key information generated by the first independent entity; and

at least one processor configured to perform a network service, for handling at least one request by the at least one subscriber, that provides selective access to the subset of data records and validates that the subset is a correct subset consistent with the subscription.

7. A method for subscribing to data, comprising:

requesting a subset of searchably encrypted data from at least one subscriber device;

receiving cryptographic key information from a key generation component that generates the cryptographic key information based on identity information associated with the at least one subscriber device;

decrypting the subset of encrypted data as allowed by capabilities defined in the cryptographic key information; and

verifying content of the subset of encrypted data was not deleted or modified prior to being received by the at least one subscriber device.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the verifying includes performing a proof of retrievability to prove lack of interference with the content.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the receiving includes receiving cryptographic key information from a key generation component that generates the cryptographic key information based on at least one role determined from the identity information.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

validating that a correct subset of encrypted data consistent with the requesting is received by the at least one subscriber device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the validating includes performing a proof of data possession to prove that the correct subset is received by the at least one subscriber device.

12. A system, comprising:

at least one data store storing selectively accessible encrypted data records wherein at least one subscriber device requests a subscription to a subset of data records, a first independent entity generates cryptographic key information based on identity information associated with the at least one subscriber device, and a second independent entity performs decrypting of the subset based on the cryptographic key information generated by the first independent entity; and

at least one processor configured to perform a network service, for a request by the at least one subscriber device, that provides selective access to the subset of data records and verifies that the content of the data records in the subset has not been modified without permission.

13. A method, comprising:

requesting a first entity to validate identity information associated with a computing device;

requesting and receiving key information from a second entity, operating independently from the first entity, based on at least one role determined from the identity information;

encrypting at least one record accessible from the computing device based on the key information according to a searchable encryption algorithm; and

defining at least one capability for at least one subscriber role with respect to the at least one record for selectively providing decrypted access to the at least one record.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the requesting includes anonymizing credentials associated with the computing device.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the receiving of key information includes receiving key information encoding a master public key associated with the identity information.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the requesting of the first entity to validate identity information includes requesting token information representing at least one role related to the identity information associated with the computing device.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the defining includes defining at least one capability for a business process auditor.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the defining includes defining at least one capability for a business process auditor with respect to an encrypted audit log record.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the defining includes defining at least one capability for an administrator to monitor at least one record pertaining to a server process.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the defining includes defining at least one capability for a party to retrieve at least one record pertaining to a litigation process based on at least one encrypted keyword search.