Seamless Remote Storage of Uniformly Encrypted Data for Diverse Platforms and Devices

• US 20130283038A1
• Filed: 04/23/2012
• Published: 10/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Raghavendra Kulkarni, Raghavendra Prasad Meengga, Sreedhar Acharya B
• Original Assignee: Raghavendra Kulkarni, Raghavendra Prasad Meengga, Sreedhar Acharya B
• Inventors: Kulkarni, Raghavendra, B, Sreedhar Acharya, Meengga, Raghavendra Prasad
• Granted Patent: US 9,137,225 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/153
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/065 for group communications cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key management involving conference or group key H04L9/0833
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• 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 9/0861 Generation of secret information including derivation or calculation of cryptographic keys or passwords
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3226 using a predetermined code, e.g. password, passphrase or PIN network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using passwords in a packet data network H04L63/083

Abstract

A way of providing seamless remote data storage and access with a universal encryption key is provided. Data may be able to be uploaded from and/or downloaded to a variety of user devices and/or types of user devices. During transfer of data, a secure communication channel may be established between a user device and a destination storage. Data may be compressed and/or encrypted before being passed to the destination storage. Such compression and/or encryption may be performed at the user device or an intermediate processing module. Likewise, when downloading data, the data may be decompressed and/or decrypted before being made available to a destination user device. Such decompression and/or decryption may be performed at the destination device or the intermediate processing module. In any case, the universal encryption key may be utilized by all user devices to generate uniformly encrypted data.

Claims

1. A method for remotely storing user data having uniform encryption among a plurality of devices, the method comprising:

opening a first communication channel between a user device and an intermediate processing module;

receiving user account information from the user device over the first communication channel for temporary use at the intermediate processing module, wherein the user account information includes at least a user account encryption key;

receiving user data for remote storage from the user device at the intermediate processing module;

encrypting the user data at the intermediate processing module using the received user account encryption key;

opening a second communication channel between the intermediate processing module and a destination storage, wherein the second communication channel is opened after authentication of a user account using the received user account information;

transferring the encrypted user data from the intermediate processing module to the destination storage; and

removing the user account information from the intermediate processing module.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising authenticating user access to the intermediate processing module, wherein authenticating user access comprises:

receiving encrypted authentication data from the user device;

decrypting the authentication data using a shared encryption key; and

extracting the user account information from the decrypted authentication data for comparison with previously stored user account information.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

receiving, from the destination storage, a dynamic string; and

generating the shared encryption key using an automated algorithm, wherein the shared encryption key is based at least partly on the dynamic string.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein authentication of the user account using the received user account information comprises comparing the received user account information with previously stored user account information.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising compressing the user data at the intermediate processing module.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein opening the second communication channel comprises:

sending the received account information to a remote authentication server; and

receiving an indication of authentication from the remote authentication server when the received user account information matches previously stored user account information.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the first communication channel is an encrypted communication channel.

7. A method of opening a communication channel for access to a remote server from a user device associated with a user, the method comprising:

encrypting a set of user account information using a private encryption key;

generating a concatenated string that comprises the encrypted set of user account information;

encrypting the concatenated string using a shared encryption key that is based at least partly on a dynamic string; and

sending the encrypted concatenated string to the remote server for authentication.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising receiving a verification from the remote server if elements of the concatenated string match previously stored user account information on the remote server.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

sending, from the user device, a request for authentication to the remote server; and

receiving, at the user device, the dynamic string from the remote server.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the set of user account information comprises at least one of a username and a password.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the shared encryption key is generated using an automated algorithm.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein the private encryption key is received from the user.

12. (canceled)

14. A method of opening a communication channel between a remote storage and a user device associated with a user, the method comprising:

receiving an encrypted concatenated string from the user device for authentication, wherein the encrypted concatenated string includes at least some user account information that is encrypted using a user account encryption key;

decrypting the encrypted concatenated string using a shared encryption key that is generated using a dynamic string; and

retrieving a set of user account information from the decrypted concatenated string for authenticating user access.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

receiving, from the user device, a request for authentication at a remote server;

sending, to the user device, the dynamic string, wherein the dynamic string is generated by the remote server; and

generating the shared encryption key based at least partly on the dynamic string.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the shared encryption key is generated using an automated algorithm.

17. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

retrieving previously stored user account information;

determining whether elements of the concatenated string match elements of the retrieved previously stored user account information; and

allowing access to a client application when determining that the elements match or denying access to the client application when determining that the elements do not match.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the concatenated string comprises a username and a password.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the concatenated string comprises an encrypted version of at least one of a user name and a password using the user account encryption key.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the previously stored user account information comprises a username, a password, and at least one of the username and the password encrypted with the user account encryption key.