Method of processing data to enable external storage thereof with minimized risk of information leakage

• US 9,043,933 B2
• Filed: 11/19/2013
• Issued: 05/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Watanabe, Yuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Zee, Edward
• Application Number:
  US14/083,716
• Publication Number:
  US 20140075205A1
• Time in Patent Office: 553 Days
• Field of Search: 726/26, 726/27, 713/189, 713/193, 713/194, 705/50, 705/51, 705/2, 705/3
• US Class Current: 726/27
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45587 Isolation or security of virtual machine instances
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/64 Protecting data integrity, e.g. using checksums, certificates or signatures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2107 File encryption
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2115 Third party
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects

Abstract

A method is provided to process data so that the data can be externally stored with minimized risk of information leakage. A framework (virtual execution framework) based on virtual machines (VMs) is utilized as a substitute for a trusted institution. Encryption of consolidated data can reduce risk of information leakage and enhance security. Since the virtual execution framework can control connection and direction of communication, financial institutions are allowed to apply encryption to data on their own, which makes the data further appropriate for external storage. By allowing financial institutions to apply their own decryption, it is possible to prevent one of two financial institutions from retrieving externally stored data into the external execution framework without intervention of the other. Additionally, associated acting subjects can be provided with freedom depending on the degree of information leakage risk.

Claims

1. A computer program product to control a memory space within a virtual execution framework, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having program code embodied therewith, the program code executable by a hardware processor to perform a method comprising:

receiving from a first one of a plurality of computers, a first data set independently possessed by the first computer to a memory space which is under control of the virtual execution framework;

receiving from a second one of the plurality of computers, a second data set independently possessed by the second computer to a memory space which is under control of the virtual execution framework;

receiving, under control of the virtual execution framework, a calculation module to a memory space which is under control of the virtual execution framework, by one of;

the first computer, the second computer, or a third computer;

forcing, under control of the virtual execution framework, one of;

the first computer, the second computer, or the third computer to calculate a combined data set from the first data set and the second data set using the calculation module;

receiving from the first computer a first encryption module controllable only by the first computer to a memory space which is under control of the first computer;

receiving from the second computer a second encryption module controllable only by the second computer to a memory space which is under control of the virtual execution framework;

forcing, under control of the virtual execution framework, the second computer to encrypt the combined data set using the second encryption module;

causing the first computer to dual-encrypt the combined data set encrypted by the second encryption module using the first encryption module; and

causing the dual-encrypted combined data set to be transported to an external storage by the first computer or the second computer.

2. The computer program product according to claim 1, the method further comprising:

receiving, by the first computer, a first decryption module controllable only by the first computer to a memory space which is under control of the first computer;

receiving, by the second computer, a second decryption module controllable only by the second computer to a memory space which is under control of the second computer;

causing the dual-encrypted data from the external storage to be downloaded by one of the first computer and the second computer;

decrypting the downloaded data by the first computer using the first decryption module;

decrypting the downloaded data by the second computer using the second decryption module; and

forcing the first computer to process the data decrypted by the second decryption module under control of the virtual execution framework.

3. The computer program product according to claim 1, the method further comprising:

receiving from the first computer, a first proxy decryption module controllable only by the first computer to a memory space which is under control of the virtual execution framework; and

decrypting data for which processing is enforced with the first proxy decryption module.

4. The computer program product according to claim 3, wherein a cryptographic key used in the first encryption module for encryption is sent to the first proxy decryption module in an encrypted format.

5. The computer program product according to claim 1, the method further comprising:

configuring a unit space in which the first data set has been uploaded to be inaccessible to the second computer, under control of the virtual execution framework; and

configuring a unit space in which the second data set has been uploaded to be inaccessible to the first computer, under control of the virtual execution framework.

6. A device for controlling a memory space within a virtual execution framework, the device comprising:

at least one hardware processor;

at least one memory operably connected to the at least one hardware processor; and

a program of instruction encoded on the at least one memory and executed by the at least one hardware processor to;

provide a plurality of unit spaces to or from which data and modules can be uploaded or downloaded by a plurality of computers;

permit setting of an entity that is granted access to each of the plurality of unit spaces;

control direction of communication between data and modules uploaded in one unit space and data and modules uploaded in another unit space in the plurality of unit spaces;

control the flow in and out of at least two of the plurality of unit spaces; and

control connection and direction of communication between data and modules uploaded in one unit space and data and modules uploaded in another unit space, the unit spaces including unit spaces under control of the plurality of computers and unit spaces in the memory space controlled by the virtual execution framework.

7. The device according to claim 6, the program of instruction encoded on the at least one memory and executed by the at least one hardware processor further comprising:

receiving at least one decryption module from one of the plurality of computers.

8. The device according to claim 7, wherein the at least one decryption module is controllable by at least one of the plurality of computers.

9. The device according to claim 6, the program of instruction encoded on the at least one memory and executed by the at least one hardware processor further comprising:

receiving at least one proxy decryption module from one of the plurality of computers.

10. The device according to claim 7, wherein the at least one proxy decryption module is controllable by at least one of the plurality of computers.

11. The device according to claim 6, the program of instruction encoded on the at least one memory and executed by the at least one hardware processor further comprising:

forcing at least one of the plurality of computers to encrypt data uploaded from one or more of the plurality of unit spaces.

12. The device according to claim 6, the program of instruction encoded on the at least one memory and executed by the at least one hardware processor further comprising:

receiving at least one encryption module from one of the plurality of computers.

13. The device according to claim 12, wherein the at least one encryption module is controllable by at least one of the plurality of computers.

14. The device according to claim 12, wherein the at least one encryption module uses a cryptographic key provided by one of the plurality of computers.

15. The device according to claim 6, the program of instruction encoded on the at least one memory and executed by the at least one hardware processor further comprising:

forcing at least one of the plurality of computers to calculate a combined data set from data uploaded from at least two of the plurality of unit spaces.

16. The device according to claim 6, the program of instruction encoded on the at least one memory and executed by the at least one hardware processor further comprising:

receiving at least one calculation module from one of the plurality of computers.

17. The device according to claim 12, wherein the at least one calculation module is controllable by at least one of the plurality of computers.

18. A computer program product to control a memory space within a virtual execution framework, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having program code embodied therewith, the program code executable by a hardware processor to perform a method comprising:

providing a plurality of unit spaces to or from which data and modules can be uploaded or downloaded by a plurality of computers;

permitting setting of an entity that is granted access to each of the plurality of unit spaces;

controlling the direction of communication between data and modules uploaded in one unit space and data and modules uploaded in another unit space in the plurality of unit spaces;

controlling the flow in and out of at least two of the plurality of unit spaces; and

controlling connection and direction of communication between data and modules uploaded in one unit space and data and modules uploaded in another unit space, the unit spaces including unit spaces under control of the plurality of computers and unit spaces in the memory space controlled by the virtual execution framework.

19. The computer program product according to claim 18, the program code executable by a hardware processor to perform the method further comprising:

receiving from at least one of the plurality of computers at least one of;

at least one decryption module;

at least one encryption module;

at least one proxy decryption module; and

at least one calculation module.

20. The computer program product according to claim 18, wherein the entity is at least one of the plurality of computers.