Secure cloud storage distribution and aggregation

• US 9,280,678 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2013
• Issued: 03/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fortinet Inc.
• Original Assignee: Fortinet Inc.
• Inventors: Redberg, David A.
• Primary Examiner(s): LEWIS, LISA C
• Application Number:
  US14/094,484
• Publication Number:
  US 20150154418A1
• Time in Patent Office: 827 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/148 File search processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/164 File meta data generation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/182 Distributed file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/60 Protecting data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/602 Providing cryptographic facilities or services
• 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 21/6227 where protection concerns the structure of data, e.g. records, types, queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6272 by registering files or documents with a third party
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/02 for separating internal from external traffic, e.g. firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/06 for supporting key management in a packet data network cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for key management H04L9/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0631 Substitution permutation network [SPN], i.e. cipher composed of a number of stages or rounds each involving linear and nonlinear transformations, e.g. AES algorithms

Abstract

Methods and systems for vendor independent and secure cloud storage distribution and aggregation are provided. According to one embodiment, an application programming interface (API) is provided by a cloud storage gateway device logically interposed between third-party cloud storage platforms and users of an enterprise. The API facilitates storing of files, issuing of search requests against the files and retrieval of content of the files. A file storage policy is assigned to each user, which defines access rights, storage diversity requirements and a type of encryption to be applied to files. Responsive to receiving a request to store a file, (i) searchable encrypted data is created relating to content and/or metadata of the file based on the assigned file storage policy; and (ii) the searchable encrypted data is distributed among the third-party cloud storage platforms based on the storage diversity requirements defined by the assigned file storage policy.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

assigning to one or more users, by a gateway device, a policy for managing access to and processing a file to be stored on one or more cloud platforms, wherein the policy defines access rights of the one or more users;

encrypting, by the gateway device, using cryptographic key information defined by the policy, content of the file to produce a searchable encrypted file by;

dividing the file into a plurality of chunks;

creating namespaces for one or more of the plurality of chunks; and

configuring the namespaces of the one or more chunks such that content of the file is encrypted in a manner that makes it searchable;

storing, by the gateway device, the searchable encrypted file on the one or more cloud platforms based on the policy; and

managing access to the searchable encrypted file by the one or more users based on the policy.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of managing comprises allowing the one or more users to download the searchable encrypted file to a local device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the local device comprises a mobile computing device.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the downloaded encrypted file is searchable by the one or more users using the cryptographic key information.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a set of chunks from the plurality of chunks is searchable.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of configuring the namespaces comprises storing content of the file as filenames.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of encrypting further comprises the step of randomly creating empty files.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of encrypting the file is carried out independent of the service provider of the one or more cloud platforms.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the policy is implemented for a group of users.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the policy defines the manner in which the file is stored, accessed, and processed.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the file is stored across two or more cloud platforms.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said storing the searchable encrypted file on the one or more cloud platforms is carried out independent of the service provider of the one or more cloud platforms.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the policy is selected from a plurality of policies stored in a database, wherein the database is operatively coupled with the gateway device.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the policy defines one or more of a set of encryption keys, a set of decryption keys, search indices, a type of encryption and one or more authorized locations to which the file may be stored.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein said encrypting further comprises encrypting one or more of filename and search indices.

16. A secure cloud storage system comprising:

one or more processors;

a communication interface mechanism;

one or more internal data storage devices operatively coupled to the one or more processors and storing;

a policy assignment module, which, when executed by the one or more processors, implements a policy selected from a group of policies for a user, wherein the policy defines and manages access to and processing of a file to be uploaded on a cloud, wherein the policy defines access rights of the user;

an encryption module, which, when executed by the one or more processors;

using cryptographic key information defined by the policy, produces a searchable encrypted file by encrypting content of the file to be stored across one or more cloud platforms;

divides the file into a plurality of chunks;

creates namespaces for one or more of the plurality of chunks; and

configures the namespaces of the one or more chunks such that content of the file is encrypted in a manner that makes it searchable;

a storage module, which, when executed by the one or more processors, stores the searchable encrypted file on the one or more cloud platforms based on the policy; and

a management module, which, when executed by the one or more processors manages and controls access to the searchable encrypted file by the user based on the policy.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the management module further allows the user to download the searchable encrypted file to a local device.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the downloaded encrypted file is searchable by the user using the cryptographic key information defined by the policy.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein a set of chunks from the plurality of chunks is searchable.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the encryption module further randomly creates empty files.

21. The system of claim 16, wherein one or more of the policy assignment module, the encryption module, the storage module, and the management module are implemented on different devices, wherein the devices are selected from one or more of access management devices, proxy devices, gateway devices, and network controllers.

22. The system of claim 16, further comprising a mediation module, which, when executed by the one or more processors makes implementation of one or more of the policy assignment module, the encryption module, the storage module, and the policy management module independent of the service provider of the one or more cloud platforms.

23. The system of claim 16, wherein the policy is implemented for a group of users.

24. The system of claim 16, wherein the policy defines the manner in which the file is stored and processed.

25. The system of claim 16, wherein the file is stored across two or more cloud storage platforms.

26. The system of claim 16, wherein the group of policies are stored in a database operatively coupled with the system.

27. The system of claim 16, wherein the policy defines and manages one or more of encryption keys, decryption keys, search indices, type of encryption, and location of the file.