Abstract:

The widespread adoption of cloud storage services has emphasized the need to strengthen data privacy and security in cloud environments. While encryption methods provide a basic level of confidentiality, they traditionally hinder the efficient search and retrieval of specific data, limiting the usability of cloud storage systems. In response to this challenge, we propose an innovative approach to keyword search on encrypted cloud data, utilizing Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) encryption. Our method harnesses ECC encryption to ensure robust data confidentiality while enabling efficient keyword-based search operations without the need for decryption. By leveraging ECC encryption and novel index structures, our approach facilitates multi-keyword ranked searches, with dynamic index updates to maintain search relevance and efficiency. Access to encrypted data remains restricted to authorized users with the necessary decryption keys, thus safeguarding sensitive information against unauthorized access. Moreover, to enhance data integrity, our framework incorporates External Validators (EVs) as trusted entities, reducing dependence on the data storage provider and reinforcing data integrity mechanisms. Through a careful integration of cryptographic techniques and index optimizations, our solution achieves a balanced trade-off between data privacy and search functionality, providing a robust mechanism for securely storing and retrieving data from cloud environments. Experimental evaluations validate the effectiveness of our proposed approach in real-world cloud storage scenarios, highlighting its potential to significantly enhance cloud security. This research offers a valuable contribution to the field by presenting a practical and efficient solution for strengthening data privacy while facilitating seamless data search and retrieval in cloud infrastructures. Index Terms — Cloud data storage, Data encryption, Elliptic curve cryptography, Keyword construction, Index generation, Keyword ranking, Index updating, Integrity checking, External Validators