An architecture for secure searchable cloud storage

Abstract

Cloud Computing is a relatively new and appealing concept; however, users may not fully trust Cloud Providers with their data and can be reluctant to store their files on Cloud Storage Services. The problem is that Cloud Providers allow users to store their information on the provider's infrastructure with compliance to their terms and conditions, however all security is handled by the provider and generally the details of how this is done are not disclosed. This thesis describes a solution that allows users to securely store data all a public cloud, while also providing a mechanism to allow for searchability through their encrypted data. Users are able to submit encrypted keyword queries and, through a symmetric searchable encryption scheme, the system retrieves a list of files with such keywords contained within the cloud storage medium.