Circuit Ciphertext-Policy Attribute-Based Hybrid Encryption with Verifiable Delegation in Cloud Computing

Abstract

This research proposes a novel ciphertext-policy attribute-based hybrid encryption (CP-ABE-HE) scheme enhanced with verifiable delegation for secure data sharing in cloud environments. The scheme utilizes Boolean circuits to represent access policies, offering fine-grained control over data access. A key contribution is the integration of verifiable delegation, allowing authorized users to securely delegate decryption rights to others while maintaining accountability. Simulation results demonstrate improved efficiency and security compared to existing CP-ABE schemes, particularly in scenarios with frequent data delegation. The system enhances data security and simplifies access control management in cloud-based data storage and sharing.

Introduction

Cloud computing offers scalable data storage and processing, but security remains a major concern. Attribute-Based Encryption (ABE) provides fine-grained access control, allowing data encryption based on user attributes rather than identities. Ciphertext-Policy ABE (CP-ABE) further enhances flexibility by allowing the data owner to define access policies embedded within the ciphertext. However, existing CP-ABE schemes often lack efficient mechanisms for secure and verifiable delegation of decryption rights. This research addresses this gap by developing a CP-ABE-HE scheme with verifiable delegation, enabling secure and auditable data sharing in cloud environments. The challenges lie in balancing efficient computation with strong security guarantees against collusion attacks and ensuring the verifiability of delegation without compromising performance.

Objectives

• To design a secure and efficient CP-ABE-HE scheme utilizing Boolean circuits for access policy representation.
• To develop a verifiable delegation mechanism that allows secure and auditable transfer of decryption rights.
• To implement and evaluate the proposed system to demonstrate its performance and security advantages.