2017 International Conference on Networks & Advances in Computational Technologies (NetACT) |20-22 July 2017| Trivandrum

A MODIFIED CRYPTOGRAPHIC APPROACH FOR

SECURING DISTRIBUTED DATA STORAGE IN CLOUD
COMPUTING
M. Rajasekhar Reddy1, Akilandeswari R1, S. Priyadarshini1, B. Karthikeyan2, E.Ponmani1,
1School of Computing, SASTRA University, Thanjavur - 613401, Tamil Nadu, India.
2Viswajyothi College of Engineering, Vazhakulam, Kerala, India.

Abstract--STaaS (STorage As a Service) is a data that is hosted in cloud, which may be

cloud model that gains popularity among both reachable to the cloud service providers because
private users and business enterprises ensuring there is possibility for the private data to get
remote data storage providing giant and leaked that makes businesses uneasy [6].
scalable cloud based storage spaces. The
modified cryptographic approach makes use of This paper improves on the attempts to avoid
the RSA algorithm along with Diffie-Hellman cloud providers access to users’ private data. The
to increase the security of the encrypted data proposed idea uses a modified approach to store
stored in cloud. The input file is split into two, data securely in the cloud. The data is split into
in order to make the access of the whole data two and encrypted before storing into the cloud.
difficult, and the split data is encrypted using The data split avoids leakage of sensitive
RSA and Diffie-Hellman before storing them information and the encryption process ensures
into two different cloud accounts. The split security to the data. Through this approach, even
data is then retrieved, and the retrieved cipher the service provider will not be able to reach the
data is decrypted to get the original data. The sensitive information directly.
split mechanism does not produce big The splitting of data takes place through the
overheads, and also assures data retrievability. Random Split algorithm, and the encryption
Thus data stored in the cloud is more secured process is undergone using the RSA and Diffie-
and it prevents cloud providers from directly Hellman algorithms. The data again undergoes
reaching the cloud data. decryption process using both the algorithms in
the reverse order.
I. INTRODUCTION
II.RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Cloud storage is a service that helps to store,
manage and backup data remotely by storing files The section reveals the cloud security issues,
online to access using internet from anywhere. the evolution of the security mechanism and the
Due to wide range of applications of cloud recent research methodologies that laid foundation
computing it has become very popular in current for the background of the paper. Most solutions try
era of the computing [1, 2]. Many companies and to balance the trade-off between the security and
academies have started migrating their data from data processing though it is difficult in finding a
their expensive servers to clouds. Mass storage solution to fit in most of the storage systems. [7]
refers to storing the large volume of data that
involves confidential and private data when it A.CLOUD SECURITY ISSUES
comes to organizations.
One among the significances of cloud, STaaS, is Some of the security issues found in cloud are:
the key feature in data storage [8]. It is an
architecture model offered by vendors like 1. Privacy:
Amazon S3, Dropbox, and OneDrive etc [3]. that
let users to store files and assets into the cloud.
Mass Distributed Storage (MDS) works in Once data is hosted in cloud, there should be
increasing the volume of data storage [4, 5]. One some security measure that ensures that it is
aspect to improve is the privacy and safety of the accessible only by that user. It should restrict any

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 unauthorised user to reach the sensitive data. easy to find since the key size is usually
Besides this, it should also restrict cloud providers maintained to be the same as that of plaintext size.
from accessing the data. That is, the user should The randomness in cipher text is less that results
be assured that their data remains confidential, by in more easy way to trace the key. For example in
following proper policies. any text containing meaningful sentences, the
character that will be probably more in use is the
2. Data availability: single space. Hence it is easy for the hacker to
trace the character that is more in use in the cipher
The data, once decided to store in the cloud, text. This makes it easy to match the plain and
can reside anywhere in the cloud and in case of cipher texts, using which the key value can be
any failure in the retrieval, data must be available found easily by XORing both of them [9]. Hence,
in another alternate cloud for the user. through brute force method, if the key is found,
then the encryption proves to be useless.
B.EXISTING TECHNIQUES
III.PROPOSED MODEL
a)Authorisation Mechanism
User saves data by providing credentials with The proposed model consists of three phases as
username and password. This acts as the shown in Fig.1,
authorisation for the data so that any unauthorised A. Before sending into cloud
user cannot access the data. This mechanism is This phase deals with the preparation of
less secure since that if the credentials are hacked, data to send into the cloud. That is, it deals with
it is very easy to reach the data. Moreover for the data split and the encryption process.
cloud storage, this is totally insecure for 1. Data split
confidential and private data because it is possible 2. Encryption
for the cloud service provider to directly reach the B. Cloud storage
data. This phase deals with the storing of data
into the cloud, that is, the data being uploaded into
1.1.1 b)No split Mechanism and downloaded from the cloud.
1. Upload
This mechanism is mostly used for the cloud 2. Download
storage where it follows that the data of the user, Retrieving from the cloud
to be stored in cloud is encrypted before storing. This phase deals with the retrieval of the
The encryption is done for the whole data. This data from cloud and getting the original data, the
mechanism is secure than the authorisation data being downloaded from the cloud is the split
technique since the cloud provider cannot reach one, and hence this phase first decrypts the split
the data directly. But this method has its flaw that data and then it merges it.
if the encryption algorithm is hacked, it is possible 1. Decryption
for anyone to know the data since it is saved on the 2. Data merge
whole. Any brute-force that hacks the encryption
will be able to decrypt the whole data.

1.1.2 c)Intelligent Cryptographic Approach

This technique splits the user data into two and

encrypts the data before storing into two clouds.
This method is more secure in the way that
splitting of data into two makes sure that the data,
even if hacked, proves to be of no use for the
hacker. This mechanism of splitting data makes
sure that the sensitive data is secured so that only
the authorised user knows the location of data and
integration of the data is possible only by the
actual user. The encryption process helps in Fig.1. Workflow structure of the proposed model
securing data even from the cloud providers.
The flaw with this approach is that it uses XOR
mechanism for encryption process. XOR is easy
to hack in the way that the length of plain text is 1.2 A.MODULES

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1.2.1 1. DATA SPLIT Two cloud accounts are created for the
The module deals with splitting the storage of text files. The access key is used to link
input file into two based on a random text in the to the cloud accounts.
file and encrypting them before storing into the
cloud. The input text file name is provided by the a) Upload
user that is taken for the split operation. A random
text is chosen from the file based on which the The files generated from the
split operation takes place. The file is split into encryption process are uploaded into the cloud
three parts containing the part of file before accounts. The access keys of the respective
random text, second as the random text and the accounts are used that uploads the files into
third part containing text after the random text. corresponding Dropbox accounts.

a) Random Split b) Download

1. The input file is opened and read line by line The encrypted files that are stored in
the cloud are specified with their path so that they
2. A random text is chosen from the file can be downloaded. Two files are created to store
the contents of the downloaded files.
3. Based on the random text, the file is split into two These downloaded files are
decrypted to get the original text.
and saved in two separate files.
4 DECRYPTION

2. ENCRYPTION The two encrypted files that are downloaded from

A set of prime numbers within a range is the cloud are then decrypted separately using
generated and is stored in a list. This list is used diffie-hellman, and the resultant text is again
for choosing prime numbers for the algorithm. decrypted using RSA algorithm. The decryption
Choose two parameters for encryption using RSA. process makes use of the algorithms in the reverse
The set of private and public key pair is generated order of the encryption process’ order. The result
using the following method: obtained is the two files that contain the original
a) RSA text of the split files.

An integer is chosen by multiplying 5. DATA MERGE

the two chosen parameters and the Euclid’s The two decrypted files that are created
function “phi” is calculated. A random integer ‘e’ by decrypting the corresponding downloaded files
is chosen in the range between 1 and “phi” such are merged and is stored in a single file. This is the
that they are coprime. Multiplicative inverse‘d’ of original data requested to be secured in the cloud.
the random integer is chosen taking mod as “phi”.
Here d forms the private key and e, the public key. B.ALGORITHMS

b) Diffie-Hellman 1. RSA (RIVEST-SHAMIR-ADLEMAN)

Four other random prime integers RSA is an asymmetric algorithm in which

are chosen from the list and the keys for he encryption and the decryption process makes
encryption is generated using them. One among use of different keys. It provides both
them is used as public and the other is taken as the authentication and security. If the public key is
private key. used for encryption, it is called public key
Now both the split files are encryption process and it provides security such
encrypted first using the RSA algorithm and the that only the person with the exact private key can
resulting cipher text is again encrypted using the decrypt the cipher text. It is an authentication
diffie-hellman algorithm. The resultant is the mechanism if the private key is used for the
cipher text that is stored in the respective files encryption.
created for encryption. RSA algorithm involves three steps namely,
a) Generating the key
3. CLOUD DEPLOYMENT

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 b) Encryption 3. This ptext is the original text to be used by
the user.
c) Decryption
2. DIFFIE-HELLMAN
a) Key Generation Diffie-hellman algorithm is generally used
Generation of key takes place before the in key exchange process such that both the sender
encryption step. It generates both the private and and receiver can calculate the key efficiently. In
the public key pair. our model, the diffie-hellman algorithm is used
along with RSA to randomize the cipher text
Steps: achieved. It can also be used efficiently in the
future in case we include sender- receiver concept.
1. Pick two different integers x and y, both
are to be prime. They are chosen at STEPS:
random and to be of same length.
a) Key Generation
2. Calculate p = x* y.
3. Calculate t(p) = (x-1) * (y-1), where t(p) 1. Choose a,b,g,r as four random integers
is the Euler’s totient function.
4. Pick a random prime number e, such that 2. Compute x as (g^a) mod r
1 < e < Ø(n) and e and Ø(n) are coprime. 3. Compute y as (g^b) mod r
5. calculate d as follows:
6. d = e-1(mod t(p)) i.e., d is the 4. Compute k1 as (y^a) mod r and kept as public
multiplicative inverse of e mod t(p). key
7. d is the Private- Key , such that d * e = 1
mod t(p). 5. Compute k2 as (x^a) mod r and kept as private
8. The Public-Key is, (e, p). key
9. The Private-Key is (d, p)

b) Encryption
b) Encryption

Encryption process converts the plain text or The cipher text is calculated as:
the original text into the cipher text
1. C=k1^m
Steps:

1. Encryption makes use of the Public Key

c) Decryption
(n, e).
2. Our application needs no transmit of key
since the sender and receiver are the same The plaintext is obtained as: M=K2^c.
3. The input is encrypted and the resultant
cipher text C is found by m^e(mod p).
4. This cipher is then stored in the cloud
accounts.
IV. RESULT ANALYSIS
c) Decryption
This section provides the comparison
Decryption process converts the cipher
text back to its original form. It is done with the between the intelligent approach and the modified
downloaded data from the cloud. approach and the increased level of security
Steps:
provided by the proposed method.
1. Decryption makes use of the
private key.
2. The decryption is done by computing,
ptext = Cipher^d(mod p).

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 A. INTELLIGENT APPROACH B. MODIFIED APPROACH

The data to be stored D is encrypted by XORing Here the data undergoes a two level

it with the key 0100 as shown in Fig.2. The data to encryption by RSA followed by diffie-hellman

be stored is encrypted by XORing with the key before the cloud storage. It is shown from the

100. Here, if the key is found through brute force Fig.3. . that each of the character in the plain text

method, it is very easy for the hacker to decrypt is encrypted to get a 4 digit long integer that is
difficult to predict. Further, the two step
encryption process ensures double security to the
data. Thus the method provides security to the data
stored in cloud without much difficulty in the
merging process.

the text.

Fig.2. An example for the intelligent approaach

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 Fig.3. An example for modified cryptographic approach

V. SAMPLE RESULTS

This section provides sample snapshots of the

whole process. The Fig.4 contains the input file
that is to be encrypted, Fig.5 and Fig.6. shows the
two encrypted files namely e1 and e2, and Fig.7.
shows the output file that is generated by
decrypting and merging both e1 and e2.

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 Fig.4. Input file

Fig.5. Encrypted file-1

Fig.6. Encrypted file-2

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 Fig.7. Output file

VI. PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS

PARAMETERS XOR RSA

Type of encryption Symmetric Asymmetric

Keys used Same key for Different keys for

encryption and encryption and
decryption decryption

Confidentiality Less High

Attacks possible Brute force Timing

512 bit key cracked in 3 weeks 3.7 months

1024 bit key possible 4 months 6-7 million

to crack in months

2048 bit key possible Less than an Exponential time

to crack in year

Level of security Low High

Security equal to 3000 bit key 128 bit key

Fig.8. Performance analysis of the XOR approach and RSA

algorithm

Fig.8. shows the comparison between the

performance analyses of both the approaches. As
provided, the security with the RSA algorithm is
more when compared with the XOR approach.

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[8] Yibin Li, Keke Gai, Longfei Qiu,
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