TERM PAPER

ON

Cloud Cryptography

Submitted by:
Sai Teja Uppuluri
11703780
K17KP
Computer Science and Engineering
Saitejachowdary.uppuluri@gmail.com
 I. INTRODUCTION
Cloud computing is the usage of computing
services like servers, databases, networking,
software through any web-based interface to make
use of infrastructure more efficiently. There are
different types of clouds:
 Public cloud
 Private cloud
 Hybrid cloud
 Community cloud
 and organisations or people using cloud
are concerned about the privacy of data.
Cloud computing provides customers a virtual
computing infrastructure on which you can run
applications and store data. We face security
challenges as cloud operators may manipulate
client data without being fully trusted from
digitalisation of education system to facilitating
remote access to data cloud technology had played
a very vital role. As business information
regulations security expand at a fast pace,
corporate world often faces privacy and security
challenges that they might not be aware of. So, we
use cloud cryptography to protect this data.
Cryptography is used in all fields to secure the
data and prevent it from getting hacked. For
example, for securing the passwords
authenticating the banking transactions and many
more nowadays various new cryptographic
techniques are developed and cracked. Hence it is
important to always be aware of the computer
threats and take precautions to avoid them as best
as we can.
Cloud Cryptography is the technique of using
encryption techniques to protect the data used or
stored in the cloud. The data which is hosted by
cloud providers is encrypted which provides the
user a secure access to shared cloud services.
Cryptography enables a user to protect their data
with some codes. Cryptography is used by
interchangeable digital means for verification of
asset transfer and for controlling the creation of
additional units and shield transactions. It protects
the sensitive cloud data without delaying the
transmission of information. Many companies
define cryptographic algorithms for their cloud
computing for the balance between security and
efficiency.
Cloud cryptography deals with various principles
of security:
 Authentication: It defines a computer
system or a user so that it can be trusted.
 Confidentiality: Only the recipient and
sender must be able to access the message.
We lose confidentiality if a person who is
not authorised will access a message.
 Integrity: It assures that there is no
alteration in the content during
transmission of data.
 Non-repudiation: It specifies that the
sender of a message cannot be refused
having sent it later on in case of dispute.
II. METHODS OF CRYPTOGRAPHY
1) Encryption :
Encryption is considered as one of the most
effective approaches to data security, scrambling
content of any database or any system or any file
such a way that it cannot be read without
decryption key by applying encryption and
through the practice of secure encryption key
management, companies assure secure access to
sensitive data, even if it is
stolen, lost or accessed without authorization,
encrypted data is unreadable and meaningless
without its key.
◦ Type of keys for Cloud Cryptography
1) Symmetric Key :
It is the type of encryption scheme in which
same key is used for both encryption and
decryption. This method is largely used for
encrypting and decrypting messages in past years
to facilitate secret communication. Between
governments and militaries these days, algorithms
of symmetric key are widely used in various types
of computer systems for greater data security.
◦ Working of a Symmetric Key
This working relies on a single key which is
shared among multiple users. Data that is to be
encoded is called plain text. Same key is used for
encryption and decryption of plain text. The
encryption algorithm used to run this plain text in
this process is called cipher. This algorithm gives
output which is called cipher text. The decryption
process converts the ciphertext to plain text.
Symmetric encryption system's security is
determined by the level of difficulty it provides to
randomly guess the corresponding key to brute
force them. For example, a 128-bit key may
require some millions of years to crack it using
common computer hardware. So, length of
encryption key is directly proportional to its level
of difficulty to break it. Usually keys which are
256-bits length are generally regarded as the most
secure keys and are theoretically resistant to brute
force attacks.
Two of the common symmetric encryption
schemes are based on block and stream ciphers.
Block ciphers groups data into blocks of
predetermined size and each individual block is
encrypted using a particular-key and encryption
algorithm. Stream ciphers encrypt plain data by 1-
bit increments unlike block ciphers.
Some of the stream cipher algorithms are RC4,
A5, BLOWFISH. In this encryption code can be
cracked if someone finds out the symmetric key.
But this problem can be overcome with the Diffie
Hellman algorithm. In the Diffie Hellman key
exchange or agreement algorithm, the receiver and
the sender should agree on a symmetric key using
this technique.
◦ Advantages
 Symmetric encryption algorithms need less
computational power.
 It is widely used in applications ranging
from securing internet traffic to protection
of data stored in cloud servers.
2) Asymmetric Key :
Asymmetric Cryptography is also as called
public key cryptography. It uses a pair of related
keys. One is public key and the another one is
private key. They both are used for encryption and
decryption of data and assure secure
Access of data. A public key can be used by
anyone to encrypt the data and private key is used
only by a recipient to decrypt and access the data
securely. Usually this process of encryption and
decryption happen automatically, users do not
need to physically lock and unlock their data.
◦ Protocols related to Assymetric Key
There are many protocols which rely on
asymmetric cryptography, some of them are
 Transport layer security (TLS)
 Secure socket layer (SSL)
 Protocols which are responsible for
working of HTTPS.
Many software programs also make use of
these protocols to establish a secure connection
over an insecure network or for validation of
digital signature. This is considered as the most
secured encryption process because users need not
share their decryption keys thus reducing
cybercrimes.
◦ Uses
 Mail Encryption: To encrypt a message a
public key can be used and to decrypt a
message private key can be used.
 Cryptocurrencies and bitcoins usually rely
on this asymmetric cryptography because
users have public keys and private keys are
kept as secret.
 Besides, bitcoin uses a cryptographic
algorithm which allows only a valid owner
to spend funds.
◦ Disadvantages
 Asymmetric cryptography is a bit slow
compared to others which makes it not
suitable for decrypting bulk messages.
 Identification of a public keys are difficult
because they cannot be authenticated.
 If a private key is hacked by someone all
the information can be easily read.
◦ Applications of Asymmetric Cryptography
RSA algorithm: it is largely used asymmetric
algorithm. It is embedded in SSL and TSL
protocols. RSA keys are 1024-2048-bits long. But
experts say that 1024-bit keys are can be easily
cracked because of which government and
industries are using a key with 2048-bit length
keys.
◦ Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC)
It is used as an alternative to RSA for
implementing asymmetric cryptography. It is
based on elliptic curve theory which creates
smaller, faster and efficient cryptographic keys.
To crack ECC one should develop elliptic curve
discrete logarithm.
2) Steganography :
It is the technique of hiding files videos images or
any file to other file image video or message. The
useless bits are replaced by useful bits so that a
required file can be hided into any file. This
technique holds a greater role in cyber security. It
allows only legitimate users to send the data in a
secured manner so that it is protected from hacker
or other users who wants to disturb the system.
This can be done using a software that is available
in market for free or paid
applications like steganpeg and openstego are
used to wrap one file into another.in encryption
and hacking. The attacker can crack some bits but
in this it is not possible to detect is something
important is transmitted. It is usually applied in
places where data is needed to be sent very
secretly.
◦ Techniques of Steganography
Using applications:
There are many numbers of softwares available in
markets which are used to implement
steganography. Some of them are Image
Steganography, Steghide. Crypture. They all are
supposed to keep the internal process abstract. The
application has an interface which provokes the
user to enter file name and type of information
they want to keep secure. After finishing this , the
application hides the message and makes it
transferrable through the given file.
Manual method:
Hiding of data behind the files can also be done
manually. kali Linux’s terminal would be
preferable for this. Besides, this window's
command prompt can also be used. Some lines of
code are used to hide the file and the information
we want to hide. These methods are leveraged by
military and organizations to transmit important
information from host to another.
3) Hashing :
Hashing is a cryptographic technique which
converts data of any form into a string.
Irrespective of type and size any data can be
hashed using aa hashing algorithm. Hashing is
different from other encryption methods because,
in hashing, encryption cannot be reversed that is
cannot be decrypted using keys. It uses hash
functions.
◦ Hash Function applications and protocols including
A hash function is a mathematical function Secure Socket Layer (SSL) security in
which converts a numerical input value into 2005 SHA-1 collisions were observed later
another compressed value. Values which are further models were built.
returned by this hash function are called message Ripemd:
digest or hash values.  RACE Integrity Primitives Evaluation
Message Digest is a set of hash functions
which were designed by family of
European hash functions.
 This includes RIPEND, RIPEND-128,
RIPEND-160. There also exists 256,
320bit versions of this algorithm.
Whirlpool:
 It is a 512-bit hash function.
◦ Features of Hash Function  Three versions of Whirlpool have been
Fixed length output: released namely WHIRLPOOL-0,
 It covers data of the arbitrary length to data WHIRLPOOL-T and WHIRLPOOL.
of fixed length. This process is called
hashing of data. III. CONCLUSION
 Hash is smaller than the input data.
 Hash is smaller representation of larger
data. It is also called as digest.
 Hash function with n bit output are called
n bit hash functions.
Efficiency:
 Usually for any hash function f with input
h, computing f(h) is fast.
 Computationally hash functions are faster
than a symmetric encryption.
Properties:
 Pre-image resistance.
 Collision resistance.
◦ Some of popular Hash functions:
Message Digest(md):
 md family consists of hash functions md2,
md4, md5, md6.
 md5 was the most popular and largely
used hash functions for some years in
2004, collisions were found in md5
because of which it is no longer
recommended to user.
Secure Hash Function(sha):
 SHA family consists of four algorithms
which are SHA-0, SHA-1, SHA-2, SHA-3.
They all are structurally different though
they belong to same family the original
version of sha-0 a 160bit hash function
was published by NIST. It has some
drawbacks and hence did not become very
popular.
 Later in 1995 SHA-1 was built SHA-1 was
implemented in many largely used