U.S. patent application number 14/720684 was filed with the patent office on 2015-11-12 for systems and methods for secure hybrid third-party data storage.
The applicant listed for this patent is Symantec Corporation. Invention is credited to Walter Bogorad.
Application Number | 20150324303 14/720684 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 53492017 |
Filed Date | 2015-11-12 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150324303 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Bogorad; Walter |
November 12, 2015 |
SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR SECURE HYBRID THIRD-PARTY DATA STORAGE
Abstract
The disclosed computer-implemented method for secure hybrid
third-party data storage may include (1) identifying, at a trusted
proxy system, an access request from a client system to access an
encrypted file stored under a user account at a third-party storage
system, where the requested access requires decryption of the
encrypted file, (2) retrieving, from the third-party storage
system, (i) the encrypted file and (ii) a decryption key that has
been encrypted with a cryptographic key, where an asymmetric key
pair designated for the user account includes an encryption key and
the encrypted decryption key, (3) decrypting, at the trusted proxy
system, the decryption key with the cryptographic key, and (4)
using the decryption key to access an unencrypted version of the
encrypted file at the trusted proxy system. Various other methods,
systems, and computer-readable media are also disclosed.
Inventors: |
Bogorad; Walter; (Danville,
CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Symantec Corporation |
Mountain View |
CA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
53492017 |
Appl. No.: |
14/720684 |
Filed: |
May 22, 2015 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
14271967 |
May 7, 2014 |
9076004 |
|
|
14720684 |
|
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
713/193 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 21/602 20130101;
H04L 63/0428 20130101; H04L 63/08 20130101; H04L 9/14 20130101;
H04L 63/045 20130101; G06F 12/1408 20130101; G06F 2212/1052
20130101; H04L 2209/24 20130101; H04L 63/0281 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G06F 12/14 20060101
G06F012/14; G06F 21/60 20060101 G06F021/60; H04L 9/14 20060101
H04L009/14 |
Claims
1. A computer-implemented method for secure hybrid third-party data
storage, at least a portion of the method being performed by a
computing device comprising at least one processor, the method
comprising: identifying, at a trusted proxy system, an access
request from a client system to access an encrypted file stored
under a user account at a third-party storage system, wherein the
requested access requires decryption of the encrypted file;
retrieving, in response to the request, from the third-party
storage system and for the trusted proxy system: the encrypted
file; a decryption key that has been encrypted with a cryptographic
key, wherein an asymmetric key pair designated for the user account
comprises an encryption key and the encrypted decryption key;
decrypting, at the trusted proxy system, the decryption key with
the cryptographic key; using the decryption key to access an
unencrypted version of the encrypted file at the trusted proxy
system.
2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising
retrieving the cryptographic key at the trusted proxy system and
from a key store.
3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the trusted
proxy system and the key store are located within a network and the
third-party storage system is not located within the network.
4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein: the trusted
proxy system operates within a demilitarized zone of an enterprise
network; the key store exists within the enterprise network but
outside the demilitarized zone; retrieving the cryptographic key at
the trusted proxy system and from the key store comprises
retrieving the cryptographic key via a key store bridge within the
demilitarized zone that communicates with the key store.
5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein at least one
of the trusted proxy system, the key store bridge, and the key
store receive an authentication token from the client system that
validates access to the cryptographic key from the key store.
6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the trusted
proxy system is owned by an owner of the encrypted file and the
third-party storage system is not owned by the owner of the
encrypted file.
7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein accessing
the encrypted file comprises transmitting the unencrypted version
of the encrypted file to the client system.
8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein using the
decryption key to access the unencrypted version of the encrypted
file comprises: generating, at the trusted proxy system, metadata
describing the unencrypted version of the encrypted file; providing
the metadata to at least one of the client system and the
third-party storage system.
9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein generating
the metadata describing the unencrypted version of the encrypted
file comprises at least one of: performing a scan on the
unencrypted version of the encrypted file at the trusted proxy
system; creating, at the trusted proxy system, an index entry of
the unencrypted version of the encrypted file based on content
within the unencrypted version of the encrypted file; generating,
at the trusted proxy system, a preview of the unencrypted version
of the encrypted file based on content within the unencrypted
version of the encrypted file.
10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein accessing
the encrypted file comprises: identifying, at the trusted proxy
system, a policy for scanning the unencrypted version of the
encrypted file; scanning, at the trusted proxy system, the
unencrypted version of the encrypted file based on the policy.
11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein using the
decryption key to access the encrypted file comprises: retrieving,
from the third-party storage system and for the trusted proxy
system, a file key used to encrypt the encrypted file, wherein the
file key is encrypted with the encryption key; decrypting, at the
trusted proxy system, the file key with the decryption key;
decrypting, at the trusted proxy system, the encrypted file with
the file key.
12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein: accessing
the encrypted file comprises providing access to the unencrypted
version of the encrypted file to an additional user account; an
additional asymmetric key pair is designated for the additional
user account, the asymmetric key pair comprising an additional
encryption key and an additional decryption key that has been
encrypted with an additional cryptographic key.
13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, wherein providing
access to the unencrypted version of the encrypted file to the
additional user account comprises: retrieving, from the third-party
storage system and for the trusted proxy system, the additional
encryption key and a file key used to encrypt the encrypted file,
wherein the file key is encrypted with the encryption key;
decrypting, at the trusted proxy system, the file key with the
decryption key; encrypting, at the trusted proxy system, a copy of
the file key with the additional encryption key; transmitting the
encrypted copy of the file key from the trusted proxy system to the
third-party storage system.
14. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:
receiving, at the trusted proxy system, the unencrypted version of
the encrypted file from the client system; generating the encrypted
file at the trusted proxy system by: generating a file key based on
at least one characteristic of the unencrypted version of the
encrypted file; encrypting the unencrypted version of the encrypted
file with the file key; encrypting the file key with the encryption
key; transmitting the encrypted file and the encrypted file key to
the third-party storage system.
15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, further comprising
deduplicating the encrypted file with an additional encrypted file
that is encrypted with the file key.
16. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the
third-party storage system lacks access to: the unencrypted version
of the encrypted file; an unencrypted version of the decryption
key; the cryptographic key.
17. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein using the
decryption key to access the unencrypted version of the encrypted
file comprises: retrieving, from the third-party storage system and
for the trusted proxy system, an additional asymmetric key pair
designated for a plurality of user accounts comprising the user
account, the additional asymmetric key pair comprising an
additional encryption key and an additional decryption key that has
been encrypted with the encryption key; decrypting, at the trusted
proxy system, the additional decryption key with the decryption
key; retrieving, from the third-party storage system and for the
trusted proxy system, a file key used to encrypt the encrypted
file, wherein the file key is encrypted with the additional
encryption key; decrypting, at the trusted proxy system, the file
key with the additional decryption key; decrypting, at the trusted
proxy system, the encrypted file with the file key.
18. A system for secure hybrid third-party data storage, the system
comprising: an identification module, stored in memory, that
identifies, at a trusted proxy system, an access request from a
client system to access an encrypted file stored under a user
account at a third-party storage system, wherein the requested
access requires decryption of the encrypted file; a retrieving
module, stored in memory, that retrieves, in response to the
request, from the third-party storage system and for the trusted
proxy system: the encrypted file; a decryption key that has been
encrypted with a cryptographic key, wherein an asymmetric key pair
designated for the user account by an encryption key and the
encrypted decryption key; a decryption module, stored in memory,
that decrypts, at the trusted proxy system, the decryption key with
the cryptographic key; a using module, stored in memory, that uses
the decryption key to access an unencrypted version of the
encrypted file at the trusted proxy system; at least one physical
processor that executes the identification module, the retrieving
module, the decryption module, and the using module.
19. The system of claim 18, further comprising a receiving module
that retrieves the cryptographic key at the trusted proxy system
and from a key store.
20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising one or
more computer-readable instructions that, when executed by at least
one processor of a computing device, cause the computing device to:
identify, at a trusted proxy system, an access request from a
client system to access an encrypted file stored under a user
account at a third-party storage system, wherein the requested
access requires decryption of the encrypted file; retrieve, in
response to the request, from the third-party storage system and
for the trusted proxy system: the encrypted file; a decryption key
that has been encrypted with a cryptographic key, wherein an
asymmetric key pair designated for the user account comprises an
encryption key and the encrypted decryption key; decrypt, at the
trusted proxy system, the decryption key with the cryptographic
key; use the decryption key to access an unencrypted version of the
encrypted file at the trusted proxy system.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser.
No. 14/271,967, filed 7 May 2014, the disclosure of which is
incorporated, in its entirety, by this reference.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Organizations and consumers increasingly use third-party
services to store data. Third-party storage services may provide a
number of benefits to customers, including flexibility, low
capitalization requirements, add-on services, data sharing, and
centralized access to data.
[0003] Many third-party storage customers want or need to encrypt
their data before submitting the same to a third-party storage
vendor. For example, individual consumers may wish to encrypt data
sent to third-party storage vendors due to privacy concerns.
Similarly, organizations may wish to encrypt data sent to
third-party storage vendors in order to ensure compliance with
internal or external data-protection requirements, such as
governmental laws and regulations, partnership agreements with
other organizations, etc. Unfortunately, by encrypting data before
submitting the same to a third-party storage system, customers may
interfere with a third-party storage vendor's attempt to
deduplicate the data. For example, if two customers encrypt
identical files using different encryption schemes (e.g., different
keys), the resulting encrypted files will differ, potentially
preventing the third-party storage vendor from deduplicating the
files into a single file that is referenced multiple times.
Additionally, encrypting files before submitting the files to a
third-party storage system may interfere with the ability of a
third-party storage service to efficiently share the files with
other users where directed and/or to perform other services on the
files, such as running security scans on the files, generating
custom views of the files, etc.
[0004] In view of the above limitations, the instant disclosure
identifies a need for additional and improved systems and methods
for secure third-party data storage.
SUMMARY
[0005] The instant disclosure describes various systems and methods
for secure hybrid third-party data storage. As will be described in
greater detail below, by maintaining asymmetric key pairs for
encrypting and decrypting secured data (e.g., files and/or
encryption keys for files) on a third-party storage server and
encrypting the decryption keys of these asymmetric key pairs with
encryption keys maintained by clients, the systems and methods
described herein may allow a trusted proxy system to the
third-party storage server to encrypt data submitted by clients to
the third-party storage server as needed but require clients to
submit a decryption key in order to access secured data.
[0006] In one example, a computer-implemented method for secure
hybrid third-party data storage may include (1) identifying, at a
trusted proxy system, an access request from a client system to
access an encrypted file stored under a user account at a
third-party storage system, where the requested access requires
decryption of the encrypted file, (2) retrieving, in response to
the request, from the third-party storage system and for the
trusted proxy system, (i) the encrypted file and (ii) a decryption
key that has been encrypted with a client-side key, where an
asymmetric key pair designated for the user account may include an
encryption key and the encrypted decryption key, (3) receiving, at
the trusted proxy system, the client-side key, (4) decrypting, at
the trusted proxy system, the decryption key with the client-side
key, and (5) using the decryption key to access an unencrypted
version of the encrypted file at the trusted proxy system.
[0007] In one embodiment, the trusted proxy system may be owned by
an owner of the encrypted file and the third-party storage system
may not be owned by the owner of the encrypted file. In some
examples, accessing the encrypted file may include transmitting the
unencrypted version of the encrypted file to the client system.
Additionally or alternatively, using the decryption key to access
the unencrypted version of the encrypted file may include (1)
generating, at the trusted proxy system, metadata describing the
unencrypted version of the encrypted file and (2) providing the
metadata to at least one of the client system and the third-party
storage system.
[0008] In some examples, generating the metadata describing the
unencrypted version of the encrypted file may include (1)
performing a scan on the unencrypted version of the encrypted file
at the trusted proxy system, (2) creating, at the trusted proxy
system, an index entry of the unencrypted version of the encrypted
file based on content within the unencrypted version of the
encrypted file, and/or (3) generating, at the trusted proxy system,
a preview of the unencrypted version of the encrypted file based on
content within the unencrypted version of the encrypted file.
[0009] In some examples, accessing the encrypted file may include
(1) identifying, at the trusted proxy system, a policy for scanning
the unencrypted version of the encrypted file and (2) scanning, at
the trusted proxy system, the unencrypted version of the encrypted
file based on the policy.
[0010] In some examples, using the decryption key to access the
encrypted file may include (1) retrieving, from the third-party
storage system and for the trusted proxy system, a file key used to
encrypt the encrypted file, where the file key is encrypted with
the encryption key, (2) decrypting, at the trusted proxy system,
the file key with the decryption key, and (3) decrypting, at the
trusted proxy system, the encrypted file with the file key.
[0011] In one embodiment, (1) accessing the encrypted file may
include providing access to the unencrypted version of the
encrypted file to an additional user account and (2) an additional
asymmetric key pair may be designated for the additional user
account, where the asymmetric key pair includes an additional
encryption key and an additional decryption key that has been
encrypted with an additional client-side key.
[0012] In some examples, providing access to the unencrypted
version of the encrypted file to the additional user account may
include (1) retrieving, from the third-party storage system and for
the trusted proxy system, the additional encryption key and a file
key used to encrypt the encrypted file, where the file key is
encrypted with the encryption key, (2) decrypting, at the trusted
proxy system, the file key with the decryption key, (3) encrypting,
at the trusted proxy system, a copy of the file key with the
additional encryption key, and (4) transmitting the encrypted copy
of the file key from the trusted proxy system to the third-party
storage system.
[0013] In one embodiment, the computer-implemented method may
further include (1) receiving, at the trusted proxy system, the
unencrypted version of the encrypted file from the client system,
(2) generating the encrypted file at the trusted proxy system by
(i) generating a file key based on at least one characteristic of
the unencrypted version of the encrypted file, (ii) encrypting the
unencrypted version of the encrypted file with the file key, (iii)
encrypting the file key with the encryption key, and (iv)
transmitting the encrypted file and the encrypted file key to the
third-party storage system.
[0014] In some examples, the computer-implemented method may
further include deduplicating the encrypted file with an additional
encrypted file that is encrypted with the file key. In one
embodiment, the third-party storage system may lack access to (1)
the unencrypted version of the encrypted file, (2) an unencrypted
version of the decryption key, and (3) the client-side key.
[0015] In some examples, using the decryption key to access the
unencrypted version of the encrypted file may include (1)
retrieving, from the third-party storage system and for the trusted
proxy system, an additional asymmetric key pair designated for a
plurality of user accounts including the user account, the
additional asymmetric key pair including an additional encryption
key and an additional decryption key that has been encrypted with
the encryption key, (2) decrypting, at the trusted proxy system,
the additional decryption key with the decryption key, (3)
retrieving, from the third-party storage system and for the trusted
proxy system, a file key used to encrypt the encrypted file, where
the file key is encrypted with the additional encryption key, (4)
decrypting, at the trusted proxy system, the file key with the
additional decryption key, and (5) decrypting, at the trusted proxy
system, the encrypted file with the file key.
[0016] In one embodiment, a system for implementing the
above-described method may include (1) an identification module,
stored in memory, that identifies, at a trusted proxy system, an
access request from a client system to access an encrypted file
stored under a user account at a third-party storage system, where
the requested access requires decryption of the encrypted file, (2)
a retrieving module, stored in memory, that retrieves, in response
to the request, from the third-party storage system and for the
trusted proxy system, (i) the encrypted file and (ii) a decryption
key that has been encrypted with a client-side key, where an
asymmetric key pair designated for the user account may include an
encryption key and the encrypted decryption key, (3) a receiving
module, stored in memory, that receives, at the trusted proxy
system, the client-side key, (4) a decryption module, stored in
memory, that decrypts, at the trusted proxy system, the decryption
key with the client-side key, (5) a using module, stored in memory,
that uses the decryption key to access an unencrypted version of
the encrypted file at the trusted proxy system, and (6) at least
one physical processor configured to execute the identification
module, the retrieving module, the receiving module, the decryption
module, and the using module.
[0017] In some examples, the above-described method may be encoded
as computer-readable instructions on a non-transitory
computer-readable medium. For example, a computer-readable medium
may include one or more computer-executable instructions that, when
executed by at least one processor of a computing device, may cause
the computing device to (1) identify, at a trusted proxy system, an
access request from a client system to access an encrypted file
stored under a user account at a third-party storage system, where
the requested access requires decryption of the encrypted file, (2)
retrieve, in response to the request, from the third-party storage
system and for the trusted proxy system, (i) the encrypted file and
(ii) a decryption key that has been encrypted with a client-side
key, where an asymmetric key pair designated for the user account
may include an encryption key and the encrypted decryption key, (3)
receive, at the trusted proxy system, the client-side key, (4)
decrypt, at the trusted proxy system, the decryption key with the
client-side key, and (5) use the decryption key to access an
unencrypted version of the encrypted file at the trusted proxy
system. Features from any of the above-mentioned embodiments may be
used in combination with one another in accordance with the general
principles described herein. These and other embodiments, features,
and advantages will be more fully understood upon reading the
following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings and claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] The accompanying drawings illustrate a number of exemplary
embodiments and are a part of the specification. Together with the
following description, these drawings demonstrate and explain
various principles of the instant disclosure.
[0019] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary system for secure
hybrid third-party data storage.
[0020] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an additional exemplary system
for secure hybrid third-party data storage.
[0021] FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of an exemplary method for secure
hybrid third-party data storage.
[0022] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an exemplary computing system
for secure hybrid third-party data storage.
[0023] FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an exemplary computing system
for secure hybrid third-party data storage.
[0024] FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an exemplary computing system
capable of implementing one or more of the embodiments described
and/or illustrated herein.
[0025] FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an exemplary computing network
capable of implementing one or more of the embodiments described
and/or illustrated herein.
[0026] Throughout the drawings, identical reference characters and
descriptions indicate similar, but not necessarily identical,
elements. While the exemplary embodiments described herein are
susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms,
specific embodiments have been shown by way of example in the
drawings and will be described in detail herein. However, the
exemplary embodiments described herein are not intended to be
limited to the particular forms disclosed. Rather, the instant
disclosure covers all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives
falling within the scope of the appended claims.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS
[0027] The present disclosure is generally directed to systems and
methods for secure hybrid third-party data storage. As will be
described in greater detail below, by maintaining asymmetric key
pairs for encrypting and decrypting secured data (e.g., files
and/or encryption keys for files) on a third-party storage server
and encrypting the decryption keys of these asymmetric key pairs
with encryption keys maintained by clients, the systems and methods
described herein may allow a trusted proxy system to the
third-party storage server to encrypt data submitted by clients to
the third-party storage server as needed but require clients to
submit a decryption key in order to access secured data. These
systems and methods may thereby prevent an attacker who has gained
access to a third-party storage system from accessing the secured
data in an unencrypted state (or, e.g., a key that may be used to
access the secured data in an unencrypted state), while still
allowing and/or facilitating the sharing, deduplication, analysis,
and/or indexing of this secured data. In some examples, these
systems and methods may also enable enterprises to apply scanning
policies to the secured data without revealing the potentially
sensitive contents of the scanning policies to the third-party
storage server.
[0028] The following will provide, with reference to FIGS. 1-2, 4,
and 5, detailed descriptions of exemplary systems for secure hybrid
third-party data storage. Detailed descriptions of corresponding
computer-implemented methods will also be provided in connection
with FIG. 3. In addition, detailed descriptions of an exemplary
computing system and network architecture capable of implementing
one or more of the embodiments described herein will be provided in
connection with FIGS. 6 and 7, respectively.
[0029] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of exemplary system 100 for secure
hybrid third-party data storage. As illustrated in this figure,
exemplary system 100 may include one or more modules 102 for
performing one or more tasks. For example, and as will be explained
in greater detail below, exemplary system 100 may also include an
identification module 104 that may identify, at a trusted proxy
system, an access request from a client system to access an
encrypted file stored under a user account at a third-party storage
system, where the requested access requires decryption of the
encrypted file. Exemplary system 100 may additionally include a
retrieving module 106 that may retrieve, in response to the
request, from the third-party storage system and for the trusted
proxy system, (i) the encrypted file and (ii) a decryption key that
has been encrypted with a client-side key, where an asymmetric key
pair designated for the user account may include an encryption key
and the encrypted decryption key. Exemplary system 100 may also
include a receiving module 108 that may receive, at the trusted
proxy system, the client-side key. Exemplary system 100 may
additionally include a decryption module 110 that may decrypt, at
the trusted proxy system, the decryption key with the client-side
key. Exemplary system 100 may also include a using module 112 that
may use the decryption key to access an unencrypted version of the
encrypted file at the trusted proxy system.
[0030] Although illustrated as separate elements, one or more of
modules 102 in FIG. 1 may represent portions of a single module or
application. In certain embodiments, one or more of modules 102 in
FIG. 1 may represent one or more software applications or programs
that, when executed by a computing device, may cause the computing
device to perform one or more tasks. For example, and as will be
described in greater detail below, one or more of modules 102 may
represent software modules stored and configured to run on one or
more computing devices, such as the devices illustrated in FIG. 2
(e.g., computing device 202, client system 206, and/or third-party
storage system 208), computing system 610 in FIG. 6, and/or
portions of exemplary network architecture 700 in FIG. 7. One or
more of modules 102 in FIG. 1 may also represent all or portions of
one or more special-purpose computers configured to perform one or
more tasks.
[0031] Exemplary system 100 in FIG. 1 may be implemented in a
variety of ways. For example, all or a portion of exemplary system
100 may represent portions of exemplary system 200 in FIG. 2. As
shown in FIG. 2, system 200 may include a computing device 202 in
communication with a client system 206 and a third-party storage
system 208 via a network 204. In one example, computing device 202
may be programmed with one or more of modules 102. Additionally or
alternatively, client system 206 and/or third-party storage system
208 may be programmed with one or more of modules 102.
[0032] In one embodiment, one or more of modules 102 from FIG. 1
may, when executed by at least one processor of computing device
202, client system 206, and/or third-party storage system 208,
enable computing device 202, client system 206, and/or third-party
storage system 208 to provide secure hybrid third-party data
storage (e.g., to enable client system 206 to access secure data
stored on third-party storage system 208 without exposing the
secure data to third-party storage system 208). For example, and as
will be described in greater detail below, identification module
104 may identify, at computing device 202, an access request 210
from client system 206 to access an encrypted file 242 stored under
a user account 240 at a third-party storage system 208. In this
example, the requested access may require decryption of encrypted
file 242. Retrieving module 106 may then retrieve, in response to
request 210, from third-party storage system 208 and for computing
device 202, (i) encrypted file 242 and (ii) a decryption key 226
that has been encrypted with a client-side key 230. In this
example, an asymmetric key pair 220 designated for user account 240
may include an encryption key 222 and encrypted decryption key 224.
Receiving module 108 may then receive, at computing device 202,
client-side key 230. Decryption module 110 may then decrypt, at
computing device 202, decryption key 226 with client-side key 230.
Using module 112 may then use decryption key 226 to access an
unencrypted version of encrypted file 242 (e.g., a file 244) at
computing device 202.
[0033] Computing device 202 and client system 206 generally
represent any type or form of computing device capable of reading
computer-executable instructions. Examples of computing device 202
and client system 206 include, without limitation, laptops,
tablets, desktops, servers, cellular phones, Personal Digital
Assistants (PDAs), multimedia players, embedded systems, wearable
devices (e.g., smart watches, smart glasses, etc.), gaming
consoles, combinations of one or more of the same, exemplary
computing system 610 in FIG. 6, or any other suitable computing
device.
[0034] Third-party storage system 208 generally represents any type
or form of computing system that is capable of storing, receiving,
managing, and/or transmitting data. Examples of third-party storage
system 206 include, without limitation, application servers and
database servers configured to provide various database services
and/or run certain software applications.
[0035] Network 204 generally represents any medium or architecture
capable of facilitating communication or data transfer. Examples of
network 204 include, without limitation, an intranet, a Wide Area
Network (WAN), a Local Area Network (LAN), a Storage Area Network
(SAN), a Personal Area Network (PAN), the Internet, Power Line
Communications (PLC), a cellular network (e.g., a Global System for
Mobile Communications (GSM) network), exemplary network
architecture 700 in FIG. 7, or the like. Network 204 may facilitate
communication or data transfer using wireless or wired connections.
In one embodiment, network 204 may facilitate communication between
computing device 202, client system 206, and third-party storage
system 208.
[0036] FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of an exemplary
computer-implemented method 300 for secure hybrid third-party data
storage. The steps shown in FIG. 3 may be performed by any suitable
computer-executable code and/or computing system. In some
embodiments, the steps shown in FIG. 3 may be performed by one or
more of the components of system 100 in FIG. 1, system 200 in FIG.
2, computing system 610 in FIG. 6, and/or portions of exemplary
network architecture 700 in FIG. 7.
[0037] As illustrated in FIG. 3, at step 302 one or more of the
systems described herein may identify, at a trusted proxy system,
an access request from a client system to access an encrypted file
stored under a user account at a third-party storage system, where
the requested access requires decryption of the encrypted file. For
example, at step 302 identification module 104 may, as part of
computing device 202 in FIG. 2, identify, at a computing device
202, an access request from client system 206 to access encrypted
file 242 stored under user account 240 at third-party storage
system 208. In this example, the requested access may require
decryption of encrypted file 242.
[0038] As used herein, the phrase "third-party storage system" may
refer to any type or form of storage system, including a
cloud-based storage system, that is capable of storing data on
behalf of a user. In some examples, the third-party storage system
may store data for multiple distinct entities. In at least one
example, the entities that store data with the third-party storage
system may require data security against each other (in order to,
e.g., prevent unprivileged access of data across entities), against
intruders (e.g., entities not authorized to access data stored
within the third-party storage system), and/or one or more
administrators of the third-party storage system. In some examples,
the third-party storage system may represent or include a
single-instance storage system (i.e., a storage system configured
to only store a single instance of each item of content for
multiple owners).
[0039] Accordingly, the client system may, in turn, include any
system for facilitating the use of a third-party storage system. In
some examples, the client system may be owned and/or administrated
by an entity distinct from an owner and/or administrator of the
third-party storage system. In some examples, the trusted proxy
system may also be owned and/or administrated by an entity distinct
from an owner and/or administrator of the third-party storage
system. For example, the trusted proxy system may be owned and/or
administrated by an owner and/or administrator of the encrypted
file. In one example, the trusted proxy system may be owned by an
organization and the encrypted file may be owned and/or managed by
the organization. In this example, the client system may be owned
and/or administrated by the organization. Additionally or
alternatively, the client system may be owned and/or administrated
by a member of the organization and/or an entity who is granted
access to the encrypted file by the organization (e.g., an employee
of the organization). In some examples, the entity that owns and/or
administrates the proxy system may delegate rights to access the
encrypted file to the entity that controls the client device.
Additionally or alternatively, the entity that owns and/or
administrates the proxy system may securely store the encrypted
file at the third-party storage system on behalf of the entity that
controls the client device. Generally, the trusted proxy system may
include any system that is more trusted to handle unencrypted data
than the third-party storage system (e.g., due to the ownership
status, management status, security status, and/or location of the
trusted proxy system and/or the third-party storage system). For
example, the trusted proxy system may include an on-premises system
(e.g., rather than a cloud service).
[0040] As used herein, the term "file" may refer to any suitable
unit of data, including, without limitation, a file, data object,
data segment, portion of a data stream, database, database entry,
and/or electronic document. In addition, the phrase "user account"
may refer to any identifier and/or privilege system that may
correspond to a data owner (used, e.g., to identify data owned by
the data owner and/or to secure data owned by the data owner for
use by the data owner).
[0041] Identification module 104 may identify any of a variety of
types of requests. For example, as will be explained in greater
detail below, identification module 104 may identify a request to
retrieve an unencrypted version of the encrypted file for the
client system. Additionally or alternatively, identification module
104 may identify a request to share an accessible version of the
file with another user account. In some examples, identification
module 104 may identify a request to perform one or more procedures
on the file (e.g., procedures that require access to an unencrypted
version of the encrypted file).
[0042] Identification module 104 may receive the request in any of
a variety of contexts. For example, identification module 104 may
receive a user-initiated request from the client system.
Additionally or alternatively, and as will be explained in greater
detail below, identification module 104 may receive an implicit
request to access the encrypted file simply by receiving a
client-side key from the client system that enables access to the
encrypted file.
[0043] To provide an example of the context in which identification
module 104 may receive the user-initiated request, FIG. 4
illustrates an exemplary system 400 for secure hybrid third-party
storage. As shown in FIG. 4, system 400 may include a client system
410, a third-party storage system 408, and a proxy 420. In one
example, a user of client system 410 may wish to access an
unencrypted version of an encrypted file 440 stored on third-party
storage system (e.g., an unencrypted file 446). Accordingly, at
step 450, client system 410 may send a request to proxy 420 to
access unencrypted file 446. In some examples, client system 410
may first send a request to third-party storage system 408 to
access unencrypted file 446 (e.g., at step 449(a)). In these
examples, third-party storage system 408 may determine that access
to unencrypted file 446 requires decrypting encrypted file 440
(e.g., through a process using a client-side key 412). Accordingly,
at step 449(b), third-party storage system 408 may redirect client
system 410 to proxy 420 (e.g., so that client system 410 sends the
request to proxy 420).
[0044] To provide additional context, a user (e.g., a user of the
client system) may have previously encrypted and uploaded to the
third-party storage system via the trusted proxy system. FIG. 5
illustrates an exemplary system 500 for secure hybrid third-party
storage. As shown in FIG. 5, system 500 may include a client system
510, a cloud storage service 520, an enterprise network 530, and a
demilitarized zone 540 of enterprise network 530. Cloud storage
system 520 may include a cloud storage system 522 and a storage
device 524. Demilitarized zone 540 may include a proxy system 542.
In addition, in some examples, demilitarized zone 540 may include a
key store bridge 544 that communicates with a key store 534 in
enterprise network 530, a malware scanner 546, and a data loss
prevention (DLP) bridge 548 that communicates with a DLP system 538
in enterprise network 530. As used herein, the phrase
"demilitarized zone" may refer to any computing system and/or
network that may insulate a private and/or protected network from a
public network (e.g., to reduce exposure to security
vulnerabilities by preventing direct public access to sensitive
resources on the private network).
[0045] Using FIG. 5 as an example, a user of client system 510 may
instruct client system 510 to upload a file to cloud storage
service 520 for secure storage. Accordingly, at step 552, client
system 510 may send a request to cloud storage system 522
indicating to cloud storage system 522 that client system 510 is
going to upload the file to cloud storage service 520. For example,
client system 510 may send a POST request to cloud storage system
522 indicating to that cloud storage system 522 that client system
520 is going to upload the file to a specified folder. At step 554,
cloud storage system 522 may determine that the request should be
routed through a trusted proxy system (e.g., proxy system 542). For
example, cloud storage system 522 may determine that the content of
the file is sensitive (e.g., based on the folder to which the file
is to be uploaded, based on the user account under which the
request took place, or any other suitable criteria). Accordingly,
at step 556, client system 510 may send the request to proxy system
542. In some examples, client system 510 may send the request
directly to proxy system 542 from the outset or may only attempt to
send metadata about the file to cloud storage system 522.
[0046] Continuing to step 558, proxy system 542 may request one or
more encryption keys from cloud storage system 522 (e.g., an
encryption key in an asymmetric key pair that pertains to a user
account of cloud storage service 520 to which the file is to be
uploaded). Proxy system 542 may also request a master client-side
key. In some examples, proxy system 542 may request the master
client-side key directly from client system 510. Additionally or
alternatively, proxy system 542 may request the client-side key
from key store 534 on enterprise network 530 (e.g., through key
store bridge 544). In this example, client system 510 may have
provided an authentication token to proxy system 542, key store
bridge 544, and/or key store 534 to access the client-side key from
key store 534. In some examples, proxy system 542 may also perform
one or more scans on the file before encrypting the file. For
example, at step 562, proxy system 542 may subject the file to
malware scanner 546 for an anti-malware scan. At step 564, proxy
system 542 may subject to the file to DLP system via DLP bridge 548
for a DLP scan. In this manner, policies pertaining to enterprise
network 530 may be applied to the unencrypted file without exposing
the policies to cloud storage service 520. After scanning the file,
proxy system 542 may encrypt the file with the previously obtained
encryption key. Additionally or alternatively, proxy system 542 may
generate a file key for the file, encrypt the file with the file
key, and encrypt the file key with the previously obtained
encryption key. Proxy system 542 may then, at step 566, upload the
encrypted file (and, e.g., the encrypted file key) to cloud storage
system 522. At step 568, cloud storage system 522 may store the
encrypted file on storage device 524. At step 570, proxy system 542
may indicate to client system 510 that the file has been securely
stored.
[0047] As will be explained in greater detail below, the
above-described steps may be reversed so that the file may be
accessed, in unencrypted form, via proxy system 542 without cloud
storage system 522 ever having access to the unencrypted file or
unencrypted keys that would provide cloud storage system 522 with
the ability to obtain access to the unencrypted file.
[0048] Returning to FIG. 3, at step 304 one or more of the systems
described herein may retrieve, in response to the request, from the
third-party storage system and for the trusted proxy system, (i)
the encrypted file and (ii) a decryption key that has been
encrypted with a client-side key, where an asymmetric key pair
designated for the user account may include an encryption key and
the encrypted decryption key. For example, at step 304 retrieving
module 106 may, as part of computing device 202 in FIG. 2,
retrieve, in response to the request, from third-party storage
system 208 and for computing device 202, (i) encrypted file 242 and
(ii) decryption key 226 that has been encrypted with client-side
key 230. In this example, asymmetric key pair 220 (designated for
user account 240) may include encryption key 222 and encrypted
decryption key 224.
[0049] As used herein, the phrase "asymmetric key pair" may refer
to any pair of cryptographic keys that includes both an encryption
key (or "public key") and a decryption key (or "private key"). The
encryption key may include any key that does not require secrecy in
order to secure data encrypted with the key. For example, the
encryption key may be used to encrypt data using an asymmetric key
algorithm. Consequently, decrypting data encrypted with the
encryption key may require the corresponding decryption key of the
asymmetric key pair. In some examples, the asymmetric key pair may
be stored on and/or by a third-party storage system. In at least
one example, neither the encryption key nor the decryption key may
be distributed outside the third-party storage system.
[0050] In addition, the phrase "client-side key," as used herein,
may refer to any suitable cryptographic key or keys for encrypting
and/or decrypting the decryption key of the asymmetric key pair. In
some examples, the client-side key may include a symmetric key
(e.g., a key usable for both encrypting data and decrypting said
data). For example, the client-side key may be configured to
encrypt and decrypt data according to an Advanced Encryption
Standard specification (e.g., AES-256). In some examples, the
client-side key may be generated on the client system. For example,
the client-side key may be generated using a key derivation
function, such as a password-based key derivation function (e.g.,
PBKDF2).
[0051] In some examples, the client-side key may be cached on the
client system. Additionally or alternatively, the client-side key
may be generated as needed from a password (e.g., generated either
at the client system or at a trusted proxy system). In some
examples, the client-side key may be retrieved from an external key
store. For example, retrieving module 106 may, as a part of the
trusted proxy system in a demilitarized zone of an enterprise
network, retrieve the client-side key from a key store in the
enterprise network. As will be explained in greater detail below,
in some examples the client-side key may not be stored on the
server-side computing device and/or within a third-party storage
system implemented by the server-side computing device. In some
examples, the client-side key may be accessible only by a
corresponding client. This client may correspond to an
organization, a group with shared secrets, a computing device,
and/or any other suitable entity.
[0052] In some examples, as explained earlier, one or more of the
systems described herein (e.g., the trusted proxy system) may have
used the encryption key within the asymmetric key pair to encrypt
the encrypted file. For example, one or more of the systems
described herein may receive the unencrypted version of the
encrypted file from the client system and then generate the
encrypted file. These systems may generate the encrypted file by
generating a file key based on at least one characteristic of the
unencrypted version of the encrypted file and then encrypting the
unencrypted version of the encrypted file with the file key. For
example, these systems may derive a hash of the unencrypted version
of the encrypted file and base the file key on the hash. In this
manner, the systems and methods described herein may produce
identical encrypted files from identical unencrypted files,
allowing for deduplication across clients.
[0053] For example, the third-party storage system may deduplicate
the encrypted file with an additional encrypted file that is
encrypted with the file key. Upon generating the file key, the
trusted proxy system may encrypt the file key with the encryption
key. The term "deduplication," as used herein, may refer to one or
more operations related to reducing the amount of storage space
used in a single-instance data storage system, including operations
for detecting and preventing data from being redundantly stored to
the single-instance data storage system. Deduplication may be
performed using any suitable deduplication technology or algorithm.
In some examples, deduplication may include file-level
deduplication. Additionally or alternatively, deduplication may
include block-level deduplication.
[0054] In addition to encrypting the unencrypted version of the
encrypted file, in some examples one or more of the systems
described herein (e.g., the trusted proxy system) may perform one
or more operations based on the unencrypted version of the
encrypted file (e.g., before encrypting the unencrypted version of
the encrypted file and thereby losing access to the unencrypted
version of the encrypted file). For example, one or more of the
systems described herein may index the contents of the unencrypted
version of the encrypted file, perform a scan on the unencrypted
version of the encrypted file (e.g., an anti-malware scan, a DLP
scan, a scan for copyrighted content, etc.), generate a preview of
the contents of the unencrypted version of the encrypted file, etc.
In these examples, these systems may associate metadata generated
from the unencrypted version of the encrypted file with the
encrypted file once the encrypted file is encrypted.
[0055] In some examples, the trusted proxy system may upload some
of the generated metadata to the third-party storage system. This
may enable the third-party storage system to enhance future
browsing and/or searching operations on stored data (e.g., without
requiring that these operations be routed through the trusted proxy
system). For example, a user operating the client system may browse
through file listings directly via the third-party storage system.
When the user attempts to access a file from the listing provided
by the third-party storage system, the third-party storage system
may redirect the client system to the trusted proxy system to
access the file.
[0056] In some examples, uploading the generated metadata may
enable the third-party storage system and/or to apply policies to
stored data based on the metadata (e.g., deduplication policies,
storage security policies, retention policies, etc.). In some
examples, some of the metadata may be maintained by the trusted
proxy system alone. In an additional example, the trusted proxy
system may encrypt some of the metadata before uploading the
metadata to the third-party storage system, such that the
unencrypted metadata may only be accessed via the trusted proxy
system. In some examples, the trusted proxy system may selectively
upload unencrypted metadata to the third-party storage system,
upload encrypted metadata to the third-party storage system, and/or
retain metadata without uploading it to the third-party storage
system based on the type and/or contents of the metadata. For
example, the third-party storage system may determine that an
unencrypted preview of a sensitive file is not to be uploaded to
the third-party storage system. In some examples, some metadata may
be encrypted using a scheme that allows the third-party storage
system to directly decrypt and provide the metadata. For example,
file paths and file names may be encrypted and stored by the
third-party storage system and decrypted by the third-party storage
system before being provided to the client system during browsing
and/or searching operations.
[0057] Retrieving module 106 may identify the asymmetric key pair
designated for the user account in any suitable manner. In some
examples, a third-party storage system may host data for multiple
user accounts, each with a designated and distinct asymmetric key
pair. Accordingly, retrieving module 106 may retrieve the
asymmetric key pair for the user account according to one or more
identifiers and/or credentials provided by the client system and
forwarded to the third-party storage system.
[0058] In some examples, retrieving module 106 may, as a part of
the trusted proxy system, initiate and establish communication with
the third-party storage system to retrieve the encrypted file and
the encrypted decryption key. In this manner, the systems described
herein may avoid security vulnerabilities that may otherwise be
possible by allowing the third-party storage system to initiate
communication with the trusted proxy system.
[0059] Returning to FIG. 3, at step 306 one or more of the systems
described herein may receive, at the trusted proxy system, the
client-side key. For example, at step 306 receiving module 108 may,
as part of computing device 202 in FIG. 2, receive, at computing
device 202, client-side key 230.
[0060] Receiving module 108 may receive the client-side key from
any suitable source. For example, as noted earlier, receiving
module 108 may receive the client-side key from a key store. For
example, the client system may authenticate with the trusted proxy
system and/or with a key store to which the trusted proxy system
has access. The trusted proxy system may then thereby receive the
client-side key from the key store. In some examples, receiving
module 108 may receive the client-side key from the client system.
For example, the client system may provide the client-side key to
the trusted proxy system as a part of the request to access the
encrypted file. Additionally or alternatively, the trusted proxy
system may request the client-side key from the client system.
[0061] Receiving module 108 may receive the client-side key from
the client system in any of a variety of ways. For example,
receiving module 108 may receive the client-side key from the
client system and/or key store directly. Additionally or
alternatively, receiving module 108 may receive the client-side key
from the client system and/or key store by receiving data
representing the client-side key and from which the client-side key
may be generated. For example, receiving module 108 may receive a
password for a key derivation function from the client system and
use this key derivation function to generate the client-side key
from the password.
[0062] At step 308, one or more of the systems described herein may
decrypt, at the trusted proxy system, the decryption key with the
client-side key. For example, at step 308 decryption module 110
may, as part of computing device 202 in FIG. 2, decrypt, at
computing device 202, decryption key 226 with client-side key
230.
[0063] Decryption module 110 may decrypt the decryption key in any
suitable manner. For example, decryption module 110 may apply the
client-side key to the decryption key according to a predetermined
symmetric key algorithm to generate a decrypted version of the
decryption key. By decrypting the decryption key at the trusted
proxy system, the third-party storage system may have no access to
the decrypted decryption key and, thus, no access to the
unencrypted version of the encrypted file.
[0064] At step 310, one or more of the systems described herein may
use the decryption key to access an unencrypted version of the
encrypted file at the trusted proxy system. For example, at step
310 using module 112 may, as part of computing device 202 in FIG.
2, use decryption key 226 to access an unencrypted version of
encrypted file 242 at computing device 202.
[0065] Access module 112 may access the unencrypted version of the
encrypted file to any of a variety of ends. For example, as
detailed above, the request from the client system may include a
request to retrieve an unencrypted version of the encrypted file.
Accordingly, access module 112 may transmit the unencrypted version
of the encrypted file from the trusted proxy system to the client
system (e.g., in response to the request).
[0066] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary system 400 for secure
third-party data storage. As shown in FIG. 4, exemplary system 400
may include a client system 410 configured to store one or more
files via a third-party storage service facilitated by third-party
storage system 408. For example, client system 410 may have
previously transmitted an unencrypted file 446 to a proxy 420.
Proxy 420 may have identified an asymmetric key pair 430 associated
with client system 410, retrieved an encryption key 432 of
asymmetric key pair 430 (e.g., from third-party storage system 408
or client system 410), generated a file key (e.g., a file key 444)
based on characteristics of unencrypted file 446, and encrypted
unencrypted file 446 using file key 444 (e.g., resulting in an
encrypted file 440). Proxy 420 may have then encrypted the file key
with encryption key 432 (e.g., resulting in an encrypted file key
442) and provided encrypted file 440 and encrypted file key 442 to
third-party storage system 408. In one example, client system 410
may attempt to retrieve unencrypted file 446, now stored on
third-party storage server 420 as encrypted file 440. For example,
at step 450 client system 410 may transmit a message to proxy 420
requesting unencrypted file 446 and including client-side key 412.
Proxy 420 may accordingly retrieve client-side key 412.
[0067] At step 451, proxy 420 may retrieve encrypted decryption key
434, encrypted file 440, and encrypted file key 442 from
third-party storage system 408. At step 452, proxy 420 may decrypt
encrypted decryption key 434 with client-side key 412 to result in
a decryption key 436. At step 454, proxy 420 may use decryption key
436 to decrypt encrypted file key 442 to obtain file key 444 for
encrypted file 440. At step 456, proxy 420 may use file key 444 to
decrypt encrypted file 440 and obtain unencrypted file 446. At step
458, proxy 420 may transmit unencrypted file 446 to client system
410, fulfilling the request by client system 410.
[0068] Returning to step 310 of FIG. 3, in some examples, access
module 112 may access the unencrypted version of the encrypted file
to generate metadata describing the unencrypted version of the
encrypted file. In some examples, access module 112 may then store
the metadata in relation to the encrypted file and/or upload the
metadata to the third-party storage system so that the metadata
describing the encrypted file remains available even after the
unencrypted version of the encrypted file is not directly
accessible on a third-party storage system. Additionally or
alternatively, access module 112 may encrypt and then upload the
metadata to the third-party storage system so that the metadata is
not visible to the third-party storage system yet is not
permanently stored on the proxy system.
[0069] For example, access module 112 may perform a security scan
on the unencrypted version of the encrypted file (e.g., to
determine whether the encrypted file includes any malware or poses
any other security risk). Additionally or alternatively, access
module 112 may perform a data loss prevention scan on the
unencrypted version of the encrypted file (e.g., to apply data loss
prevention policies on the encrypted file, including determining
whether the encrypted file may be stored on the third-party storage
system). In another example, access module 112 may index the
unencrypted version of the encrypted file based on content within
the unencrypted version of the encrypted file (e.g., to facilitate
searching for the encrypted file based on its content without
access to the unencrypted version of the encrypted file). In an
additional example, access module 112 may generate a preview of the
unencrypted version of the encrypted file based on content within
the unencrypted version of the encrypted file (e.g., to facilitate
browsing through encrypted files without access to the unencrypted
versions of the encrypted files). As detailed above, in some
examples one or more systems described herein may additionally or
alternatively perform one or more of the operations described above
when the unencrypted version of the encrypted file is first
provided to the proxy system (e.g., before it is encrypted and
uploaded to the third-party storage system).
[0070] In some examples, multiple parties (e.g., that use separate
trusted proxy systems) may share the file on the third-party
storage system, and each may wish to apply one or more policies
requiring a scan to the unencrypted file. In these examples, access
module 112 may identify a shared-access scanning policy that
indicates whether a given element of a scanning policy will be
applied to a file on the trusted proxy system, on a separate
trusted proxy system controlled by another party, or on both
trusted proxy systems.
[0071] In some examples, access module 112 may provide access to
the unencrypted version of the encrypted file to another party. For
example, access module 112 may provide access to the unencrypted
version of the encrypted file to another user account. In this
example, an additional asymmetric key pair may be designated for
the additional user account, including an additional encryption key
and an additional decryption key. The additional decryption key may
be encrypted with an additional client-side key (pertaining, e.g.,
to an additional client system corresponding to the additional user
account). In this example, access module 112 may provide access to
the unencrypted version of the encrypted file to the additional
user account by first identifying a file key used to encrypt the
encrypted file. Since the encrypted file may pertain to the user
account, the file key may be encrypted with the encryption key
(i.e., the encryption key of the asymmetric key pair corresponding
to the user account). Access module 112 may then decrypt the file
key with the decryption key and encrypt a copy of the file key with
the additional encryption key (and, e.g., upload the encrypted copy
of the file key to the third-party storage system). In this manner,
the additional user account may have access to the encrypted file
(by, e.g., downloading the encrypted copy of the file key to the
trusted proxy system or an additional trusted proxy system and
submitting the additional client-side key to decrypt the file key,
allowing for decryption of the encrypted file by the file key).
[0072] In some examples, access module 112 may provide access to
the unencrypted version of the encrypted file based on a membership
to a group of user accounts. For example, access module 112 may
retrieve, from the third-party storage system, an additional
asymmetric key pair designated for a group of user accounts that
include the user account. The additional asymmetric key pair may
include an additional encryption key and an additional decryption
key. The additional decryption key may be encrypted with an
encryption key that corresponds to the asymmetric key pair of the
user account. Access module 112 may then decrypt the additional
decryption key with the decryption key. Access module 112 may
further identify a file key used to encrypt the encrypted file. The
file key may be encrypted with the additional encryption key.
Accordingly, access module 112 may decrypt the file key with the
additional decryption key and decrypt the encrypted file with the
file key. In an additional example, the encrypted file may be
encrypted with the additional encryption key instead of a file key.
In this example, access module 112 may simply decrypt the encrypted
file with the additional decryption key.
[0073] In some examples, access module 112 may provide access to an
unencrypted version of the file directly to a designated party to
share the file (e.g., instead of sharing the file via the
third-party storage system by providing alternate encryptions of
decryption keys to the third-party storage system for access by
other parties with the capacity to decrypt the alternate
encryptions).
[0074] As explained above, by maintaining asymmetric key pairs for
encrypting and decrypting secured data (e.g., files and/or
encryption keys for files) on a third-party storage server and
encrypting the decryption keys of these asymmetric key pairs with
encryption keys maintained by clients, the systems and methods
described herein may allow a trusted proxy system to the
third-party storage server to encrypt data submitted by clients to
the third-party storage server as needed but require clients to
submit a decryption key in order to access secured data. These
systems and methods may thereby prevent an attacker who has gained
access to a third-party storage system from accessing the secured
data in an unencrypted state (or, e.g., a key that may be used to
access the secured data in an unencrypted state), while still
allowing and/or facilitating the sharing, deduplication, analysis,
and/or indexing of this secured data. In some examples, these
systems and methods may also enable enterprises to apply scanning
policies to the secured data without revealing the potentially
sensitive contents of the scanning policies to the third-party
storage server.
[0075] FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an exemplary computing system
610 capable of implementing one or more of the embodiments
described and/or illustrated herein. For example, all or a portion
of computing system 610 may perform and/or be a means for
performing, either alone or in combination with other elements, one
or more of the steps described herein (such as one or more of the
steps illustrated in FIG. 3). All or a portion of computing system
610 may also perform and/or be a means for performing any other
steps, methods, or processes described and/or illustrated
herein.
[0076] Computing system 610 broadly represents any single or
multi-processor computing device or system capable of executing
computer-readable instructions. Examples of computing system 610
include, without limitation, workstations, laptops, client-side
terminals, servers, distributed computing systems, handheld
devices, or any other computing system or device. In its most basic
configuration, computing system 610 may include at least one
processor 614 and a system memory 616.
[0077] Processor 614 generally represents any type or form of
physical processing unit (e.g., a hardware-implemented central
processing unit) capable of processing data or interpreting and
executing instructions. In certain embodiments, processor 614 may
receive instructions from a software application or module. These
instructions may cause processor 614 to perform the functions of
one or more of the exemplary embodiments described and/or
illustrated herein.
[0078] System memory 616 generally represents any type or form of
volatile or non-volatile storage device or medium capable of
storing data and/or other computer-readable instructions. Examples
of system memory 616 include, without limitation, Random Access
Memory (RAM), Read Only Memory (ROM), flash memory, or any other
suitable memory device. Although not required, in certain
embodiments computing system 610 may include both a volatile memory
unit (such as, for example, system memory 616) and a non-volatile
storage device (such as, for example, primary storage device 632,
as described in detail below). In one example, one or more of
modules 102 from FIG. 1 may be loaded into system memory 616.
[0079] In certain embodiments, exemplary computing system 610 may
also include one or more components or elements in addition to
processor 614 and system memory 616. For example, as illustrated in
FIG. 6, computing system 610 may include a memory controller 618,
an Input/Output (I/O) controller 620, and a communication interface
622, each of which may be interconnected via a communication
infrastructure 612. Communication infrastructure 612 generally
represents any type or form of infrastructure capable of
facilitating communication between one or more components of a
computing device. Examples of communication infrastructure 612
include, without limitation, a communication bus (such as an
Industry Standard Architecture (ISA), Peripheral Component
Interconnect (PCI), PCI Express (PCIe), or similar bus) and a
network.
[0080] Memory controller 618 generally represents any type or form
of device capable of handling memory or data or controlling
communication between one or more components of computing system
610. For example, in certain embodiments memory controller 618 may
control communication between processor 614, system memory 616, and
I/O controller 620 via communication infrastructure 612.
[0081] I/O controller 620 generally represents any type or form of
module capable of coordinating and/or controlling the input and
output functions of a computing device. For example, in certain
embodiments I/O controller 620 may control or facilitate transfer
of data between one or more elements of computing system 610, such
as processor 614, system memory 616, communication interface 622,
display adapter 626, input interface 630, and storage interface
634.
[0082] Communication interface 622 broadly represents any type or
form of communication device or adapter capable of facilitating
communication between exemplary computing system 610 and one or
more additional devices. For example, in certain embodiments
communication interface 622 may facilitate communication between
computing system 610 and a private or public network including
additional computing systems. Examples of communication interface
622 include, without limitation, a wired network interface (such as
a network interface card), a wireless network interface (such as a
wireless network interface card), a modem, and any other suitable
interface. In at least one embodiment, communication interface 622
may provide a direct connection to a remote server via a direct
link to a network, such as the Internet. Communication interface
622 may also indirectly provide such a connection through, for
example, a local area network (such as an Ethernet network), a
personal area network, a telephone or cable network, a cellular
telephone connection, a satellite data connection, or any other
suitable connection.
[0083] In certain embodiments, communication interface 622 may also
represent a host adapter configured to facilitate communication
between computing system 610 and one or more additional network or
storage devices via an external bus or communications channel.
Examples of host adapters include, without limitation, Small
Computer System Interface (SCSI) host adapters, Universal Serial
Bus (USB) host adapters, Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers (IEEE) 1394 host adapters, Advanced Technology Attachment
(ATA), Parallel ATA (PATA), Serial ATA (SATA), and External SATA
(eSATA) host adapters, Fibre Channel interface adapters, Ethernet
adapters, or the like. Communication interface 622 may also allow
computing system 610 to engage in distributed or remote computing.
For example, communication interface 622 may receive instructions
from a remote device or send instructions to a remote device for
execution.
[0084] As illustrated in FIG. 6, computing system 610 may also
include at least one display device 624 coupled to communication
infrastructure 612 via a display adapter 626. Display device 624
generally represents any type or form of device capable of visually
displaying information forwarded by display adapter 626. Similarly,
display adapter 626 generally represents any type or form of device
configured to forward graphics, text, and other data from
communication infrastructure 612 (or from a frame buffer, as known
in the art) for display on display device 624.
[0085] As illustrated in FIG. 6, exemplary computing system 610 may
also include at least one input device 628 coupled to communication
infrastructure 612 via an input interface 630. Input device 628
generally represents any type or form of input device capable of
providing input, either computer or human generated, to exemplary
computing system 610. Examples of input device 628 include, without
limitation, a keyboard, a pointing device, a speech recognition
device, or any other input device.
[0086] As illustrated in FIG. 6, exemplary computing system 610 may
also include a primary storage device 632 and a backup storage
device 633 coupled to communication infrastructure 612 via a
storage interface 634. Storage devices 632 and 633 generally
represent any type or form of storage device or medium capable of
storing data and/or other computer-readable instructions. For
example, storage devices 632 and 633 may be a magnetic disk drive
(e.g., a so-called hard drive), a solid state drive, a floppy disk
drive, a magnetic tape drive, an optical disk drive, a flash drive,
or the like. Storage interface 634 generally represents any type or
form of interface or device for transferring data between storage
devices 632 and 633 and other components of computing system
610.
[0087] In certain embodiments, storage devices 632 and 633 may be
configured to read from and/or write to a removable storage unit
configured to store computer software, data, or other
computer-readable information. Examples of suitable removable
storage units include, without limitation, a floppy disk, a
magnetic tape, an optical disk, a flash memory device, or the like.
Storage devices 632 and 633 may also include other similar
structures or devices for allowing computer software, data, or
other computer-readable instructions to be loaded into computing
system 610. For example, storage devices 632 and 633 may be
configured to read and write software, data, or other
computer-readable information. Storage devices 632 and 633 may also
be a part of computing system 610 or may be a separate device
accessed through other interface systems.
[0088] Many other devices or subsystems may be connected to
computing system 610. Conversely, all of the components and devices
illustrated in FIG. 6 need not be present to practice the
embodiments described and/or illustrated herein. The devices and
subsystems referenced above may also be interconnected in different
ways from that shown in FIG. 6. Computing system 610 may also
employ any number of software, firmware, and/or hardware
configurations. For example, one or more of the exemplary
embodiments disclosed herein may be encoded as a computer program
(also referred to as computer software, software applications,
computer-readable instructions, or computer control logic) on a
computer-readable medium. The term "computer-readable medium," as
used herein, generally refers to any form of device, carrier, or
medium capable of storing or carrying computer-readable
instructions. Examples of computer-readable media include, without
limitation, transmission-type media, such as carrier waves, and
non-transitory-type media, such as magnetic-storage media (e.g.,
hard disk drives, tape drives, and floppy disks), optical-storage
media (e.g., Compact Disks (CDs), Digital Video Disks (DVDs), and
BLU-RAY disks), electronic-storage media (e.g., solid-state drives
and flash media), and other distribution systems.
[0089] The computer-readable medium containing the computer program
may be loaded into computing system 610. All or a portion of the
computer program stored on the computer-readable medium may then be
stored in system memory 616 and/or various portions of storage
devices 632 and 633. When executed by processor 614, a computer
program loaded into computing system 610 may cause processor 614 to
perform and/or be a means for performing the functions of one or
more of the exemplary embodiments described and/or illustrated
herein. Additionally or alternatively, one or more of the exemplary
embodiments described and/or illustrated herein may be implemented
in firmware and/or hardware. For example, computing system 610 may
be configured as an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC)
adapted to implement one or more of the exemplary embodiments
disclosed herein.
[0090] FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an exemplary network
architecture 700 in which client systems 710, 720, and 730 and
servers 740 and 745 may be coupled to a network 750. As detailed
above, all or a portion of network architecture 700 may perform
and/or be a means for performing, either alone or in combination
with other elements, one or more of the steps disclosed herein
(such as one or more of the steps illustrated in FIG. 3). All or a
portion of network architecture 700 may also be used to perform
and/or be a means for performing other steps and features set forth
in the instant disclosure.
[0091] Client systems 710, 720, and 730 generally represent any
type or form of computing device or system, such as exemplary
computing system 610 in FIG. 6. Similarly, servers 740 and 745
generally represent computing devices or systems, such as
application servers or database servers, configured to provide
various database services and/or run certain software applications.
Network 750 generally represents any telecommunication or computer
network including, for example, an intranet, a WAN, a LAN, a PAN,
or the Internet. In one example, client systems 710, 720, and/or
730 and/or servers 740 and/or 745 may include all or a portion of
system 100 from FIG. 1.
[0092] As illustrated in FIG. 7, one or more storage devices
760(1)-(N) may be directly attached to server 740. Similarly, one
or more storage devices 770(1)-(N) may be directly attached to
server 745. Storage devices 760(1)-(N) and storage devices
770(1)-(N) generally represent any type or form of storage device
or medium capable of storing data and/or other computer-readable
instructions. In certain embodiments, storage devices 760(1)-(N)
and storage devices 770(1)-(N) may represent Network-Attached
Storage (NAS) devices configured to communicate with servers 740
and 745 using various protocols, such as Network File System (NFS),
Server Message Block (SMB), or Common Internet File System
(CIFS).
[0093] Servers 740 and 745 may also be connected to a Storage Area
Network (SAN) fabric 780. SAN fabric 780 generally represents any
type or form of computer network or architecture capable of
facilitating communication between a plurality of storage devices.
SAN fabric 780 may facilitate communication between servers 740 and
745 and a plurality of storage devices 790(1)-(N) and/or an
intelligent storage array 795. SAN fabric 780 may also facilitate,
via network 750 and servers 740 and 745, communication between
client systems 710, 720, and 730 and storage devices 790(1)-(N)
and/or intelligent storage array 795 in such a manner that devices
790(1)-(N) and array 795 appear as locally attached devices to
client systems 710, 720, and 730. As with storage devices
760(1)-(N) and storage devices 770(1)-(N), storage devices
790(1)-(N) and intelligent storage array 795 generally represent
any type or form of storage device or medium capable of storing
data and/or other computer-readable instructions.
[0094] In certain embodiments, and with reference to exemplary
computing system 610 of FIG. 6, a communication interface, such as
communication interface 622 in FIG. 6, may be used to provide
connectivity between each client system 710, 720, and 730 and
network 750. Client systems 710, 720, and 730 may be able to access
information on server 740 or 745 using, for example, a web browser
or other client software. Such software may allow client systems
710, 720, and 730 to access data hosted by server 740, server 745,
storage devices 760(1)-(N), storage devices 770(1)-(N), storage
devices 790(1)-(N), or intelligent storage array 795. Although FIG.
7 depicts the use of a network (such as the Internet) for
exchanging data, the embodiments described and/or illustrated
herein are not limited to the Internet or any particular
network-based environment.
[0095] In at least one embodiment, all or a portion of one or more
of the exemplary embodiments disclosed herein may be encoded as a
computer program and loaded onto and executed by server 740, server
745, storage devices 760(1)-(N), storage devices 770(1)-(N),
storage devices 790(1)-(N), intelligent storage array 795, or any
combination thereof. All or a portion of one or more of the
exemplary embodiments disclosed herein may also be encoded as a
computer program, stored in server 740, run by server 745, and
distributed to client systems 710, 720, and 730 over network
750.
[0096] As detailed above, computing system 610 and/or one or more
components of network architecture 700 may perform and/or be a
means for performing, either alone or in combination with other
elements, one or more steps of an exemplary method for secure
hybrid third-party data storage.
[0097] While the foregoing disclosure sets forth various
embodiments using specific block diagrams, flowcharts, and
examples, each block diagram component, flowchart step, operation,
and/or component described and/or illustrated herein may be
implemented, individually and/or collectively, using a wide range
of hardware, software, or firmware (or any combination thereof)
configurations. In addition, any disclosure of components contained
within other components should be considered exemplary in nature
since many other architectures can be implemented to achieve the
same functionality.
[0098] In some examples, all or a portion of exemplary system 100
in FIG. 1 may represent portions of a cloud-computing or
network-based environment. Cloud-computing environments may provide
various services and applications via the Internet. These
cloud-based services (e.g., software as a service, platform as a
service, infrastructure as a service, etc.) may be accessible
through a web browser or other remote interface. Various functions
described herein may be provided through a remote desktop
environment or any other cloud-based computing environment.
[0099] In various embodiments, all or a portion of exemplary system
100 in FIG. 1 may facilitate multi-tenancy within a cloud-based
computing environment. In other words, the software modules
described herein may configure a computing system (e.g., a server)
to facilitate multi-tenancy for one or more of the functions
described herein. For example, one or more of the software modules
described herein may program a server to enable two or more clients
(e.g., customers) to share an application that is running on the
server. A server programmed in this manner may share an
application, operating system, processing system, and/or storage
system among multiple customers (i.e., tenants). One or more of the
modules described herein may also partition data and/or
configuration information of a multi-tenant application for each
customer such that one customer cannot access data and/or
configuration information of another customer.
[0100] According to various embodiments, all or a portion of
exemplary system 100 in FIG. 1 may be implemented within a virtual
environment. For example, the modules and/or data described herein
may reside and/or execute within a virtual machine. As used herein,
the term "virtual machine" generally refers to any operating system
environment that is abstracted from computing hardware by a virtual
machine manager (e.g., a hypervisor). Additionally or
alternatively, the modules and/or data described herein may reside
and/or execute within a virtualization layer. As used herein, the
term "virtualization layer" generally refers to any data layer
and/or application layer that overlays and/or is abstracted from an
operating system environment. A virtualization layer may be managed
by a software virtualization solution (e.g., a file system filter)
that presents the virtualization layer as though it were part of an
underlying base operating system. For example, a software
virtualization solution may redirect calls that are initially
directed to locations within a base file system and/or registry to
locations within a virtualization layer.
[0101] In some examples, all or a portion of exemplary system 100
in FIG. 1 may represent portions of a mobile computing environment.
Mobile computing environments may be implemented by a wide range of
mobile computing devices, including mobile phones, tablet
computers, e-book readers, personal digital assistants, wearable
computing devices (e.g., computing devices with a head-mounted
display, smartwatches, etc.), and the like. In some examples,
mobile computing environments may have one or more distinct
features, including, for example, reliance on battery power,
presenting only one foreground application at any given time,
remote management features, touchscreen features, location and
movement data (e.g., provided by Global Positioning Systems,
gyroscopes, accelerometers, etc.), restricted platforms that
restrict modifications to system-level configurations and/or that
limit the ability of third-party software to inspect the behavior
of other applications, controls to restrict the installation of
applications (e.g., to only originate from approved application
stores), etc. Various functions described herein may be provided
for a mobile computing environment and/or may interact with a
mobile computing environment.
[0102] In addition, all or a portion of exemplary system 100 in
FIG. 1 may represent portions of, interact with, consume data
produced by, and/or produce data consumed by one or more systems
for information management. As used herein, the term "information
management" may refer to the protection, organization, and/or
storage of data. Examples of systems for information management may
include, without limitation, storage systems, backup systems,
archival systems, replication systems, high availability systems,
data search systems, virtualization systems, and the like.
[0103] In some embodiments, all or a portion of exemplary system
100 in FIG. 1 may represent portions of, produce data protected by,
and/or communicate with one or more systems for information
security. As used herein, the term "information security" may refer
to the control of access to protected data. Examples of systems for
information security may include, without limitation, systems
providing managed security services, data loss prevention systems,
identity authentication systems, access control systems, encryption
systems, policy compliance systems, intrusion detection and
prevention systems, electronic discovery systems, and the like.
[0104] According to some examples, all or a portion of exemplary
system 100 in FIG. 1 may represent portions of, communicate with,
and/or receive protection from one or more systems for endpoint
security. As used herein, the term "endpoint security" may refer to
the protection of endpoint systems from unauthorized and/or
illegitimate use, access, and/or control. Examples of systems for
endpoint protection may include, without limitation, anti-malware
systems, user authentication systems, encryption systems, privacy
systems, spam-filtering services, and the like.
[0105] The process parameters and sequence of steps described
and/or illustrated herein are given by way of example only and can
be varied as desired. For example, while the steps illustrated
and/or described herein may be shown or discussed in a particular
order, these steps do not necessarily need to be performed in the
order illustrated or discussed. The various exemplary methods
described and/or illustrated herein may also omit one or more of
the steps described or illustrated herein or include additional
steps in addition to those disclosed.
[0106] While various embodiments have been described and/or
illustrated herein in the context of fully functional computing
systems, one or more of these exemplary embodiments may be
distributed as a program product in a variety of forms, regardless
of the particular type of computer-readable media used to actually
carry out the distribution. The embodiments disclosed herein may
also be implemented using software modules that perform certain
tasks. These software modules may include script, batch, or other
executable files that may be stored on a computer-readable storage
medium or in a computing system. In some embodiments, these
software modules may configure a computing system to perform one or
more of the exemplary embodiments disclosed herein.
[0107] In addition, one or more of the modules described herein may
transform data, physical devices, and/or representations of
physical devices from one form to another. For example, one or more
modules recited herein may receive an encrypted file to be
transformed, transform the encrypted file, output the result of the
transformation to a storage device, use the result of the
transformation to scan an unencrypted version of the file, and
store the result of the transformation to a client system.
Additionally or alternatively, one or more of the modules recited
herein may transform a processor, volatile memory, non-volatile
memory, and/or any other portion of a physical computing device
from one form to another by executing on the computing device,
storing data on the computing device, and/or otherwise interacting
with the computing device.
[0108] The preceding description has been provided to enable others
skilled in the art to best utilize various aspects of the exemplary
embodiments disclosed herein. This exemplary description is not
intended to be exhaustive or to be limited to any precise form
disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible without
departing from the spirit and scope of the instant disclosure. The
embodiments disclosed herein should be considered in all respects
illustrative and not restrictive. Reference should be made to the
appended claims and their equivalents in determining the scope of
the instant disclosure.
[0109] Unless otherwise noted, the terms "connected to" and
"coupled to" (and their derivatives), as used in the specification
and claims, are to be construed as permitting both direct and
indirect (i.e., via other elements or components) connection. In
addition, the terms "a" or "an," as used in the specification and
claims, are to be construed as meaning "at least one of." Finally,
for ease of use, the terms "including" and "having" (and their
derivatives), as used in the specification and claims, are
interchangeable with and have the same meaning as the word
"comprising."
* * * * *