SLA-based trust model for secure cloud computing

Cloud computing has changed the strategy used for providing distributed services to many business and government agents. Cloud computing delivers scalable and on-demand services to most users in different domains. However, this new technology has also created many challenges for service providers and customers, especially for those users who already own complicated legacy systems. This thesis discusses the challenges of, and proposes solutions to, the issues of dynamic pricing, management of service level agreements (SLA), performance measurement methods and trust management for cloud computing.In cloud computing, a dynamic pricing scheme is very important to allow cloud providers to estimate the price of cloud services. Moreover, the dynamic pricing scheme can be used by cloud providers to optimize the total cost of cloud data centres and correlate the price of the service with the revenue model of service. In the context of cloud computing, dynamic pricing methods from the perspective of cloud providers and cloud customers are missing from the existing literature. A dynamic pricing scheme for cloud computing must take into account all the requirements of building and operating cloud data centres. Furthermore, a cloud pricing scheme must consider issues of service level agreements with cloud customers.I propose a dynamic pricing methodology which provides adequate estimating methods for decision makers who want to calculate the benefits and assess the risks of using cloud technology. I analyse the results and evaluate the solutions produced by the proposed scheme. I conclude that my proposed scheme of dynamic pricing can be used to increase the total revenue of cloud service providers and help cloud customers to select cloud service providers with a good quality level of service.Regarding the concept of SLA, I provide an SLA definition in the context of cloud computing to achieve the aim of presenting a clearly structured SLA for cloud users and improving the means of establishing a trustworthy relationship between service provider and customer. In order to provide a reliable methodology for measuring the performance of cloud platforms, I develop performance metrics to measure and compare the scalability of the virtualization resources of cloud data centres. First, I discuss the need for a reliable method of comparing the performance of various cloud services currently being offered. Then, I develop a different type of metrics and propose a suitable methodology to measure the scalability using these metrics. I focus on virtualization resources such as CPU, storage disk, and network infrastructure.To solve the problem of evaluating the trustworthiness of cloud services, this thesis develops a model for each of the dimensions for Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) using fuzzy-set theory. I use the Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy-inference approach to develop an overall measure of trust value for the cloud providers. It is not easy to evaluate the cloud metrics for all types of cloud services. So, in this thesis, I use Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) as a main example when I collect the data and apply the fuzzy model to evaluate trust in terms of cloud computing. Tests and results are presented to evaluate the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed model

Trustee: A Trust Management System for Fog-enabled Cyber Physical Systems

In this paper, we propose a lightweight trust management system (TMS) for fog-enabled cyber physical systems (Fog-CPS). Trust computation is based on multi-factor and multi-dimensional parameters, and formulated as a statistical regression problem which is solved by employing random forest regression model. Additionally, as the Fog-CPS systems could be deployed in open and unprotected environments, the CPS devices and fog nodes are vulnerable to numerous attacks namely, collusion, self-promotion, badmouthing, ballot-stuffing, and opportunistic service. The compromised entities can impact the accuracy of trust computation model by increasing/decreasing the trust of other nodes. These challenges are addressed by designing a generic trust credibility model which can countermeasures the compromise of both CPS devices and fog nodes. The credibility of each newly computed trust value is evaluated and subsequently adjusted by correlating it with a standard deviation threshold. The standard deviation is quantified by computing the trust in two configurations of hostile environments and subsequently comparing it with the trust value in a legitimate/normal environment. Our results demonstrate that credibility model successfully countermeasures the malicious behaviour of all Fog-CPS entities i.e. CPS devices and fog nodes. The multi-factor trust assessment and credibility evaluation enable accurate and precise trust computation and guarantee a dependable Fog-CPS system

Enhancing User Trust in Cloud Computing Applications

Despite the surge in activity and interest in cloud computing, there are significant and persistent concerns about cloud computing, particularly with regard to trusting the cloud platform in terms of confidentiality, integrity and availability of user data stored through these applications. These factors are significant in determining trust in cloud computing and thus provide the foundation for this paper. The significant role that trust plays in use of cloud computing was considered in relation to various trust related models, theories and frameworks. The available trust models, frameworks and cloud computing adoption strategies focus on cost reduction and the various benefits that are associated with migrating to the cloud. This paper focused on the lack of user trust in cloud computing applications, and strategies of enhancing user trust with reference to the Proposed Trust Model by Mayer, Davis, and Schoorman, (1995) and the Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability (CIA) Triad. A questionnaire was used as the means of gathering data on trust related perceptions of the use of cloud computing. An initial cloud computing adoption model was proposed based on key portions of cloud computing literature that was explored, combined and expected to enhance trust in cloud computing. This initial model was an important foundation for the establishment of the Critical Success Factors (CSFs) and thereafter the framework to enhance user trust in cloud computing applications

Developing a Trustworthy Cloud Service Framework for Cloud Computing Security

Cloud computing is quickly becoming an essential platform for sharing infrastructure, software, apps, and corporate resources. Cloud computing has many advantages, but users still have a lot of questions about the dependability and safety of cloud services. Concerns about the hazards associated with the possible exploitation of this technology to undertake criminal operations might threaten the undeniable success of cloud computing. To ensure happy customers, the cloud model must prioritize safety, openness, and dependability.Its main purpose is data security, which concerns everyone contemplating cloud services. A cloud-based assault protection system will safeguard data, communications, and information.According to studies, the recommended technique is successful, however updating tags and blocks when data is amended requires computation and communication expenses. Scalability, data secrecy, and decentralized double encryption improve security.The proposed method employs cloud servers for computation-intensive tasks and protects data content by depriving data owners and users of privilege information. Also ensures responsibility. Sharing health data on the cloud is feasible, cost-effective, efficient, adaptive, and better for individuals. This"Advanced Encryption Standard with Lightweight Cipher-text-Identity and Attribute-based Encryption" (AES-lightweight CP-ABE) aims to protect sensitive data

Towards a Cloud Computing Selection and Evaluation Environment for Very Large Business Applications

Due to their maturity Cloud Computing Services can be used for creating efficient and modern Very Large Business Applications (VLBAs). These kinds of systems address the need for more agility in the whole supply chain with a loosely coupled system of separate cloud computing services combined to a highly integrated, complex Information System. But due to the fast growth of Cloud Computing the market has become non-transparent containing many offers which only partially meet customers’ requirements. That makes it even more difficult for customers to implement Cloud based VLBA-Systems. A detailed knowledge of universal Cloud requirements enables all types of customers to adopt Cloud solutions efficiently. Therefore this paper aims to contribute a framework addressing the adoption and selection of Cloud services for VLBA-Systems. To develop this framework we followed a design science approach and conducted a systematic literature review, extensive market analysis and an evaluation based on expert interviews

Formulating Methodology to Build a Trust Framework for Cloud Identity Management

The vital element in outsourcing data to the cloud is trust and trustworthiness that information is protected, unaltered and available on demand. To facilitate service expectations efficient and effective infra-structures are required to host the functional processes. A security process is identity management that provides authorization for access rights based on verification checks. In this paper cloud security architecture is reviewed by focusing on the issue of trust and the role of identity management design. Methodology is built to produce cloud artefacts and then it is theoretically applied to produce an innovative solution to assess cloud identity providers (CIdP). A design solution lays out an information security architecture that enhances utility for CIdPs and gives better options for users to make trust decisions in the cloud. The contribution of the research is to provide a generic methodology that may be applied to evaluate other security artefacts for the cloud environment