Provision of Data Accountability and Security in cloud

Cloud computing is best emerging paradigm in computer industry. This technology hides the details of services from user. Moreover, users may not know the machines which actually process and host their data and also that data is outsourced to other entities which cause issues related to accountability. So there is need of approach which allows users to keep track of their data in the cloud. To solve security related issues we propose a Cloud Data Security and Accountability (CDMA) framework which is based on Information Accountability. This framework allows user to keep track of data in the cloud. It is an extension of existing Cloud Information Accountability (CIA) with improved performance. Its main feature is lightweight Accountability with high security. DOI: 10.17762/ijritcc2321-8169.150519

Cloud privacy and security issues beyond technology: championing the cause of accountability

Cloud computing provides IT service providers increased efficiency of resource utilization while enabling consumers to benefit from innovative advantages like access to up-to-date IT resources and low upfront investment. A significant hindrance to adoption of cloud computing is the lack of trust arising from worries over privacy and security when data resources of cloud service consumers are handled by third parties. A key factor in fostering cloud privacy and security is accountability, which increases trust by obligating an entity to be answerable for its actions. This paper uses a hermeneutic literature review to investigate (i) the prevailing methods and strategies of fostering privacy and security through accountability, (ii) the key actors in championing cloud accountability and (iii) the key barriers to cloud accountability. This literature review provides insight into current practices associated with championing cloud accountability and contributes to cloud service provider awareness of ways to improve cloud computing trustworthiness

Distributed Accountability Technique for All File Types

Cloud computing is most excellent emerging paradigm in computer industry which hides the details of cloud services from cloud user. Basically users may not know the machines which truly process,host their data and also that cloud data is outsourced to other entities on cloud which cause issues related to accountability. So it is very important to develop such approach which allows owners to keep track of their personal data over the cloud. To solve all security related issues raised on cloud we propose a Cloud Data Security as well as Accountability (CDMA) method which is based on Information Accountability. This allows owner to keep track of all usage of data over cloud. Such method is applied to generic files in our proposed concept. Also it can increases security level. Basically in our approach main focus is on generic files, size of jar, time for uploading and downloading jar. DOI: 10.17762/ijritcc2321-8169.15072

Progger: an efficient, tamper-evident kernel-space logger for cloud data provenance tracking

Cloud data provenance, or "what has happened to my data in the cloud", is a critical data security component which addresses pressing data accountability and data governance issues in cloud computing systems. In this paper, we present Progger (Provenance Logger), a kernel-space logger which potentially empowers all cloud stakeholders to trace their data. Logging from the kernel space empowers security analysts to collect provenance from the lowest possible atomic data actions, and enables several higher-level tools to be built for effective end-to-end tracking of data provenance. Within the last few years, there has been an increasing number of proposed kernel space provenance tools but they faced several critical data security and integrity problems. Some of these prior tools' limitations include (1) the inability to provide log tamper-evidence and prevention of fake/manual entries, (2) accurate and granular timestamp synchronisation across several machines, (3) log space requirements and growth, and (4) the efficient logging of root usage of the system. Progger has resolved all these critical issues, and as such, provides high assurance of data security and data activity audit. With this in mind, the paper will discuss these elements of high-assurance cloud data provenance, describe the design of Progger and its efficiency, and present compelling results which paves the way for Progger being a foundation tool used for data activity tracking across all cloud systems

Putting the "Account" into Cloud Accountability

Security concerns are often cited as the most prominent reason for not using cloud computing, but customers of cloud users, especially end-users, frequently do not understand the need to control access to personal information. On the other hand, some users might understand the risk, and yet have inadequate means to address it. In order to make the Cloud a viable alternative for all, accountability of the service providers is key, and with the advent of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), ignoring accountability is something providers in the EU market will do at their peril. To be able to hold cloud service providers accountable for how they manage personal, sensitive and confidential information, there is a need for mechanisms that can mitigate risk, identify emerging risks, monitor policy violations, manage any incidents, and provide redress. We believe that being able to offer accountability as part of the service provision will represent a competitive edge for service providers catering to discerning cloud customers, also outside the GDPR sphere of influence. This paper will outline the fundamentals of accountability, and provide more details on what the actual "account'' is all about.publishedVersio

Core elements in information security accountability in the cloud

This paper proposes 9 core elements of information security accountability in the area of cloud computing. The core elements were determined via a series of 18 case studies with Omani government organisations that were actively using and/or providing cloud computing. 36 interviews were conducted and then analysed using a grounded theory methodology As a result of the analysis, responsibility, transparency, assurance, remediation, accountability support environment, flexible change process, collaboration, mechanisms and commitment to external criteria. The research also found that the emphasis on specific core elements is context-dependent and that there was considerable variation in emphasis amongst the case study organisations

Protecting Information Stored Inside the Cloud with A New CCA-EBO Protocol Designed on Hive Technology

Massively scalable facilities may be accessed online with ease due to "Cloud Computing (CC)". The CC resources are primarily characterized by the fact that "Cloud User (CU)" information is often kept on "Cloud Server (CS)" that the CU doesn't even possess or control. The CUs' apprehension about the loss of management of their information may lead to a substantial roadblock in their acceptance of CC offerings. In an attempt to highlight the effectiveness of CC security, the "Cloud Service Providers (CSP)" need to empower the CU to control and evaluate their data. The focus of this research chooses to highlight a key aspect of CC platforms employed to handle CU information on unrecognized CSs at remote locations. Concerns about compromising personal information arise from this feature's importance. In this research, a novel swarm-based "Enhanced BAT Optimization (EBO)" for key generating in "Cloud Computing Accountability (CCA)" for CC information tracking is proposed to solve security issues. Generally, this proposed hybrid CCA-EBO architecture is based on the idea of data accountability, which enables dispersed end-to-end responsibility. The information is made available to the general public, although with a limited set of permissions. The "Cloud Administrator (CA)" would specify the level of access each CU has to the data before it is made available to them. All CU accesses to data are recorded and will be found in a log file for CA to review. According to evaluation methods for the proposed CCA-EBO, existing "Hybrid Secure Cloud Storage (HSCS)", and "Advanced Distribution Verification Protocol (ADVP)", the CCA-EBO provides more security than HSCS, and ADVP in terms of "Auditing Time", "Encryption Time", "Decryption Time", and "Storage Overhead"

Achieving trust-oriented data protection in the cloud environment

University of Technology, Sydney. Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology.Cloud computing has gained increasing acceptance in recent years. In privacy-conscious domains such as healthcare and banking, however, data security and privacy are the greatest obstacles to the widespread adoption of cloud computing technology. Despite enjoying the benefits brought by this innovative technology, users are concerned about losing the control of their own data in the outsourced environment. Encrypting data can resolve confidentiality and integrity challenges, but the key to mitigating users’ concerns and encouraging broader adoption of cloud computing is the establishment of a trustworthy relationship between cloud providers and users. In this dissertation, we investigate a novel trust-oriented data protection framework adapted to the cloud environment. By investigating cloud data security, privacy, and control related issues, we propose a novel data protection approach that combines active and passive protection mechanisms. The active protection is used to secure data in an independent and smart data cube that can survive even when the host is in danger. The passive protection covers the actions and mechanisms taken to monitor and audit data based on third party security services such as access control services and audit services. Furthermore, by incorporating full mobility and replica management with the active and passive mechanisms, the proposed framework can satisfy confidentiality, integrity, availability, scalability, intrusion-tolerance, authentication, authorization, auditability, and accountability, increasing users’ confidence in consuming cloud-based data services. In this work we begin by introducing cloud data storage characteristics and then analyse the reasons for issues of data security, privacy and control in cloud. On the basis of results of analysis, we identify desirable properties and objectives for protecting cloud data. In principle, cryptography-based and third party based approaches are insufficient to address users’ concerns and increase confidence in consuming cloud-based data services, because of possible intrusion attacks and direct tampering of data. Hence, we propose a novel way of securing data in an active data cube (ADCu) with smart and independent functionality. Each ADCu is a deployable data protection unit encapsulating sensitive data, networking, data manipulation, and security verification functions within a coherent data structure. A sealed and signed ADCu encloses dynamic information-flow tracking throughout the data cube that can precisely monitor the inner data and the derivatives. Any violations of policy or tampering with data would be compulsorily recorded and reported to bundled users via the mechanisms within the ADCu. This active and bundled architecture is designed to establish a trustworthy relationship between cloud and users. Subsequently, to establish a more comprehensive security environment cooperating with an active data-centric (ADC) framework, we propose a cloud-based privacy-aware role-based access control (CPRBAC) service and an active auditing service (AAS). These components in the entire data protection framework contribute to the passive security mechanisms. They provide access control management and audit work based on a consistent security environment. We also discuss and implement full mobility management and data replica management related to the ADCu, which are regarded as significant factors to satisfy data accountability, availability, and scalability. We conduct a set of practical experiments and security evaluation on a mini-private cloud platform. The outcome of this research demonstrates the efficiency, feasibility, dependability, and scalability of protecting outsourced data in cloud by using the trust-oriented protection framework. To that end, we introduce an application applying the components and mechanisms of the trust-oriented security framework to protecting eHealth data in cloud. The novelty of this work lies in protecting cloud data in an ADCu that is not highly reliant on strong encryption schemes and third-party protection schemes. By proposing innovative structures, concepts, algorithms, and services, the major contribution of this thesis is that it helps cloud providers to deliver trust actively to cloud users, and encourages broader adoption of cloud-based solutions for data storage services in sensitive areas