Griffith University: Secure Multi-Keyword Search on Cloud Data

This report discusses the advantages and disadvantages of cloud services, focusing on the privacy issues related to outsourcing sensitive data. It explores how searchable encryption schemes allow clients to store encrypted data in the cloud and execute keyword searches over ciphertext. The research questions address how organizations can use cloud platforms, whether encryption is sufficient for data security, and how to implement encryption techniques for securing confidential data. The report details the design of a searchable encryption scheme supporting precise, ranked multi-keyword searches and dynamic operations on document collections. It outlines the research methods used, including primary and secondary research strategies, qualitative and quantitative methodologies, and various data gathering and analysis techniques. The report emphasizes reliability, validity, and ethical considerations in the research process.

Besides providing various advantages, cloud services also provides disadvantages, similarly
outsourcing sensitive data like, personal health records, mails, government documents, company
finance data to various remote servers can result in privacy issues. The providers of cloud services
might access the data that has been provided to them in order to provide more security to their
data. This could be done without authorization from the owner of the data. This data could be
protected is by encrypting them before they are outsourced. This would cost in the terms of usability
of data.
Researchers had designed various general-purpose solutions along with completely encryption that
is homomorphic. The methods have not been practical because of their increased computational
overhead for user as well as cloud server. On contrary to this, practical as well as solutions that are
for special purpose like searchable encryption (SE) schemes had made various investments in the
aspects of the efficiency, security as well as the functionality. Searchable encryption schemes allow
clients in storing data that is encrypted in cloud and hence execute the search on the basis of
keyword on the domain of cipher text
The research questions that has been presented include
How cloud platform can be used by organizations?
Is encryption enough for securing data?
How can organizations use encryption techniques for securing confidential data?
Searchable encryption schemes usually allows the client for storing encrypted data in the platform of
cloud and hence execute the keyword search over the domain of cipher text. Because of various
primitives of cryptography, schemes of searchable encryption could be implemented using public
key based cryptography along with cryptography that is based on symmetric key. Designing of a
searchable encryption scheme could be done that would support the precise search that is ranked
multi- keyword as well as flexible dynamic operation on the collection of document.
1) Design a particular scheme for searchable encryption which supports both the precise as well as
multi-keyword ranked search as well as flexible dynamic operation on the factor of document
collection.
2) Give a detailed knowledge regarding the encryption techniques used for securing data.
Provide detailed knowledge on how data can be secured in an organization.
Our contribution in this particular assignment is to carry out research and record the results
obtained from it. Various research methods had been reviewed and the most reliable ones have
been selected. The qualitative as well as quantitative research methodology has been reviewed and
the one that has chances to produce more results has been selected.
The research strategy that would be used for the purpose of carrying out this research includes
primary as well as secondary research strategy. Primary research would help in carrying out a real

life research by interviewing people and collecting data from them. Secondary research would be
carried out by reviewing the data collected from secondary sources. Methodologies that would be
used include qualitative as well as quantitative.
The data gathering techniques as well as analysis techniques that would be used by the organization
includes Interviews, Questionnaires, Surveys, Observations, Focus, group, Ethnography, Oral history
and case study, Documents and records
Different techniques would be used for different purposes and it would be used for the purpose
gathering data, these data would be collected and recorded for future use.
Reliability and validity includes issues that has been pointed out by quantitative researchers and
advocates. This research would ensure quality as well as rigour. It would also apply various ethical
principles. It ensures that principles of any individual is not harmed.