Simplified File Assured Deletion (SFADE) - A user friendly overlay approach for data security in cloud storage system

The dependency on cloud storage has been growing immensely with the use of public cloud storage facilities. However, this has given rise to security concerns involved in data confidentiality even after deletion of data. As multiple copies of the same data are kept in the storage server for reliability, some copies of the data remain in the cloud storage though a user deletes the data. To address this issue, a technique termed as File Assured DEletion (FADE) was proposed that encrypts the data before storing in the cloud storage. This technique involves the use of a third party key manager to store the keys which involves a relatively complex system architecture. Moreover, the requirement of simultaneous multiple network connections makes it suitable for the corporate clients. In this paper, we proposed a technique, Simplified File Assured DEletion (SFADE) which is easy to implement and friendlier to the ordinary users. We introduced a new model which eradicates the reliance on the key manager system, and at the same time it ensures assured deletion. The new system has not only been suggested theoretically but we have also implemented a prototype to validate the model. This proposed work will benefit the cloud storage users by helping them maintain their own data confidentiality.