A Comprehensive Review of Cloud based Multi-Authority Revocable CPABE Schemes

Security concerns related to the cloud service model cannot be efficiently addressed using conventional cryptographic techniques. Therefore, Ciphertext Policy Attribute Based Encryption (CPABE) became the suitable choice for the data owners to enforce fine-grained access control. Even though the sensitive data resides with Cloud Service Provider (CSP), however, the data owner has complete control to determine who can access the data. CPABE schemes in existing work have been implemented either using single-authority or multi-authority systems. In this work, multi-authority pairing-based revocable CPABE schemes methodology has been thoroughly studied. The methodology adopted by the existing schemes to revoke malicious users has been analytically compared using various parameters. In addition, the approaches addressing change in users’ roles, privileges, or attributes have also been critically reviewed. Subsequently, the challenges and research gaps identified in the existing schemes have been outlined. Conclusively, in this study, the properties required in an efficient multi-authority pairing-based revocable CPABE framework have been presented as a possible solution to subdue the identified research gaps.