Abstract
A cloud computing environment provides a cost-effective way for the end user to store and access private data over remote storage using some Internet connection. The user has access to the data anywhere and at any time. However, the data over the cloud do not remain secure all the time. Since the data are accessible to the end user only by using the interference of a third party, it is prone to breach of authentication and integrity of the data. Moreover, cloud computing allows simultaneous users to access and retrieve their data online over different Internet connections, which leads to the exposure, leakage, and loss of a user's sensitive data in different locations. Many algorithms and protocols have been developed to maintain the security and integrity of the data using cryptographic algorithms such as the Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC). This paper proposes a secure and optimized scheme for sharing data while maintaining data security and integrity over the cloud. The proposed system mainly functions by combining the ECC and the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) method to ensure authentication and data integrity. The experimental results show that the proposed approach is efficient and yields better results when compared with existing approaches.