Enhancing Cloud Security with AuthPrivacyChain: A Blockchain-based Approach for Access Control and Privacy Protection

Cloud computing is a popular option for storing and accessing data and applications, but it raises security concerns related to access control and privacy protection. To address these concerns, this paper proposes a novel approach called AuthPrivacyChain, which is a blockchain-based solution for enhancing cloud security. AuthPrivacyChain provides a decentralized, transparent, and tamper-evident access control mechanism that uses smart contracts to define the rules for granting or denying access to cloud resources. The smart contracts are stored in a tamper-evident and immutable manner on the blockchain, which provides transparency and accountability for all access control decisions. The AuthPrivacyChain approach also uses cryptographic techniques, such as digital signatures and encryption, to ensure the privacy and confidentiality of user data. It uses a zero-knowledge proof mechanism to enable users to prove their identity without revealing any sensitive information. The authors evaluate the AuthPrivacyChain approach using a prototype implementation and show that it can provide effective access control and privacy protection for cloud-based resources. The results suggest that AuthPrivacyChain could be a promising solution to enhance cloud security and address security concerns related to cloud computing. Overall, AuthPrivacyChain is a blockchain-based solution that provides decentralized access control and privacy protection for cloud-based resources, using smart contracts, cryptographic techniques, and a distributed ledger to ensure transparency, accountability, and security.