On the use of proxy re-encryption to control access to sensitive data on information centric networking

摘要

Information-centric networking (ICN) stands out as a promising solution to replace the Internet. In the ICN architecture, the content is the major element and the data name is used for routing the content, instead of the address location as in the Internet nowadays. Furthermore, it is desirable to cache as much data as possible near the user, aiming to improve performance and reduce data transfer. However, data confidentiality can be compromised once it is complex to the content publisher control the access to sensitive data. Although many architectures allow the use of encryption, the key management and the user revocation can be challenging. One possible solution is to insert a proxy to intermediate the access to sensitive data, using a technique named proxy re-encryption (PRE), despite the fact that it inputs an additional overhead to the access. This paper presents how PRE can be applied in ICN architectures, analyses the implied overhead and discuss if it break the ICN paradigm.