Securing E-mail communications and encrypted file storage using yaksha split private key asymmetric cryptography

摘要

A method is provided for securing stored files in a system having a plurality of system users with each system user having an associated asymmetric crypto-key with a public key portion and a corresponding private key portion. Each public key portion is accessible to the plurality of system users. Each private key portion has a first private key portion known only to the associated user and a corresponding second private key portion known only to a security server. Data to be stored is identified. A symmetric crypto-key is encrypted with only the second private key portion of a first user crypto-key to form an encrypted key message, thereby restricting access to the symmetric crypto- key to only the first user. The symmetric crypto-key is obtained by the first user by applying the first private key portion of the first user crypto-key to decrypt the encrypted key message. The first user encrypts the data with the symmetric crypto-key to form an encrypted file, and stores the encrypted file and the encrypted key message.