Secure attribute-based systems

Attributes define, classify, or annotate the datum to which they are assigned. However, traditional attribute architec-tures and cryptosystems are ill-equipped to provide security in the face of diverse access requirements and environments. In this paper, we introduce a novel secure information man-agement architecture based on emerging attribute-based en-cryption (ABE) primitives. A policy system that meets the needs of complex policies is defined and illustrated. Based on the needs of those policies, we propose cryptographic op-timizations that vastly improve enforcement efficiency. We further explore the use of such policies in two example ap-plications: a HIPAA compliant distributed file system and a social network. A performance analysis of our ABE system and example applications demonstrates the ability to reduce cryptographic costs by as much as 98 % over previously pro-posed constructions. Through this, we demonstrate that our attribute system is an efficient solution for securely manag-ing information in large, loosely-coupled, distributed sys-tems