Securing Decentralized Storage in Blockchain: A Hybrid Cryptographic Framework

• Published in: Cybernetics and information technologies : CIT Vol. 24; no. 2; pp. 16 - 31
• Main Authors: Swati, Jadhav, Nitin, Pise
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Sciendo 01-06-2024
• Subjects: Blockchain; Content security; Elliptic curve cryptography; Hybrid cryptography; IPFS
• ISSN: 1314-4081; 1314-4081
• DOI: 10.2478/cait-2024-0013

The evolution of decentralized storage, propelled by blockchain advancements, has revolutionized data management. This paper focuses on content security in the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS), a leading decentralized storage network lacking inherent content encryption. To address this vulnerability, we propose a novel hybrid cryptographic algorithm, merging AES 128-bit encryption with Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) key generation. The algorithm includes ECC key pairs, random IV generation, and content/AES key encryption using ECC public keys. Benchmarking against standard AES 256-bit methods shows a significant 20% acceleration in encryption speed and a 16% increase in decryption efficiency, affirming practicality for enhancing IPFS content security. This research contributes to securing decentralized storage and provides a performance-driven solution. The promising results highlight the viability of the proposed approach, advancing understanding and mitigating security concerns in IPFS and similar systems.