A New Identity-Based Encryption Scheme Using Blockchain for Electronic Health System

Subject Areas : Information security

ّFatemeh Alidadi Shamsabadi ¹ , Shaghayegh Bakhtiari chehelcheshmeh ² , Majid Alipour ³

1 - Department of Computer, Faculty of Engineering, Shahrekord Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shahrekord, Iran.
2 - Department of Computer, Faculty of Engineering, Shahrekord Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shahrekord, Iran.
3 - Department of Computer, Faculty of Engineering, Shahrekord Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shahrekord, Iran.

Received: 2023-07-12 Accepted : 2023-09-12 Published : 2023-10-10

Keywords: Electronic health system, identity-based encryption, blockchain, cloud computing,

Abstract :

With the development of information technology, electronic health (e-health) systems are used as a common approach to recording patients' medical data. Given that medical information is an essential asset of individuals and the health system, there are severe concerns about secure sharing and preserving this information's privacy. In this paper, we propose a new identity-based encryption (IBE) method by bilinear pairings to ensure the confidentiality of patients' data and their privacy in cloud health systems; in this way, this plan also provides authentication for users using challenge-response mechanisms. In addition, the proposed scheme, using blockchain techniques, ensures integrity and precise access control for shared data. The correctness of the proposed protocol is verified, and its security is formally proven in the standard model. The implementation of our scheme is performed in Java, and the results show that the proposed scheme reduces the computational overhead compared to previous similar methods.

References:

[1] H. Toral-Cruz, D. He, A.D. Mihovska, K.K. Raymond Choo, and M.K. Khan, Reliable and Secure e-Health Networks. Wireless Personal Communications, (2021), 117, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11277-021-08104-z.
[2] W. Hsin-Te, and T. Chun-Wei, Toward Blockchains for Health-Care Systems: Applying the Bilinear Pairing Technology to Ensure Privacy Protection and Accuracy in Data Sharing. IEEE Consumer Electronics Magazine, 7 (2018), 65-71. https://doi.org/10.1109/MCE.2018.2816306.
[3] X.A. Wang, J. Ma, F. Xhafa, M. Zhang, and X. Luo, Cost-Effective, Secure E-Health Cloud System Using Identity-Based Cryptographic Techniques. Future Generation Computer Systems, 67 (2017), 242–254. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.future.2016.08.008.
[4] D. Boneh, and M. Franklin, (2001, August). Identity-Based Encryption from the Weil Pairing. In Annual International Cryptology Conference (pp. 213–229). Springer, Berlin. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-44647-8_13.
[5] P. Patil, M. Sangeetha, and V. Bhaskar, Blockchain for IoT Access Control, Security and Privacy: A Review. Wireless Personal Communications, 117 (2021), 1815–1834. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11277-020-07947-2.
[6] P. Pandey and R. Litoriya, Securing E-health Networks from Counterfeit Medicine Penetration Using Blockchain. Wireless Personal Communications, 117 (2021), 7–25. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11277-020-07041-7.
[7] H. Wang and Y.J. Song, Secure Cloud-Based EHR System Using Attribute-Based Cryptosystem and Blockchain. Journal of Medical Systems, 42(8) (2018), 152:1–152:9. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10916-018-0994-6.
[8] V. Della Mea, What Is E-Health (2): The Death of Telemedicine? Journal of Medical Internet Research, 3(2) (2001). https://doi.org/10.2196/jmir.3.2.e22.
[9] O. Enaizan, A.A. Zaidan, N.H.M. Alwi, B.B. Zaidan, M.A. Alsalem, O.S. Albahri, and A.S. Albahri, Electronic Medical Record Systems: Decision Support Examination Framework for Individual, Security and Privacy Concerns Using Multi-Perspective Analysis. Health and Technology, 10 (2020), 795–822. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12553-018-0278-7.
[10] J. O'donoghue, and J. Herbert, Data Management within M-Health Environments: Patient Sensors, Mobile Devices, and Databases. Journal of Data and Information Quality, 4 (2012), 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1145/2378016.2378021.
[11] L. Neuhauser, and G.L. Kreps, Online Cancer Communication: Meeting the Literacy, Cultural and Linguistic Needs of Diverse Audiences. Patient Education and Counseling, 71 (2008), 365–377. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2008.02.015.
[12] L. Neuhauser, and G.L. Kreps, E-Health Communication and Behavior Change: Promise and Performance. Social Semiotics, 20 (2010), 9–27. https://doi.org/10.1080/10350330903438386.
[13] G.L. Kreps, Strategic Use of Communication to Market Cancer Prevention and Control to Vulnerable Populations. Health Marketing Quarterly, 25 (2008), 204–216. https://doi.org/10. 1080/07359680802126327.
[14] J. Benaloh, M. Chase, E. Horvitz and K. Lauter, Patient-Controlled Encryption: Ensuring the Privacy of Electronic Medical Records. In Proceedings of the 2009 ACM Workshop on Cloud Computing Security 2009, 103–114. https://doi.org/10.1145/1655008.1655024.
[15] Y. Xue, X. Mao, Y. Guo, and S. Lv,The Research Advance of Facial Expression Recognition in Human-Computer Interaction. Journal of Image and Graphics, 5 (2009), 764–772.
[16] M. Barua, X. Liang, R. Lu and X. Shen, ESPAC: Enabling Security and Patient-Centric Access Control for E-Health in Cloud Computing, International Journal of Security and Networks, 6 (2011), 67–76. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJSN.2011.043666.
[17] L. Guo, C. Zhang, J. Sun and Y. Fang, Paas: A Privacy-Preserving Attribute-Based Authentication System for E-Health Networks. IEEE Transactions on Mobile Computing, 13 (2012), 1927-1941. https://doi.org/10.1109/ICDCS.2012.45.
[18] M. Li, S. Yu, Y. Zheng, K. Ren and W. Lou, Scalable and Secure Sharing of Personal Health Records in Cloud Computing Using Attribute-Based Encryption. IEEE Transactions on Parallel and Distributed Systems, 24 (2013), 131–143. https://doi.org/10.1109/TPDS.2012.97.
[19] H. Yan, J. Li, X. Li, G. Zhao, S.Y. Lee and J. Shen, Secure Access Control of E-Health System with Attribute-Based Encryption. Intelligent Automation & Soft Computing, 22 (2016), 345–352. https://doi.org/10.1080/10798587.2015.1132586.
[20] X. Boyen, A Tapestry of Identity-Based Encryption: Practical Frameworks Compared. International Journal of Applied Cryptography, 1 (2008), 3–21. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJAC T.2008.017047.
[21] A. Shamir, Identity-Based Cryptosystems and Signature Schemes. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 84 (1984), 47–53. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-39568-7_5.
[22] D. Boneh and M. Franklin, Identity-Based Encryption from the Weil Pairing. SIAM Journal on Computing, 32(3) (2003), 586–615. https://doi.org/10.1137/S0097539701398521.
[23] R. Sakai and M. Kasahara, ID-Based Cryptosystems with Pairing on Elliptic Curve. IACR Cryptology ePrint Archive. 2003.
[24] D. Boneh and X. Boyen, Efficient Selective-ID Secure Identity-Based Encryption without Random Oracles. In International Conference on the Theory and Applications of Cryptographic Techniques, 2004, 223–238. https://doi.org/10.100 7/978-3-540-24676-3_14.
[25] C. Gentry, Practical Identity-Based Encryption without Random Oracles. In Annual International Conference on the Theory and Applications of Cryptographic Techniques, 2006, 445–464. https://doi.org/10.1007/11761679_27.
[26] D. Boneh and X. Boyen, Efficient Selective Identity-Based Encryption without Random Oracles. Journal of Cryptology, 24 (2011), 659–693. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00145-010-9078-6.
[27] D. Galindo, Chosen-Ciphertext Secure Identity-Based Encryption from Computational Bilinear Diffie-Hellman. In International Conference on Pairing-Based Cryptography, 2010, 367–376. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-17455-1_23.
[28] J.H. Park, K. Lee and D.H. Lee, New Chosen-Ciphertext Secure Identity-Based Encryption with a Tight Security Reduction to the Bilinear Diffie-Hellman Problem. Information Sciences, 325 (2015), 256–270. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.in s.2015.07.011.
[29] W. Susilo, F. Guo and Y. Mu, Efficient Dynamic Threshold Identity-Based Encryption with Constant-Size Ciphertext. Theoretical Computer Science, 609 (2015), 49–59. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tcs.2015.09.006.
[30] S. Bakhtiari-Chehelcheshmeh and M. Hosseinzadeh,A New Certificateless and Secure Authentication Scheme for Ad-Hoc Networks. Wireless Personal Communications, 94 (2017), 2833–2851. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11277-016-3721-y.
[31] M. Green and G. Ateniese, Identity-Based Proxy Re-Encryption. In International Conference on Applied Cryptography and Network Security, 2007, 288–306. https://doi.org/10.100 7/978-3-540-72738-5_19.
[32] S. Nakamoto, Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System,2012.
[33] N. Kshetri, Blockchain's Roles in Strengthening Cybersecurity and Protecting Privacy. Telecommunications Policy, 41 (2017), 1027-1038. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.telpol.2017.09.003.
[34] X. Yue, H. Wang, D. Jin, M. Li and W. Jiang, Healthcare Data Gateways: Found Healthcare Intelligence on the Blockchain with Novel Privacy Risk Control. Journal of Medical Systems, 40 (2016), 218. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10916-016-0574-6.
[35] M. Banerjee, J. Lee and K.K. Raymond Choo,A Blockchain Future for the Internet of Things Security: A Position Paper. Digital Communications and Networks, 4 (2018), 149-160. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dcan.2017.10.006.
[36] A. Azaria, A. Ekblaw, T. Vieira and A. Lippman, Medrec: Using Blockchain for Medical Data Access and Permission Management. Open and Big Data (OBD), International Conference on IEEE, 2016, 25-30. https://doi.org/10.1109/OB D.2016.11.
[37] A. De Caro, V. Iovino and A. Renato, JPBC : Java Pairing Based Cryptography. IEEE Symposium on Computers and Communications, 2011, 850–855. https://doi.org/10.1109/IS CC.2011.5983948E.