Strengthening Cloud Security: A Comprehensive Review of Modern Cryptography Methods and Emerging Trends

Abstract

To protect data and communication in cloud environments, this article examines the foundations, methods, and protocols of cryptography in the context of cloud computing. Asymmetric and symmetric key cryptography is introduced, with a focus on the difficulties in key distribution and the significance of strong cryptographic algorithms. The paper discusses several cloud cryptography strategies, demonstrating their value in enabling safe data sharing and compute outsourcing while maintaining secrecy. These techniques covered include homomorphic encryption, proxy re-encryption, attribute-based encryption, and searchable encryption. The relevance of cryptographic protocols for cloud security in terms of authentication, access control, and data sharing is examined. Examples include SSL/TLS for secure communication and KMIP for key management. Furthermore, the paper highlights privacy-preserving computation techniques and the usage of cryptographic standards and frameworks provided by NIST, CSA, and TCG in ensuring secure cryptographic practices. The paper concludes by addressing current challenges and future directions, including performance optimization, trust in cloud providers, and post-quantum cryptography, to enhance the security of data in cloud computing