Patent ID: 8627508
Filing Date: 2014-01-07
Classification: G06F,H04L

Abstract:
1. At a computer system including at least one processor and a memory, in a computer networking environment including a plurality of computing systems, a computer-implemented method for facilitating data transfer using an anonymous directory, the method comprising: an act of instantiating an anonymous directory that stores data in one or more client-specific directories for a plurality of different clients, the anonymous directory being configured to provide access to the stored data according to access controls defined by and managed by each client, the stored data including a particular portion of data that is associated with a particular client, the particular portion of data being encrypted using multi-authority attribute-based encryption that associates the particular portion of data with one or more specified data attributes, the particular portion of data being decryptable based on an identified user requesting data associated with the one or more specified data attributes; an act of receiving a data request from a user that identifies the user and that specifies data attributes describing data that is to be found in the stored data in the anonymous directory, the data attributes including one or more of the one or more specified data attributes; in response to receiving the data request, an act of determining that the particular portion of data is to be returned to the user based on an identified user requesting data having the one or more specified data attributes; and an act of providing the particular portion of data to the user.