A revocable backup system
Authors: D. Boneh and R. Lipton
Abstract:
We present a system that enables a user to remove a file from both
the file system and all the backup tapes on which the file is stored.
The ability to remove files from all backup tapes is desirable in
many cases. Our system erases information from the backup tape without
actually writing on the tape. This is achieved by applying cryptography in
a new way: a block cipher is used to enable the system to ``forget''
information rather than protect it. Our system is easy to install
and is transparent to the end user. Further, it introduces no slowdown
in system performance and little slowdown in the backup procedure.
Reference:
In Proceedings 6th USENIX Security Conference, pp. 91--96, 1996
Full paper: gzipped-PostScript, PDF [first posted 11/1997 ]