Cloud computing plays a major role in providing different resources in the form of web services like tax calculation, e-banking, etc. One can rely on cloud computing if these web services are really secure enough to use. This paper focuses on analyzing the limitations of current cryptographic schemes used in providing security to data on cloud, highlights the usage of Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) scheme used in cloud-based applications, implements elliptic curve digital signature algorithm on cloud data, and compares its performance with RSA-based scheme (Rivest et al., 1978). The performance of elliptic curve cryptosystem heavily depends on an operation called point multiplication. In this paper, a new point multiplication method using modified base representation is used. This method reduces the point addition as well as point doubling operations, thereby increasing the efficiency of computing time in performing encryption and decryption operations.

Cloud computing is a form of distributed computing environment. It provides an environment where thousands of computers work in parallel to perform a job in less time than traditional client server model. This parallelism happens because of low cost virtualization of hardware resources. Cloud computing abstracts the complexity of services provided to the user. There is a need to explore cloud computing model and how its security requirement differs from traditional computing model. This study examines various security risks associated with cloud data, analyzes the limitations of current cryptographic schemes applied for cloud-based applications, and highlights the usage of elliptic curve digital signature algorithm on cloud data using modified elliptic curve cryptographic scheme.

With the advent of Information Technology (IT) ensuring network and data communication, security has become a critical issue. Though IT provides us with various versatile tools for data manipulation and data storage, it is not without its share of security risks. Thus, it is crucial to have tools that can ensure the integrity, confidentiality and authenticity of data in any form of data communication. To meet the requirements of network and ease communication security, cryptographic science plays a great role. As a result algorithms and techniques were introduced to offer a better security mechanism. Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) has better per-bit security, less storage, less power consumption and bandwidth requirements, resulting in improved performance.

Computer Sciences Journal, Elliptic curve digital signature, Saas, Public key cryptography, Signature generation, Signature verification, Scalar multiplication, Point addition, Point doubling operations, Cloud computing.