Privacy-Enhancing Encryption in Data Sharing: A Survey on Security, Performance and Functionality

TL;DR

This survey reviews privacy-enhancing encryption methods like ABE, PRE, and SE, analyzing their security, performance, and adaptability in data sharing across AI-driven industries.

Contribution

It proposes a data sharing framework, identifies potential attacks, and evaluates enhancements to improve security, performance, and functionality of encryption-based sharing schemes.

Findings

Rising research trend in ABE, PRE, and SE from 2020 to 2025.

Integration of 12 enhancement technologies with encryption schemes.

Identification of 20 potential attacks in data sharing processes.

Abstract

The vigorous development of the Internet has spurred exponential data growth, yet data is predominantly stored in isolated user entities, hampering its full value realization. In large-scale deployment of ``AI+industries'' such as smart medical care, intelligent transportation and smart homes, the gap between data supply and demand continues to widen, and establishing an effective data sharing mechanism is the core of promoting high-quality industrial development. However, data sharing faces significant challenges in security, performance, and functional adaptability. Privacy-enhancing encryption technologies, including Attribute-Based Encryption (ABE), Proxy Re-encryption (PRE), and Searchable Encryption (SE), offer promising solutions with distinct advantages in enhancing security, improving flexibility, and enabling efficient sharing. Statistical analysis of relevant literature from 2020 to 2025 reveals a rising research trend in ABE, PRE and SE, focusing on their data sharing applications. Firstly, this work proposes a data sharing process framework and identifies 20 potential attacks across its stages. Secondly, this work integrates ABE, SE, PRE with 12 enhancement technologies and examines their multi-dimensional impacts on the security, performance, and functional adaptability of data sharing schemes. Lastly, this work outlines key application scenarios, challenges, and future research directions, providing valuable insights for advancing data sharing mechanisms based on privacy-enhancing encryption technologies.