Efficient and Secure Distributed Cloud Storage with Elliptic Curve Cryptography and Green Proof of Data Possession

In the era of rapidly expanding digital data and emerging quantum computing threats, ensuring secure and efficient cloud storage has become increasingly critical. Traditional cloud security mechanisms primarily rely on classical cryptographic algorithms such as Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC), which, although efficient and lightweight, are vulnerable to potential quantum attacks. This paper proposes a secure distributed cloud storage framework based on Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) to provide quantum-resistant data protection. The proposed system integrates PQC-based encryption mechanisms to safeguard sensitive data against both classical and quantum adversaries. To enhance storage efficiency, the framework incorporates SHA-256-based stable data deduplication to eliminate redundant data blocks without compromising confidentiality. Additionally, a Green Proof of Data Possession (Green PDP) mechanism is implemented to enable lightweight and energy-efficient data integrity verification without requiring full data retrieval. By combining quantum-resistant encryption, secure deduplication, and low-cost integrity verification, the proposed system ensures enhanced security, scalability, and sustainability for next-generation cloud storage environments. This integrated approach strengthens long-term data protection while maintaining optimal performance and reduced computational overhead. Keywords: Post-Quantum Cryptography, lattice-based cryptography, quantum-resistant encryption, secure cloud storage, SHA-256, data deduplication, Green Proof of Data Possession, data integrity, distributed cloud security, quantum attack resistance.