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A Seven-Layer Hierarchical Security Framework for Confidentiality and Information Flow Control
| International Journal of Computer Applications |
| Foundation of Computer Science (FCS), NY, USA |
| Volume 187 - Number 143 |
| Year of Publication: 2026 |
| Authors: Saeed Beheshtifard, Faezeh Mahmoudi |
10.5120/ijca0877a47d4a84
|
Saeed Beheshtifard, Faezeh Mahmoudi . A Seven-Layer Hierarchical Security Framework for Confidentiality and Information Flow Control. International Journal of Computer Applications. 187, 143 ( Sep 2026), 49-56. DOI=10.5120/ijca0877a47d4a84
Abstract
This paper proposes a seven-layer hierarchical model for information security in organizations, in which each layer inherits the information of all lower layers but has no access to higher ones. The framework is inspired by the OSI model and leverages information-theoretic concepts such as entropy, uncertainty, and access restriction to mathematically define confidentiality and control information flow. To enforce these principles, a symmetric key distribution mechanism based on one-way hash chains is introduced, ensuring unidirectional key derivation from higher to lower layers. In this system, a user at layer n can decrypt all information from layers 1 through n, but cannot access data from layers n + 1 and above due to the non-invertibility of the hash function. The model’s scalability and cryptographic efficiency make it suitable for large organizations, IoT infrastructures, and distributed databases. By integrating Key Derivation Functions (KDFs) and secure encryption modes (AES-GCM or ChaCha20-Poly1305), it achieves strong confidentiality with minimal computational overhead. Furthermore, the proposed scheme supports key revocation and regeneration, maintaining system integrity in the event of compromise. The seven-layer approach provides a structured, mathematically rigorous, and easily implementable foundation for hierarchical access control, balancing theoretical soundness with real-world practicality.
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