HeirCloud: A Secure Framework For Posthumous Asset Management Using Heir Access Code-Based Encryption

Posthumous data includes an individual's digital information such as social media accounts, emails, financial records, personal documents, and legal assets. Managing this data after death presents challenges including lack of secure access mechanisms, risk of unauthorized use, and absence of reliable delivery systems. Existing approaches, such as static instructions or platform-specific legacy features, often fail to provide strong encryption, fine-grained access control, and automated data sharing. To address these limitations, this paper proposes a secure cloud-based posthumous data management system based on the Heir Access Code-based Encryption (HACE) scheme integrated with dynamic access control. Sensitive data is encrypted using unique keys, while heir-specific access codes are mapped to the encrypted data, enabling only authorized heirs to access assigned information. This ensures selective data sharing without exposing the entire dataset. The system further incorporates dynamic policy management, allowing users to update access permissions over time, along with activity monitoring and verification mechanisms to ensure controlled data release. By combining encryption, access code-based authorization, and automated verification, the proposed system provides a reliable and scalable solution for managing posthumous digital assets.