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In today's digital era, the prevalence of passwords has become an integral part of our daily lives. Whether it's protecting a physical door lock, accessing financial accounts, or unlocking a smartphone, cryptography plays a pivotal role in safeguarding sensitive information from prying eyes. To ensure the ongoing security of our data, we must advance our cryptographic methods. Enter fully homomorphic encryption (FHE), an innovative cryptographic technology promising unparalleled security, even in the face of quantum computing threats.

Recent developments from the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) have introduced a high-speed computation technology for fully homomorphic encryption (FHE), often lauded as the next frontier in cryptographic innovation. In an age where data privacy takes center stage, let's explore how FHE is reshaping the landscape for a more secure future.

Fully Homomorphic Encryption represents a departure from traditional cryptographic methods. It's a technology that allows operations to be performed on data while it's in an encrypted state, without requiring decryption. At its core, FHE relies on a complex problem known as Ring-Learning with Error (R-LWE), which is exceptionally challenging to solve. This technology garners attention as a next-generation encryption solution because it incorporates operations that are resistant to hacking, even in the face of quantum computers.

Traditional cryptography necessitates decryption to work with ciphertexts and process data. Decryption is the process of converting encrypted data into human-readable information. Fully homomorphic encryption, on the other hand, can manipulate data while it's still in a ciphertext state, eliminating the need for decryption. This distinction extends beyond the capabilities of conventional cryptographic techniques.

Unlocking the Potential of Data Processing

Data processing involves conducting operations on data to derive meaningful insights. Picture merging, rearranging, and processing data elements such as gender, medical history, and credit information to generate statistical insights. This encompasses sensitive data that should remain confidential.

In the past, pseudonyms were used to anonymize data for statistical purposes, safeguarding the identity of individuals. However, this approach has limitations and may compromise the quality of the original data.Fully Homomorphic Encryption allows relatively accurate statistical computations on ciphertext data without exposing sensitive information.

The Inner Workings of the Fully Homomorphic Encryption Accelerator Chip

Fully homomorphic encryption supports computations between ciphertexts, which are represented as high-order polynomials with significant coefficients. Conducting operations between ciphertexts involves complex arithmetic operations on these high-order polynomials.

The fully Homomorphic Encryption accelerator chip is built with logic designed to execute these arithmetic operations efficiently. This chip possesses hardware logic characteristics. After creating modules capable of high-speed calculations, multiple modules can be integrated into the chip. One chip can swiftly process multiple ciphertexts simultaneously.

Calculating the four-pronged operations on high-order polynomials is a highly demanding task that conventional processors like CPUs and GPUs are ill-suited for due to their limited word size of 64 bits. In contrast, the fully Homomorphic Encryption accelerator chip is optimized for large coefficients and high-order polynomials in the ciphertext realm, ensuring high-speed computations.

Applications of the Fully Homomorphic Encryption Accelerator Chip

This technology can be applied to data that derives value from processing and analyzing personal or sensitive information. Additionally, it can be employed to maintain privacy in artificial intelligence operations. It will find use in various domains that require secure arithmetic and artificial intelligence computations, acting as a cryptographic shield against attempts to breach security using quantum computers.

Especially in sectors dealing with sensitive data, such as defense, public services, and healthcare, this technology will take precedence. In defense, the ability to exchange robust passwords during wartime, even in insecure network conditions, ensures data security. It can be effectively deployed in the public cloud and the medical field to encrypt and securely analyze sensitive data, including residential rescue data, health insurance data, and healthcare data.

Recruiting experts proficient in fully homomorphic encryption algorithms has proven challenging, exacerbated by the scarcity of individuals with expertise in both fully homomorphic encryption and semiconductor chip design. To address this issue, ongoing efforts focus on enhancing understanding through technical seminars and fostering collaboration between semiconductor chip design experts and algorithm specialists.

Is Fully Homomorphic Encryption the Ultimate Solution?

Fully homomorphic encryption is firmly rooted in complex mathematical problems, making it exceptionally resilient to hacking, even in the face of quantum computers. To date, no vulnerabilities in its security have been reported, rendering it a secure solution. However, no technology is infallible, and continuous development and security assessments remain crucial.

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is actively involved in securing this technology and ETRI's research. Beyond algorithmic research, the importance of developing practical technologies cannot be overstated. The goal is to secure and ultimately commercialize practical technologies, such as chips, accelerators, and cloud-based solutions using fully homomorphic encryption. Sustained research funding will undoubtedly help achieve even more significant milestones.

Korea IT Times

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Fully Homomorphic Encryption: Paving the Way for a Secure ... - Korea IT Times