Homomorphic Encryption For Application Development

By Author: Kaushiki Srivastav
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Though, the need to secure the data from loss has brought it on another level.

Actually, enterprises are struggling largely with the effects of data loss, and the loss can be a bit less if application running on data doesn't need to decrypt it first. Basically, when an application runs on data, it requires to decrypt the encrypted data, which causes loss of data. If an application doesn't do this then the data loss can be avoided.

However, the prime question is how it can be achieved?

Well! In answer to this question, the veil from a new technology named homomorphic encryption (Encrypted Computation) has been removed. In fact, this technology is relatively near to the point where it can be utilized in application development. Before understanding this technology, explore how it came into existence.

A look into its history

Homomorphic encryption is not at all a new discovery. From decades it is a matter of debate among cryptographers, and almost each of them is aware of its promises. The first scheme of homomorphic encryption was submitted in 1978, which was supporting various functions ...
... on encrypted data. Though, the attempt didn't emerge successful.

However, the agendas for research became clear with this first attempt: one was coming up with a secure encryption scheme that can support homomorphism and another was finding out how to do things with it.

Interestingly, homomorphic encryption was merely an evolution of mathematical function for instance polynomials, though the thrust of computer scientists, finding something more better and neater brought forth a scheme that could manage arbitrary computation- personified as real computer programs on securely encrypted inputs.

And!! this idea was referenced as "cryptocumputing", means computing on encrypted data. It is the form of technology that has a way of capturing the imagination, means computer can work on the data it can't see.

Issues in Homomorphic Encryption

Such technology can be robust solution, as it has the ability to eliminate chief weakness in security systems. What weakness?- The requirement to perform decryption before processing data. For years, the technology has undergone numerous schemes, however, the core idea came in 2009 Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Grand Challenge.

However, numerous performance issues were there and it suffered a lot due to that. The issues were major in-comparison of computing on clear data. In order to find a solution, various industry giants such including Microsoft, Duality, IBM, Inpher, and Enveil came forward and all addressed the speed issue. The speed of application integrated with homomorphic encryption was relatively 100,000 times slower.

The idea behind developing such technology was really amazing, but the path to achieving it was not easy, indeed. Here the question arises, what is homomorphic encryption?

Homomorphic Encryption

This is a form of encryption in which the computation on ciphertexts is used to perform, that generates an encrypted result. After decryption, this encrypted result matches the outcome of the operations as if the operations had been performed on the plaintext.

Homomorphic encryption is a groundbreaking technology that can be utilized for securing outsourced computation, and for the coupling/chaining of different services with displaying sensitive data. This technology is an emerging block that allows apps to run on encrypted data.

Basically, encrypted computing allows application to run algorithms on sensitive data in such a manner that reduces privacy and security concerns. As well as this can be utilized for developing security systems, private set intersections, collision-resistance hash function and more. However, its implementation in typical industries such as healthcare will be worth seeing, as it can be utilized to enable new services by eliminating privacy barriers that inhibit data sharing.

Homomorphic Encryption for Application Development

This is a new era of computing, where encryption computing under the shade of homomorphic encryption, is approaching application development. Altogether, the core speed issues addressed by industry giants are under resolution, and it has been reduced to a few hundred times slower. With the enhancements in processors and cluster steps to distributed computation. Consequently, it is expected that this technology will offer solutions in various situations where data can be lost.

Homomorphic encryption algorithms have begun to be part of practical application development, and have started being used for providing computational efficiency in some domains. By 2018, these algorithms were being published using bandwidth, which was a heavy interactive technique. But! the improvements in homomorphic encryption algorithm have changed the whole scenario, and now it can perform computation on a large scale in a relatively small span of time. This is really a huge advancement that has finally placed it into the realm of everyday use.

According to Alon Kaufman, CEO of Duality, "it opens the door of various opportunities" as "you can perform analysis on sensitive data without revealing data/information to the application. Duality is working on simplifying the abstraction to create encrypted apps that can run on both private servers and cloud. This company is working in collaboration with National Institutes of Health (NIH) to refine encryption algorithm for healthcare applications.

IBM is also expecting this technology to be commercially available for niche projects within the next year, with enhancements. According to Haveli, significant adoption could happen in the upcoming five years.

In upcoming years, numbers of advancements will take place because of encrypted computing, and applications developed with it would change the way we think about data sharing and their privacy.

I am Content Strategist at Techugo - a mobile app development company, spending days in utilizing selling and writing skills, helping in converting leads, and generating business. I am a technology graduate and like to explore new technologies and share my knowledge through writing in free time.