Cyberagentur launches research on encrypted data processing
With the signing of the contracts in the “Encrypted Computing” research program, the Cyberagentur, Agentur für Innovation in der Cybersicherheit GmbH, is launching two pioneering projects for private data processing. The goal of this program is to develop innovative cryptographic methods enabling secure computations on encrypted data without decrypting.
The Agentur für Innovation in der Cybersicherheit GmbH has taken a significant step towards strengthening IT security by signing a contract for the “Encrypted Computing” research program. The program focuses on cryptographic processes that make it possible to perform calculations on encrypted data without having to decrypt. It is particularly relevant for applications designed to protect sensitive information in cloud environments, in data analysis and for machine learning.
“With this research program, we are laying the foundations for a new generation of secure data processing that meets the growing requirements for data protection and IT security in Germany. Our work will make a decisive contribution to strengthening trust in digital systems and protecting sensitive data even in complex settings in a world where powerful quantum computers exist”, says Dr. Matthias Minihold, Head of Cryptology and program lead of “Encrypted Computing”.
The program is divided into two research strands: “PQ-Prime” and “MPCC”. As part of “PQ-Prime”, research of new fully homomorphic encryption (FHE) methods is conducted. These allow arbitrary calculations to be performed on encrypted data without revealing any information about the input data. The Technical University of Munich and the German Aerospace Centre are working together on such powerful cryptographic methods that rely also on code-based encryption and new approaches as a basis for future quantum-secure applications.
The second research path, “MPCC” (Multi-Party Computation in the Confidential Cloud), focuses on secure multi-party computations that allow multiple actors to perform joint analyses on sensitive data without revealing their individual private data inputs. enclaive GmbH and Aarhus University are researching innovative concepts based on Trusted Execution Environments (TEE) combining them with secrecy-preserving computation methods. The goal is to develop a powerful multi-party computation framework that fulfils the highest security requirements as a foundation for many applications striving to shape Germanys future data security landscape.
“With Technical University of Munich, the German Aerospace Centre, Aarhus University and enclaive GmbH, we have gained outstanding partners who are international leaders in their fields of research. Their expertise ensures that the solutions developed are not only theoretically sound, but can also be implemented in practice,” emphasizes Dr Matthias Minihold.
With the “Encrypted Computing” program, the Cyberagentur is making a decisive contribution to the further development of IT security architecture in Germany. The program addresses challenges by the growing data protection requirements and the increasing use of cloud technologies. The research results make it possible to openly develop cryptographic methods making them widely usable for security-critical applications.
Further information:
https://www.cyberagentur.de/programme/ec2
https://www.ce.cit.tum.de/lnt/forschung/professur-fuer-coding-and-cryptography/pq-prime