"Huijia Lin Proved That a Master Tool of Cryptography Is Possible"

A long-desired holy grail in cryptography is about to change the way sensitive data is protected. Existing standard encryption schemes are all-or-nothing as data is inaccessible to anyone who does not have the secret key once it is scrambled. This has enabled secure email communication and the expansion of online transactions. It enables tax and medical records containing sensitive personal information to be transmitted more securely over the Internet. However, if someone is given the secret key to access any of the data, it becomes vulnerable. Researchers have looked into giving specific people access to a piece of data in order for them to do specific things with it. Without unlocking all of the original data, someone could obtain the information they require or the data specifically for them. Bank information, credit card numbers, and account passwords would all be kept private. This novel approach could also enable Netflix to make show recommendations without having to access a user's entire viewing history. Google could sort an individual's emails without knowing what they contain. Furthermore, medical researchers could analyze data to identify disease risk factors without gaining access to any individual's health information. This and other cryptographic marvels now appear to be possible thanks to a master tool known as indistinguishability obfuscation (iO). It is a new and powerful tool, according to cryptographer Huijia Lin of the University of Washington in Seattle, who demonstrated how to build it. Vinod Vaikuntanathan, an MIT computer scientist who has previously collaborated with Lin on research, compares iO to a grand theory in physics that would unite gravity and quantum mechanics. This tool enables a grand unification of cryptography. Lin, along with UCLA's Amit Sahai and Aayush Jain, a Ph.D. student, demonstrated that iO is feasible. The team demonstrated that it would be secure based on industry standard assumptions, thus restoring faith in the tool. This article continues to discuss the concept of iO and the research that has demonstrated that it is achievable.

SN reports "Huijia Lin Proved That a Master Tool of Cryptography Is Possible"