ARMONK, N.Y., Dec. 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, IBM
(NYSE: IBM) Security launched a new service that allows
companies to experiment with fully homomorphic encryption (FHE) –
an emerging technology designed to allow data to remain encrypted
even while being processed or analyzed in cloud or third-party
environments. The new IBM Security Homomorphic Encryption Services
provide companies with education, expert support, and a testing
environment for clients to develop prototype applications that can
take advantage of FHE.
With the growth of hybrid cloud, sensitive data will be even
more broadly stored, shared and analyzed across platforms and
parties, exposing it to varying security controls and risks. While
current encryption techniques allow data to be protected during
storage and in transit, data must be decrypted while it is being
processed or analyzed – creating a window of opportunity where data
is more vulnerable to theft or exposure. FHE is an emerging and
advanced encryption technology that allows data to remain encrypted
even while it's being processed, potentially closing this critical
gap in current encryption solutions being used today.
"Fully homomorphic encryption holds tremendous potential for the
future of privacy and cloud computing, but businesses must begin
learning about and experimenting with FHE before they can take full
advantage of what it has to offer," said Sridhar Muppidi, Chief Technology Officer, IBM
Security. "By bringing IBM's cryptography expertise and resources
to our clients that are driving innovation in their unique
industries, we can work together to create a new generation of
applications that leverage sensitive data, without compromising its
privacy."
Building on groundwork and tools developed IBM Research and IBM
Z, the new IBM Security Homomorphic Encryption Services provide a
scalable hosting environment on IBM Cloud, along with consulting
and managed services to help clients begin learning about and
designing prototype solutions which can take advantage of
FHE.
As FHE technology advances, these solutions can allow companies
to apply functions like search, analytics and AI to their sensitive
data in an environment, without revealing that data to the
underlying service – helping them to maintain existing compliance
and privacy controls as part of a "zero trust" security strategy.
Additionally, FHE is based on lattice cryptography which is
considered "quantum safe" – or resistant to breakage by future
quantum-computing speeds.
Bridging Gap between Research and Early Adoption
The
algorithms behind FHE have been under development by IBM and the
broader research community for more than a decade, but FHE
computations were originally too slow for everyday usage – taking
days or weeks for calculations that take seconds without
encryption. As industry compute power has grown exponentially, and
the algorithms behind FHE have advanced, testing has shown that FHE
is now capable of being performed at seconds per bit,1
making it fast enough for many types of real-world use cases and
early trials with businesses.
Gartner estimates that by 2025, at least 20% of companies will
have a budget for projects that include fully homomorphic
encryption (FHE), up from less than 1% today.2
Early this year, IBM released tools and educational materials
for developers, and have been working with select clients on early
pilot programs for FHE. IBM Security is now taking the next
pivotal step in bringing FHE to a broader audience, launching a
first-of-its-kind service offering to help companies get started
with Fully Homomorphic Encryption.
Available today, the new IBM Security
Homomorphic Encryption Services are designed to help educate
and prepare clients to build and deploy FHE-enabled applications as
the technology reaches maturity in the near future. The service
includes access to both the tools and expertise needed to get
started with FHE, including:
- FHE tools developed by IBM Research, which provide templates
for common FHE use cases, such as encrypted search, AI and machine
learning.
- Guidance, consulting and education support from IBM
cryptography experts, helping companies build the skills needed to
design and work with FHE-enabled applications.
- A scalable hosting environment on IBM Cloud for developers to
begin experimenting and building prototypes for their own
FHE-enabled applications.
As part of this service, IBM will work closely with clients to
further develop new prototype solutions and use cases that can take
advantage of FHE technology – with the initial offering focused on
developers and crypto engineers. Some of the initial use cases
include performing analytics on encrypted data, conducting
encrypted searches while concealing search query and content and
training AI and machine learning models while maintaining existing
privacy and confidentiality controls.
1 FHE has been demonstrated at speeds of seconds
per bit in select research/field trials.
2 Gartner, "Emerging Technologies: Homomorphic
Encryption for Data Sharing With Privacy," Mark Driver, 23 April
2020.
Additional Resources and Multi-Media:
- Media Kit: For images, videos, and additional content on Fully
Homomorphic Encryption (FHE,) how it works, and potential
use-cases, visit:
https://newsroom.ibm.com/Homomorphic-Encryption-Services
- To learn more about the new IBM Security Fully Homomorphic
Encryption Services, visit: ibm.com/security/services/homomorphic-encryption
- Register here for an IBM Security webinar on FHE and the new
offering, taking place January 21,
2021.
About IBM Security
IBM Security offers one of the
most advanced and integrated portfolios of enterprise security
products and services. The portfolio, supported by world-renowned
IBM X-Force® research, enables organizations to effectively manage
risk and defend against emerging threats. IBM operates one of the
world's broadest security research, development and delivery
organizations, monitors 150 billion+ security events per day in
more than 130 countries, and has been granted more than 10,000
security patents worldwide. For more information, please check
www.ibm.com/security, follow @IBMSecurity on Twitter or visit
the IBM Security Intelligence blog.
Media Contact:
Cassy
Lalan
Media Relations, IBM Security
319-230-2232
cllalan@us.ibm.com
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SOURCE IBM