Homomorphic encryption
lastmod 2022-10-04created 2022-10-042 edits
Homomorphic Encryption (HE) is an encryption method that allows computation on data while it remains encrypted. The result of a computation on ciphertexts is a new ciphertext, and the plaintext obtained by decrypting it is the same as the result of the computation on the original data before encryption.
Homomorphic encryption can be used to store and compute personal information on external media while keeping it securely protected. With homomorphic encryption, data can be kept encrypted and outsourced to commercial cloud services, which process it while it remains encrypted. In fields with strict privacy regulations, such as healthcare, using homomorphic encryption can overcome the barriers that block data sharing and open up new services. For example, predictive analytics in healthcare has been hard to apply because of concerns about protecting personal medical data, but providing predictive healthcare analytics services with homomorphic encryption can dispel concerns about preserving privacy.
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"Homomorphic encryption" refers to an encryption scheme in which the result of encrypting the plaintext after performing an operation on it (the ciphertext) has the same value as the result of performing the operation on the individual ciphertexts.