Computing Blindfolded: New Developments in Fully Homomorphic Encryption

Abstract

A fully homomorphic encryption scheme enables computation of arbitrary functions on encrypted data. Fully homomorphic encryption has long been regarded as cryptography's prized "holy grail" - extremely useful yet rather elusive. Starting with the groundbreaking work of Gentry in 2009, the last three years have witnessed numerous constructions of fully homomorphic encryption involving novel mathematical techniques, and a number of exciting applications. We will take the reader through a journey of these developments and provide a glimpse of the exciting research directions that lie ahead.