Secure signal processing using fully homomorphic encryption

• Published in: IET information security Vol. 14; no. 1; pp. 51 - 59
• Main Authors: Shortell, Thomas, Shokoufandeh, Ali
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: The Institution of Engineering and Technology 01.01.2020
• Subjects: 2D signals; cloud computing; computer network security; cryptography; data privacy; fast Fourier transform; fast Fourier transforms; FHE; fixed point binary format; fully homomorphic encryption; histogram of oriented gradients; image coding; rational number format; real number processing formats; Research Article; signal processing algorithms; speeded up robust features; fast Fourier transforms; FHE; histogram of oriented gradients; cryptography; signal processing algorithms; fixed point binary format; computer network security; fast Fourier transform; rational number format; fully homomorphic encryption; real number processing formats; data privacy; speeded up robust features; cloud computing; image coding; 2D signals
• ISSN: 1751-8709; 1751-8717; 1751-8717
• DOI: 10.1049/iet-ifs.2019.0157

In a world becoming dependent on cloud computing, multiple and many techniques are needed to meet security and privacy requirements. This study investigates using Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE) in the cloud for a set of signal processing algorithms. Using FHE provides a level of security and privacy for cloud computing. This research implements a framework with a set of real number processing formats that allows FHE to be used in the cloud. Developing formats for real numbers is required because FHE operates over integers. Both a fixed point binary format and a rational number format are implemented to allow for real number processing. Experimentally, the framework is implemented and verified with three algorithms: fast Fourier transform, speeded up robust features, and histogram of oriented gradients. Each implementation is bounded with error caused by the formats and examined against images (two-dimensional signals).