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S T E M I N C U R R E N T E V E N T S
Theanswermight lie ina technology that
allows users to interact with encrypted
data without actually deciphering the
encryptedfile.For example,a third-party
couldperformcomputations onencrypt-
ed data, such as the sales numbers or
projections of a company,without seeing
the actual numbers involved.While that
may sound impossible, the problemmay
have been solved by research student
Craig Gentry. Gentry applied a math-
ematical model to help make this type
of encryption a reality. In its simplest
form, a coded document is translated
into a formusable by a third party.Once
the third party performs its analysis or
calculations, that information is trans-
lated back into a form applicable to the
original document.While themathemat-
ics can be overwhelming, the result is
that documents can remain encrypted
and yet still be available for processing;
documents can remain in the “safe” and
yet still be “read” by others.
If this works, then medical files could be
sent to other doctors and hospitals without patient privacy con-
cerns. Financial documents could be analyzed without revealing
any“insider”information.Everything fromvoting records to search
engine inputs could eventually operate under an additional layer
What Is a
Hacker?
A hacker is someone who accesses
computer systems without authori-
zation. Typically, this involves using
programming designed to defeat
computer defenses. While hackers
are not always malicious—some are
simply kids or programmers out for
the equivalent of a joyride—hacking
has become a dark and growing
industry, with hundreds of billions
of dollars of trade theft occurring
every year. Attacks on individuals
often target passwords, financial
information, and other private data.
Corporate websites are regularly
hacked in
denial-of-service
attacks
or in attempts to steal
corporate secrets. Government
servers are prized targets, especially
of foreign hackers, as they contain
sensitive national secrets. Advanced
mathematical encryption models
are used to help defend against
hackers, but no system yet created is
entirely bulletproof.