Stem in Current Events Information Technology

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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.

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.

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