The Center for Encrypted Functionalities (CORE) tackles the deep and far-reaching problem of general-purpose "program obfuscation," which aims to enhance cybersecurity by making an arbitrary computer program unintelligible while preserving its functionality. This can in turn enable a host of applications, such as hiding from potential adversaries the existence of vulnerabilities that may have been introduced through human error in the design/development process, thereby preventing tampering or deterring reverse engineering, or hiding cryptographic keys within software, thereby strengthening encryption and information transfer.
At the heart of the Center's research activities is the development of new and rigorous mathematical techniques to build faster and more secure general-purpose mechanisms enabling such software. In pursuit of this goal, the CORE team tackles many technical questions: Can secure general-purpose mechanisms avoid the inefficiency overhead that arises from Barrington's Theorem? Can the security of these mechanisms be proven to hold against idealized adversaries, or be based on natural non-interactive hardness assumptions? Can these approaches be securely leveraged to protect data from rogue insiders, who must be able to access some data in the clear? Finally, can these mechanisms be used to reduce the level of interaction required to accomplish secure communication and computation tasks? In addition to its direct research program, the Center organizes retreats and workshops to bring together researchers to carry out the Center's mission. The Center also engages in high-impact outreach efforts, such as the development of free Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs).
