TWC: Frontier: Collaborative: CORe: Center for Encrypted Functionalities

加密功能中心（CORE）致力于解决通用“程序混淆”这一深刻而深远的问题，该问题旨在通过在保留其功能的同时使任意计算机程序变得难以理解来增强网络安全。这反过来又可以启用大量应用程序，例如向潜在的对手隐藏可能通过设计/开发过程中的人为错误引入的漏洞，从而防止篡改或阻止逆向工程，或者在软件中隐藏加密密钥，从而加强加密和信息传输。该中心研究活动的核心是开发新的严格的数学技术，以构建更快、更安全的通用机制，使此类软件能够运行。为了实现这一目标，CORE团队解决了许多技术问题：安全的通用机制能否避免巴林顿定理带来的低效率开销？这些机制的安全性是否能够被证明能够对抗理想化的对手，或者是基于自然的非交互硬度假设？这些方法能否被安全地利用来保护数据免受流氓内部人员的攻击，这些内部人员必须能够安全地访问一些数据？最后，是否可以使用这些机制来减少完成安全通信和计算任务所需的交互级别？除了直接的研究项目外，该中心还组织静修和研讨会，将研究人员聚集在一起，以执行中心的使命。该中心还从事高影响力的推广工作，如开发免费的大规模开放在线课程（MOOCs）。

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).