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

加密功能中心(CORE)解决了通用“程序混淆”这一深刻而深远的问题，其目的是通过使任意计算机程序变得不可理解，同时保留其功能来增强网络安全。这反过来可以使许多应用程序，例如向潜在的对手隐藏可能因设计/开发过程中的人为错误而引入的漏洞的存在，从而防止篡改或阻止反向工程，或在软件中隐藏密钥，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和严格的数学技术，以建立更快和更安全的通用机制，使这类软件成为可能。为了追求这一目标，核心团队解决了许多技术问题：安全的通用机制能否避免因巴灵顿定理而产生的低效开销？这些机制的安全性能否被证明能够抵御理想化的对手，或者基于自然的非交互难度假设？能否安全地利用这些方法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访问一些明文数据？最后，这些机制能否用于降低完成安全通信和计算任务所需的交互级别？除了其直接的研究计划外，该中心还组织务虚会和研讨会，将研究人员聚集在一起，执行中心的使命。该中心还参与了影响很大的外联工作，例如开发免费的大型在线公开课(MOOC)。

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).