CYBERSECURITYNew Security Protocol Shields Data from Attackers During Cloud-Based Computation

By Adam Zewe

Published 26 September 2024

The technique leverages quantum properties of light to guarantee security while preserving the accuracy of a deep-learning model.

Deep-learning models are being used in many fields, from health care diagnostics to financial forecasting. However, these models are so computationally intensive that they require the use of powerful cloud-based servers.

This reliance on cloud computing poses significant security risks, particularly in areas like health care, where hospitals may be hesitant to use AI tools to analyze confidential patient data due to privacy concerns.

To tackle this pressing issue, MIT researchers have developed a security protocol that leverages the quantum properties of light to guarantee that data sent to and from a cloud server remain secure during deep-learning computations.

By encoding data into the laser light used in fiber optic communications systems, the protocol exploits the fundamental principles of quantum mechanics, making it impossible for attackers to copy or intercept the information without detection.

Moreover, the technique guarantees security without compromising the accuracy of the deep-learning models. In tests, the researcher demonstrated that their protocol could maintain 96 percent accuracy while ensuring robust security measures.

“Deep learning models like GPT-4 have unprecedented capabilities but require massive computational resources. Our protocol enables users to harness these powerful models without compromising the privacy of their data or the proprietary nature of the models themselves,” says Kfir Sulimany, an MIT postdoc in the Research Laboratory for Electronics (RLE) and lead author of a paper on this security protocol.

Sulimany is joined on the paper by Sri Krishna Vadlamani, an MIT postdoc; Ryan Hamerly, a former postdoc now at NTT Research, Inc.; Prahlad Iyengar, an electrical engineering and computer science (EECS) graduate student; and senior author Dirk Englund, a professor in EECS, principal investigator of the Quantum Photonics and Artificial Intelligence Group and of RLE. The research was recently presented at Annual Conference on Quantum Cryptography.

A Two-Way Street for Security in Deep Learning
The cloud-based computation scenario the researchers focused on involves two parties — a client that has confidential data, like medical images, and a central server that controls a deep learning model.

The client wants to use the deep-learning model to make a prediction, such as whether a patient has cancer based on medical images, without revealing information about the patient.

In this scenario, sensitive data must be sent to generate a prediction. However, during the process the patient data must remain secure.

Also, the server does not want to reveal any parts of the proprietary model that a company like OpenAI spent years and millions of dollars building.