Homomorphic Encryption Techniques in Networked Control Systems
Summary
Homomorphic encryption has emerged as a pivotal tool for preserving data confidentiality in networked control systems, where sensors, controllers and actuators exchange sensitive information over potentially insecure channels. By enabling computations directly on encrypted signals, homomorphic schemes allow control laws to operate without exposing plaintext data. Recent advances have addressed key challenges such as noise accumulation, computational latency and limited arithmetic depth. Tailored quantisation methods convert continuous control signals into discrete plaintexts compatible with encryption, while novel cryptosystem variants extend support to both addition and multiplication. Deployment scenarios span cloud‐based supervisory control, fog and edge computing platforms, and resource‐constrained robotic applications. Demonstrations include stability preservation under encrypted feedback, real‐time formation control via edge nodes and detection of malicious tampering through timing variations. This convergence of control theory and modern cryptography offers a pathway to secure industrial automation, smart grids and distributed robotics without compromising performance or privacy.
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Homomorphic Encryption Techniques in Networked Control Systems publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in homomorphic encryption techniques in networked control systems across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Homomorphic encryption: Cryptographic method allowing direct computation on ciphertexts, producing encrypted results that decrypt to the correct output of operations on the original plaintexts.
Fully homomorphic encryption: A class of homomorphic schemes supporting arbitrary arithmetic operations (both addition and multiplication) on encrypted data at the cost of increased computational complexity and noise management.
Partially homomorphic encryption: A simpler variant that supports only one type of operation (addition or multiplication) on ciphertexts, often used where limited homomorphic functionality suffices.
Quantiser: A mechanism that maps continuous or high-precision control signals into a finite set of discrete values suitable for encryption schemes with bounded plaintext spaces.
Edge computing: A distributed architecture that places computation and data storage close to data sources, reducing latency and bandwidth usage compared with centralized cloud processing.
References
- Secure Formation Control via Edge Computing Enabled by Fully Homomorphic Encryption and Mixed Uniform-Logarithmic Quantization. IEEE Control Systems Letters (2022).
- Development and Examination of Fog Computing-Based Encrypted Control System. IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters (2020).
- Encrypted polynomial control based on tailored two‐party computation. International Journal of Robust and Nonlinear Control (2020).
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