In this episode we cover semantic security through the lens of a brief overview of the introduction and evolution of the field of cryptanalysis, perfect security through the one-time pad, symmetric vs. asymmetric cryptography, the mathematical assumptions of RSA, ElGamal, and ECC, the future breaking of the security of those systems by quantum computers, and end by noting some examples of PQC systems. Next week I'll be covering an introduction to lattices.

In this first episode of the “Fully Homomorphic” podcast, I introduce fully homomorphic encryption (FHE) by providing an accessible introduction to public-key cryptography—diving into the how and why of the high-level ideas behind encryption. Then I’ll unpack the problem of “public state” on current blockchains and share how FHE can provide a solution by enabling private computation over encrypted data. Finally, I’ll touch on my plans for future episodes, where I’ll dig deeper into the research and engineering underlying cutting-edge FHE schemes. If you'd like to get in contact with me you can email me at FHEpodcast@proton.me or reach out to me on X at FHE_Podcast.

1:00 – Introduction to FHE

1:38 – What is encryption?

4:05 – The public state problem

6:02 – FHE as a solution to the public state problem

7:22 – Other applications of FHE and computational intractability

9:20 – Plans for the future and outro