RMIT, Tide Foundation validate cryptography breakthrough

Researchers from RMIT and tech startup Tide Foundation have successfully validated a new technology designed to overcome flaws with traditional cryptography to better protect critical infrastructure.

The new technology developed by Tide, dubbed ‘ineffable cryptography’, allows data and devices to be protected with keys that nobody will ever have full access to.

The system works by generating and operating keys across a decentralised network of servers, with each operated by an independent party, and each server holding only part of a key. This ensures no one organisation can see the full keys, or the assets they are unlocking through the use of the key.

The technology was recently detailed in a joint study by Tide and RMIT mathematicians, as part of a years-long collaboration between Tide and RMIT. The collaboration has scientifically validated the technology through a process which has involved the university’s own CISO and top mathematicians and cybersecurity experts in the School of Science and Centre for Cyber Security Research and Innovation.

In addition, a group of cybersecurity students supported by the RMIT Cloud Innovation Centre and RMIT’s AWS Cloud Supercomputing Hub have recently worked with industry partners to test the technology and prove its ability to solve critical infrastructure security challenges in ways that weren’t previously possible.  

The student project involves incorporating the Tide technology with SSH, a method for remote infrastructure management, and testing it with multiple industry partners. The results of the demonstration validate the ability of the technology to protect critical infrastructure assets, which could ensure the technology can play a role in the federal government’s recent initiative to shore up security of these vital assets.

Federal Minister for Cyber Security Clare O'Neil recently announced 168 of the country’s critical infrastructure assets are classified as “systems of national significance” and therefore require enhanced cybersecurity protections.

RMIT School of Science Senior Lecturer Dr Joanne Hall said the breakthrough in cryptography technology could enable a fundamentally new approach to cybersecurity for critical infrastructure. “With this collaboration we’re really looking ahead at what the next standard will be,” she said.

Tide Foundation Co-Founder Michael Loewy added that the technology can overcome weaknesses in traditional password-protected approaches to infrastructure access control.

“It means no single point of failure or compromise and ultimately, keys that you can’t steal, lose or misuse,” he said.

“The applications enabled by this technology go well beyond cybersecurity for critical infrastructure to include securing identities, health information, financial systems, and privacy in AI applications.”

Infrastructure providers including Australia’s own Smart Building Services participated in the RMIT-led trial of the technology.

Image caption: Dr Matt Skerritt (RMIT), Dr Joanne Hall (RMIT), Michael Loewy (Tide), Amal Saju Kalarickal (RMIT student), Dr Robert Shen (RMIT), Yuval Hertzog (Tide). Image credit: Peter Clarke.