GeneWallet

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  Check the status of your peer-to-peer network configuration.

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  Add genomic data files to the wallet and automatically encrypt them.

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  Managed your colleagues to share encrypted files.

Inspiration

Quantum computing is an exciting step forward in the field of computer science. Microsoft's recent launch of Majorana 1, the world’s first quantum chip powered by a new Topological Core architecture, has brought the reality of quantum computing into focus. However, this new wave of inventions presents risks and challenges. We wanted to apply some of the solutions to securing genomic data.

Governments are already storing sensitive data so that it can be decrypted in the future when quantum computers are readily available. Experts believe there are only ten years until this inevitable reality, but we can protect your genomic data now with quantum-safe cryptography!

What it does

Users create a new "wallet" for their genomic data and add files to it, which are automatically encrypted using quantum-safe cryptography. Then, users can send their wallet safely to doctors or researchers, who can decrypt the genomic data using a private key. The file sharing uses peer-to-peer network protocols to ensure sensitive data is never transmitted across the internet, even if it's encrypted.

How we built it

GeneWallet uses algorithms from the Open Quantum Safe (OQS) project, which aims to develop and integrate into applications quantum-safe cryptography to facilitate deployment and testing in real world contexts. We used native Python code and Tkinter to build the desktop GUI. We chose not to create a web interface because even HTTPS is not secure enough for our application. We enabled local peer-to-peer file sharing, but only for files that have already been encrypted with the quantum-safe algorithms.

Challenges we ran into

The liboqs library for quantum-safe cryptography is written in C and must be compiled locally to work on all types of operating systems and chip architectures. We had to get this built in a way that non-programmers could use it.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Getting the liboqs cryptography library running on Windows and Mac such that any non-programmer can use them was a great accomplishment. This allows researchers and doctors to safely share genetic data without being technology experts.

What we learned

We learned how quantum-safe cryptography works, and how difficult it is to make it accessible. Quantum computing will dramatically change the world of computer science. The implications of such advanced machines is yet to be fully understood. There are many opportunities and challenges that will come with this new technology.

What's next for GeneWallet

With more time, we would add in more types of file sharing, create a more detail UI, and add a first time setup routine for wallets. The UX is functional, but could be improved with end-user A/B testing.

We would also like to use Python libraries for parsing genomic data, such that we can allow end-users to decrypt only the part of the data they need.

Built With

• liboqs
• liboqs-python
• pillow
• python
• tkinter