13,687 research outputs found
Weak Zero-Knowledge Beyond the Black-Box Barrier
The round complexity of zero-knowledge protocols is a long-standing open question, yet to be settled under standard assumptions.
So far, the question has appeared equally challenging for relaxations such as weak zero-knowledge and witness hiding. Protocols satisfying these relaxed notions under standard assumptions have at least four messages, just like full-fledged zero knowledge.
The difficulty in improving round complexity stems from a fundamental barrier: none of these notions can be achieved in three messages via reductions (or simulators) that treat the verifier as a black box.
We introduce a new non-black-box technique and use it to obtain the first protocols that cross this barrier under standard assumptions. Our main results are:
\begin{itemize}
\item
Weak zero-knowledge for in two messages, assuming quasipolynomially-secure fully-homomorphic encryption and other standard primitives (known from quasipolynomial hardness of Learning with Errors), as well as subexponentially-secure one-way functions.
\item
Weak zero-knowledge for in three messages under standard polynomial assumptions (following for example from fully-homomorphic encryption and factoring).
\end{itemize}
We also give, under polynomial assumptions, a two-message witness-hiding protocol for any language that has a witness encryption scheme. This protocol is also publicly verifiable.
Our technique is based on a new {\em homomorphic trapdoor paradigm}, which can be seen as a non-black-box analog of the classic Feige-Lapidot-Shamir trapdoor paradigm
Concurrent Knowledge-Extraction in the Public-Key Model
Knowledge extraction is a fundamental notion, modelling machine possession of
values (witnesses) in a computational complexity sense. The notion provides an
essential tool for cryptographic protocol design and analysis, enabling one to
argue about the internal state of protocol players without ever looking at this
supposedly secret state. However, when transactions are concurrent (e.g., over
the Internet) with players possessing public-keys (as is common in
cryptography), assuring that entities ``know'' what they claim to know, where
adversaries may be well coordinated across different transactions, turns out to
be much more subtle and in need of re-examination. Here, we investigate how to
formally treat knowledge possession by parties (with registered public-keys)
interacting over the Internet. Stated more technically, we look into the
relative power of the notion of ``concurrent knowledge-extraction'' (CKE) in
the concurrent zero-knowledge (CZK) bare public-key (BPK) model.Comment: 38 pages, 4 figure
Resettable Zero Knowledge in the Bare Public-Key Model under Standard Assumption
In this paper we resolve an open problem regarding resettable zero knowledge
in the bare public-key (BPK for short) model: Does there exist constant round
resettable zero knowledge argument with concurrent soundness for
in BPK model without assuming \emph{sub-exponential hardness}? We give a
positive answer to this question by presenting such a protocol for any language
in in the bare public-key model assuming only
collision-resistant hash functions against \emph{polynomial-time} adversaries.Comment: 19 pag
Concurrently Non-Malleable Zero Knowledge in the Authenticated Public-Key Model
We consider a type of zero-knowledge protocols that are of interest for their
practical applications within networks like the Internet: efficient
zero-knowledge arguments of knowledge that remain secure against concurrent
man-in-the-middle attacks. In an effort to reduce the setup assumptions
required for efficient zero-knowledge arguments of knowledge that remain secure
against concurrent man-in-the-middle attacks, we consider a model, which we
call the Authenticated Public-Key (APK) model. The APK model seems to
significantly reduce the setup assumptions made by the CRS model (as no trusted
party or honest execution of a centralized algorithm are required), and can be
seen as a slightly stronger variation of the Bare Public-Key (BPK) model from
\cite{CGGM,MR}, and a weaker variation of the registered public-key model used
in \cite{BCNP}. We then define and study man-in-the-middle attacks in the APK
model. Our main result is a constant-round concurrent non-malleable
zero-knowledge argument of knowledge for any polynomial-time relation
(associated to a language in ), under the (minimal) assumption of
the existence of a one-way function family. Furthermore,We show time-efficient
instantiations of our protocol based on known number-theoretic assumptions. We
also note a negative result with respect to further reducing the setup
assumptions of our protocol to those in the (unauthenticated) BPK model, by
showing that concurrently non-malleable zero-knowledge arguments of knowledge
in the BPK model are only possible for trivial languages
Predictable arguments of knowledge
We initiate a formal investigation on the power of predictability for argument of knowledge systems for NP. Specifically, we consider private-coin argument systems where the answer of the prover can be predicted, given the private randomness of the verifier; we call such protocols Predictable Arguments of Knowledge (PAoK).
Our study encompasses a full characterization of PAoK, showing that such arguments can be made extremely laconic, with the prover sending a single bit, and assumed to have only one round (i.e., two messages) of communication without loss of generality.
We additionally explore PAoK satisfying additional properties (including zero-knowledge and the possibility of re-using the same challenge across multiple executions with the prover), present several constructions of PAoK relying on different cryptographic tools, and discuss applications to cryptography
Increasing the power of the verifier in Quantum Zero Knowledge
In quantum zero knowledge, the assumption was made that the verifier is only
using unitary operations. Under this assumption, many nice properties have been
shown about quantum zero knowledge, including the fact that Honest-Verifier
Quantum Statistical Zero Knowledge (HVQSZK) is equal to Cheating-Verifier
Quantum Statistical Zero Knowledge (QSZK) (see [Wat02,Wat06]).
In this paper, we study what happens when we allow an honest verifier to flip
some coins in addition to using unitary operations. Flipping a coin is a
non-unitary operation but doesn't seem at first to enhance the cheating
possibilities of the verifier since a classical honest verifier can flip coins.
In this setting, we show an unexpected result: any classical Interactive Proof
has an Honest-Verifier Quantum Statistical Zero Knowledge proof with coins.
Note that in the classical case, honest verifier SZK is no more powerful than
SZK and hence it is not believed to contain even NP. On the other hand, in the
case of cheating verifiers, we show that Quantum Statistical Zero Knowledge
where the verifier applies any non-unitary operation is equal to Quantum
Zero-Knowledge where the verifier uses only unitaries.
One can think of our results in two complementary ways. If we would like to
use the honest verifier model as a means to study the general model by taking
advantage of their equivalence, then it is imperative to use the unitary
definition without coins, since with the general one this equivalence is most
probably not true. On the other hand, if we would like to use quantum zero
knowledge protocols in a cryptographic scenario where the honest-but-curious
model is sufficient, then adding the unitary constraint severely decreases the
power of quantum zero knowledge protocols.Comment: 17 pages, 0 figures, to appear in FSTTCS'0
Classical Cryptographic Protocols in a Quantum World
Cryptographic protocols, such as protocols for secure function evaluation
(SFE), have played a crucial role in the development of modern cryptography.
The extensive theory of these protocols, however, deals almost exclusively with
classical attackers. If we accept that quantum information processing is the
most realistic model of physically feasible computation, then we must ask: what
classical protocols remain secure against quantum attackers?
Our main contribution is showing the existence of classical two-party
protocols for the secure evaluation of any polynomial-time function under
reasonable computational assumptions (for example, it suffices that the
learning with errors problem be hard for quantum polynomial time). Our result
shows that the basic two-party feasibility picture from classical cryptography
remains unchanged in a quantum world.Comment: Full version of an old paper in Crypto'11. Invited to IJQI. This is
authors' copy with different formattin
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