7,965 research outputs found
Low-degree tests at large distances
We define tests of boolean functions which distinguish between linear (or
quadratic) polynomials, and functions which are very far, in an appropriate
sense, from these polynomials. The tests have optimal or nearly optimal
trade-offs between soundness and the number of queries.
In particular, we show that functions with small Gowers uniformity norms
behave ``randomly'' with respect to hypergraph linearity tests.
A central step in our analysis of quadraticity tests is the proof of an
inverse theorem for the third Gowers uniformity norm of boolean functions.
The last result has also a coding theory application. It is possible to
estimate efficiently the distance from the second-order Reed-Muller code on
inputs lying far beyond its list-decoding radius
Computing with Coloured Tangles
We suggest a diagrammatic model of computation based on an axiom of
distributivity. A diagram of a decorated coloured tangle, similar to those that
appear in low dimensional topology, plays the role of a circuit diagram.
Equivalent diagrams represent bisimilar computations. We prove that our model
of computation is Turing complete, and that with bounded resources it can
moreover decide any language in complexity class IP, sometimes with better
performance parameters than corresponding classical protocols.Comment: 36 pages,; Introduction entirely rewritten, Section 4.3 adde
On the power quantum computation over real Hilbert spaces
We consider the power of various quantum complexity classes with the
restriction that states and operators are defined over a real, rather than
complex, Hilbert space. It is well know that a quantum circuit over the complex
numbers can be transformed into a quantum circuit over the real numbers with
the addition of a single qubit. This implies that BQP retains its power when
restricted to using states and operations over the reals. We show that the same
is true for QMA(k), QIP(k), QMIP, and QSZK.Comment: Significant improvements from previous version, in particular showing
both containments (eg. QMA_R is in QMA and vice versa
A General Framework for Sound and Complete Floyd-Hoare Logics
This paper presents an abstraction of Hoare logic to traced symmetric
monoidal categories, a very general framework for the theory of systems. Our
abstraction is based on a traced monoidal functor from an arbitrary traced
monoidal category into the category of pre-orders and monotone relations. We
give several examples of how our theory generalises usual Hoare logics (partial
correctness of while programs, partial correctness of pointer programs), and
provide some case studies on how it can be used to develop new Hoare logics
(run-time analysis of while programs and stream circuits).Comment: 27 page
Quantum interactive proofs with short messages
This paper considers three variants of quantum interactive proof systems in
which short (meaning logarithmic-length) messages are exchanged between the
prover and verifier. The first variant is one in which the verifier sends a
short message to the prover, and the prover responds with an ordinary, or
polynomial-length, message; the second variant is one in which any number of
messages can be exchanged, but where the combined length of all the messages is
logarithmic; and the third variant is one in which the verifier sends
polynomially many random bits to the prover, who responds with a short quantum
message. We prove that in all of these cases the short messages can be
eliminated without changing the power of the model, so the first variant has
the expressive power of QMA and the second and third variants have the
expressive power of BQP. These facts are proved through the use of quantum
state tomography, along with the finite quantum de Finetti theorem for the
first variant.Comment: 15 pages, published versio
The security of NTP's datagram protocol
For decades, the Network Time Protocol (NTP) has been
used to synchronize computer clocks over untrusted network paths. This
work takes a new look at the security of NTP’s datagram protocol. We
argue that NTP’s datagram protocol in RFC5905 is both underspecified
and flawed. The NTP specifications do not sufficiently respect (1) the
conflicting security requirements of different NTP modes, and (2) the
mechanism NTP uses to prevent off-path attacks. A further problem
is that (3) NTP’s control-query interface reveals sensitive information
that can be exploited in off-path attacks. We exploit these problems
in several attacks that remote attackers can use to maliciously alter a
target’s time. We use network scans to find millions of IPs that are
vulnerable to our attacks. Finally, we move beyond identifying attacks
by developing a cryptographic model and using it to prove the security
of a new backwards-compatible client/server protocol for NTP.https://eprint.iacr.org/2016/1006.pdfhttps://eprint.iacr.org/2016/1006.pdfPublished versio
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Unconditional Relationships within Zero Knowledge
Zero-knowledge protocols enable one party, called a prover, to "convince" another party, called a verifier, the validity of a mathematical statement such that the verifier "learns nothing" other than the fact that the proven statement is true. The different ways of formulating the terms "convince" and "learns nothing" gives rise to four classes of languages having zero-knowledge protocols, which are: statistical zero-knowledge proof systems, computational zero-knowledge proof systems, statistical zero-knowledge argument systems, and computational zero-knowledge argument systems.
We establish complexity-theoretic characterization of the classes of languages in NP having zero-knowledge argument systems. Using these characterizations, we show that for languages in NP:
-- Instance-dependent commitment schemes are necessary and sufficient for zero-knowledge protocols. Instance-dependent commitment schemes for a given language are commitment schemes that can depend on the instance of the language, and where the hiding and binding properties are required to hold only on the YES and NO instances of the language, respectively.
-- Computational zero knowledge and computational soundness (a property held by argument systems) are symmetric properties. Namely, we show that the class of languages in NP intersect co-NP having zero-knowledge arguments is closed under complement, and that a language in NP has a statistical zero-knowledge **argument** system if and only if its complement has a **computational** zero-knowledge proof system.
-- A method of transforming any zero-knowledge protocol that is secure only against an honest verifier that follows the prescribed protocol into one that is secure against malicious verifiers. In addition, our transformation gives us protocols with desirable properties like having public coins, being black-box simulatable, and having an efficient prover.
The novelty of our results above is that they are **unconditional**, meaning that they do not rely on any unproven complexity assumptions such as the existence of one-way functions. Moreover, in establishing our complexity-theoretic characterizations, we give the first construction of statistical zero-knowledge argument systems for NP based on any one-way function
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