IACR News
Here you can see all recent updates to the IACR webpage. These updates are also available:
23 February 2024
Antoine Joux, Hunter Kippen, Julian Loss
ePrint ReportPolynomial Commitments from Lattices: Post-Quantum Security, Fast Verification and Transparent Setup
Valerio Cini, Giulio Malavolta, Ngoc Khanh Nguyen, Hoeteck Wee
ePrint ReportSurprisingly, as far as plausibly quantum-safe polynomial commitments are concerned, the currently most efficient constructions only rely on weak cryptographic assumptions, such as security of hash functions. Indeed, despite making use of the underlying algebraic structure, prior lattice-based polynomial commitments still seem to be much behind the hash-based ones. Moreover, security of the aforementioned lattice constructions against quantum adversaries was never formally discussed.
In this work, we bridge the gap and propose the first (asymptotically and concretely) efficient lattice-based polynomial commitment with transparent setup and post-quantum security. Our interactive variant relies on the standard (Module-)SIS problem, and can be made non-interactive in the random oracle model using Fiat-Shamir transformation. In addition, we equip the scheme with a knowledge soundness proof against quantum adversaries which can be of independent interest. In terms of concrete efficiency, for $L=2^{20}$ our scheme yields proofs of size $2$X smaller than the hash-based \textsf{FRI} commitment (Block et al., Asiacrypt 2023), and $70$X smaller than the very recent lattice-based construction by Albrecht et al. (Eurocrypt 2024).
Renas Bacho, Julian Loss, Gilad Stern, Benedikt Wagner
ePrint ReportIn this work, we present HARTS, the first threshold Schnorr signature scheme to incorporate all these desiderata. More concretely:
- HARTS is adaptively secure and remains fully secure and operational even under asynchronous network conditions in the presence of up to $t_c < n/3$ malicious parties. This is optimal.
- HARTS outputs a Schnorr signature of size $\lambda$ with a near-optimal amortized communication cost of $O(\lambda n^2 \log{n})$ bits and $O(1)$ rounds per signature.
- HARTS is a high-threshold scheme: no fewer than $t_r+1$ signature shares can be combined to yield a full signature, where $t_r\geq 2n/3 > 2t_c$. This is optimal.
We prove our result in a modular fashion in the algebraic group model. At the core of our construction, we design a new simple, and adaptively secure high-threshold AVSS scheme which may be of independent interest.
River Moreira Ferreira, Ludovic Perret
ePrint Report21 February 2024
Virtual event, Anywhere on Earth, 13 August - 14 August 2024
Event CalendarSubmission deadline: 15 April 2024
Notification: 14 June 2024
Paris, France, 9 September - 20 December 2024
Event CalendarSubmission deadline: 15 March 2024
Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER ) Pune
Job PostingClosing date for applications:
Contact: math.postdocapplications@iiserpune.ac.in
More information: https://www.iiserpune.ac.in/announcements/10/postdoctoral-positions-in-mathematics
Blanqet
Job PostingWe are looking to hire several researchers to join our Chicago based team for periods of one to three years with the potential for longer employment. Our focus is on imaginative individuals who are devoted to both research and its practical realization. Relevant areas of interest include, but are not limited to, cryptography, quantum and post-quantum cryptography, computer security, computational algebra and number theory.
Successful candidates will have the opportunity to work alongside other researchers at Blanqet and at the nearby University of Chicago. Joint academic affiliations with the University of Chicago are possible when appropriate.
Applicants are expected to have (or expect to soon have) a Ph.D. in computer science, mathematics, physics or a related area. To apply, submit a curriculum vitae (including a list of publications), and a brief description of your research interests (description of research interests not to exceed two pages, more or less, and arrange for three letters of reference. Applications and letters should be sent via email to contact@blanqet.net. We will make offers on a rolling basis with flexibility as to the start date.
Closing date for applications:
Contact: contact@blanqet.net
Chair of IT Security, Brandenburg University of Technology, Cottbus, Germany
Job PostingOur chair performs research and teaching in the area of IT Security with a strong focus on Network Security and Online Privacy. Our goal is to advance the state of the art in research and to educate qualified computer scientists in the area of IT Security who are able to meet the challenges of the growing demand on securing IT Systems and provide data protection in various areas of our life and society. More information about us can be found at https://www.b-tu.de/en/fg-it-sicherheit.
Tasks:- Active research in the area of intrusion detection systems (IDS) for critical infrastructures, secure cyber-physical systems, and artificial intelligence / machine learning for traffic analysis
- Implementation and evaluation of new algorithms and methods
- Cooperation and knowledge transfer with industrial partners
- Publication of scientific results
- Assistance with teaching
- Master’s degree (or equivalent) and PhD degree (only for PostDocs) in Computer Science or related disciplines
- Strong interest in IT security and/or networking and distributed systems
- Knowledge of at least one programming language (C++, Java, etc.) and one scripting language (Perl, Python, etc.) or strong willingness to quickly learn new programming languages
- Linux/Unix skills
- Knowledge of data mining, machine learning, statistics and result visualization concepts is of advantage
- Excellent working knowledge of English; German is of advantage
- Excellent communication skills
Applications containing the following documents:
- A detailed Curriculum Vitae
- Transcript of records from your Master studies
- An electronic version of your Master thesis, if possible should be sent in a single PDF file as soon as possible, but not later than 15.03.2024 at itsec-jobs.informatik@lists.b-tu.de. Applications sent to email addresses other than that will be automatically discarded.
Closing date for applications:
Contact:
For more information about the vacant position please contact Prof. A. Panchenko (E-Mail: itsec-jobs.informatik@lists.b-tu.de).
More information: https://www.informatik.tu-cottbus.de/~andriy/phd-ad-btu_en.pdf
19 February 2024
Ulrich Haböck, David Levit, Shahar Papini
ePrint ReportJuliane Krämer, Mirjam Loiero
ePrint ReportJiseung Kim, Changmin Lee
ePrint ReportWe propose an improvement to the Gaussian elimination attack, which is also known as Prange's information set decoding algorithm, for solving the LPN problem. Contrary to prevailing knowledge, we find that the Gaussian elimination attack is highly competitive and currently the best method for solving LPN over large fields. Our improvement involves applying partial Gaussian elimination repeatedly, rather than the whole Gaussian algorithm, which we have named the ``Reduce and Prange's algorithm".
Moreover, we provide two applications of Reduce and Prange algorithms: One is the hybrid algorithm of ours and Berstein, Lange and Peters's algorithm at PQCrypto'08, and the other one is Reduce and Prange algorithm for LPN with regular noise.
Last, we provide a concrete estimation of the bit-security of LPN variants using our Reduce and Prange's frameworks. Our results show that the bit-security of LPN over $\mathbb{F}_q$ is reduced by 5-11 bits when $\log q = 128$ compared to previous analysis by Liu et al. (will appear at Eurocrypt'24). Furthermore, we show that our algorithm outperforms recent work by Briaud and Øygard (Eurocrypt'23) and Liu et al. for certain parameters. It reduces the bit-security of LPN with regular noise by 5-28 bits.
Chun Guo, Xiao Wang, Xiang Xie, Yu Yu
ePrint ReportHeewon Chung, Hyojun Kim, Young-Sik Kim, Yongwoo Lee
ePrint ReportJonathan Trostle
ePrint ReportNarendra Kumar Patel, Hemraj Shobharam Lamkuche
ePrint ReportIschia, Italy, 7 May 2024
Event CalendarSubmission deadline: 21 February 2024
Notification: 20 March 2024
Technical University of Munich, Germany
Job PostingA position for a PhD student in Cryptography is available in the newly formed research group led by Lorenz Panny in the Department of Mathematics, within the TUM School of Computation, Information and Technology, located at the Garching campus.
The group was established in 2023 and primarily focuses on mathematical aspects of post-quantum cryptography: for example, this includes topics such as classical and quantum cryptanalysis, cryptographic constructions based on isogenies of abelian varieties and other algebraic objects, and efficient algorithms for both attacks and secure implementations.
Please refer to the linked website for details on the position and application process.
Closing date for applications:
Contact: Lorenz Panny, lorenz.panny@tum.de
More information: https://portal.mytum.de/jobs/wissenschaftler/NewsArticle_20240216_105137
University of Birmingham, UK
Job PostingTrusted Execution Environments (TEEs) allow users to run their software in a secure enclave while assuring the integrity and confidentiality of data and applications. However, cloud computing these days relies heavily on peripherals such as GPUs, NICs, and FPGAs. Extending the security guarantees of CPU-based TEEs to such accelerators is currently not possible. New technologies are being proposed to address this, notably the PCIe Trusted Device Interface Security Protocol (TDISP). In this project, together with researchers at the University of Southampton, we will thoroughly evaluate the security guarantees of this new PCIe standard and its ability to provide trusted execution against strong adversaries.
Suitable candidates need a strong background in system-level programming (e.g. Rust, C, C++) and/or embedded systems/hardware security. We also expect a first-class UG or PG degree in a relevant subject (e.g. computer science or electrical engineering).
Funding: The studentship covers a stipend and tuition fees (we might be able to cover overseas student fees depending on the candidate and circumstances). The stipend provides an annual maintenance allowance of £18,622. The allowance is paid as a (usually) tax-free stipend and its rate is usually incremented on 1 October each following year. We provide personal laptops and travel funding to attend conferences (subject to prior approval) and one summer school (or equivalent). Students will also be given the chance to participate in teaching activities, including creating and grading exercises as well as conducting laboratory and tutorial sessions, which are compensated separately.
How to apply: Please first send your CV, a transcript with a list of courses and grades, and a description of your research interests to d.f.oswald (at) bham.ac.uk before 15 March 2024, with the title of the position ("PhD IOTEE: Securing and analysing trusted execution beyond the CPU") in the subject line. We will then contact you about potential next steps.
Closing date for applications:
Contact: For informal enquiries, contact David Oswald d.f.oswald@bham.ac.uk
More information: https://www.cs.bham.ac.uk/~oswalddf/phd-projects.php
Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P)
Job Posting• Artificial Intelligence for Cybersecurity
• Quantum Cryptography
• Quantum Blockchain
Key duties:
The Postdoctoral researcher will be expected to:
• Publish in high impact journals in the field.
• Participate to the supervision of PhD students and research internships.
Criteria of the candidate:
• PhD in the field of Cryptography, Computer security or any related field.
• Strong publication record in high impact conferences / journals.
• Very good programming skills (e.g., C, C++, Python), familiarity with Linux
• Proficiency in English and ability to work in a team
• Outstanding analytical and problem-solving skills
Employment terms:
The successful candidate will be employed by Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) based at Benguerir (50 km north of Marrakech), Morocco. The net salary per month is 2000 USD. The initial appointment as Postdoctoral researcher will be for one-year renewable depending on satisfactory performance.
Applications and selection procedure:
Applications must be sent using a single electronic zipped folder with the mention of the job title in the mail subject. The folder must contain:
• A 1-page cover letter with main research interests.
• A detailed CV.
• A 1-page brief research statement.
• Contact information of 2 references (Applicants are assumed to have obtained their references’ consent to be contacted for this matter).
Contact: Prof. Mustapha Hedabou (mustapha.hedabou@um6p.ma)
Closing date for applications:
Contact: Prof. Mustapha Hedabou