IACR News
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04 December 2019
Jayashree Dey, Ratna Dutta
ePrint ReportCraig Costello, Benjamin Smith
ePrint ReportChao Liu, Zhongxiang Zheng, Keting Jia, Qidi You
ePrint ReportGijs van Dam, Rabiah Abdul Kadir, Puteri N.E. Nohuddin, Halimah Badioze Zaman
ePrint ReportKeita Emura, Shuichi Katsumata, Yohei Watanabe
ePrint ReportIn this paper, based on Chow's work, we formally define an IBE scheme that resolves the key escrow problem and provide formal definitions of security against corrupted users, KGC, and ICA. Along the way, we observe that if we are allowed to assume a fully trusted ICA, as in Chow's work, then we can construct a trivial (and meaningless) IBE scheme that is secure against the KGC. Finally, we present two instantiations in our new security model: a lattice-based construction based on the Gentry--Peikert--Vaikuntanathan IBE scheme (STOC 2008) and R{\"{u}}ckert's lattice-based blind signature scheme (ASIACRYPT 2010), and a pairing-based construction based on the Boneh--Franklin IBE scheme (CRYPTO 2001) and Boldyreva's blind signature scheme (PKC 2003).
Karim Eldefrawy, Tancrède Lepoint, Antonin Leroux
ePrint ReportIn this work, we improve over prior work in three directions: batching without incurring a linear loss in corruption threshold, communication efficiency, and handling dynamic groups. While each of properties we improve upon appeared independently in the context of PSS and in other previous work, handling them simultaneously (and efficiently) in a single scheme faces non-trivial challenges. Some PSS protocols can handle batching of $\ell \sim n$ secrets, but all of them are for the honest majority setting. Techniques typically used to accomplish such batching decrease the tolerated corruption threshold bound by a linear factor in $\ell$, effectively limiting the number of elements that can be batched with dishonest majority. We solve this problem by reducing the threshold decrease to $\sqrt{\ell}$ instead, allowing us to deal with the dishonest majority setting when $\ell \sim n$. This is accomplished based on new bivariate-polynomials-based techniques for sharing, and refreshing and recovering of shares, that allow batching of up to $n-2$ secrets in our PSS. To tackle the efficiency bottleneck the constructed PSS protocol requires only $O(n^3/\ell)$ communication for $\ell$ secrets, i.e., an amortized communication complexity of $O(n^2)$ when the maximum batch size is used. To handle dynamic groups we develop three new sub-protocols to deal with parties joining and leaving the group.
03 December 2019
Job Posting
University of Exeter, UK
Job PostingThe Security and Trust of Advanced Systems Group at the Computer Science Department of the University of Exeter is hiring a Lecturer in Cybersecurity. Candidates in all areas of security are encouraged to apply.
This is a unique opportunity to shape the future development of Cybersecurity research at Exeter both within the Department of Computer Science and the University as a whole. The Department is a member of the Turing Institute and the Complete University Guide ranks the Department 11th in the UK and Exeter is one of the fastest growing cities in the UK, with the IT sector being particularly strong.
The new Security and Trust of Advanced Systems Group is embedded in a strong cyber environment within and outside of the University. Within the University, cybersecurity is not only rooted within the Computer Science Department (e.g. working in the intersection of data science and cybersecurity, an area in which we also offer a new MSc in Cyber Security Analytics: for example, we also work together with the Law School, which has a strong expertise in international cybersecurity law, the Strategy and Security Institute, and we collaborate with the Management School on a MSc in Financial Technology. Outside of the university, we actively engage with the local industry, e.g., via the South West Cyber Security Cluster.
We are looking for a candidate with an outstanding research record in any area of cybersecurity such as (but not limited to): language-based security, access control, usable security, software security, formal methods for security, security analytics, security protocols, human aspects of security, security economics, security by design, applied cryptography, security testing.
You are expected to carry out research in any area of cybersecurity and to supervise PhD students in her/his research area. We are particularly keen on research areas that either extend the current strength in software security and formal methods in security or that complement these existing focus area.Closing date for applications:
Contact: Prof. Achim Brucker, Streatham Campus Innovation Centre, A1, Exeter EX4 4RN, UK. https://www.brucker.ch/
More information: https://jobs.exeter.ac.uk/hrpr_webrecruitment/wrd/run/ETREC107GF.open?VACANCY_ID=566815Qrwu&WVID=3817591jNg
The University of Sheffield, Department of Computer Science, Sheffield, UK
Job PostingThe Department of Computer Science at University of Sheffield, UK is seeking a highly-motivated PhD candidate in the field of cyber security with an emphasis on embedded and hardware security.
Candidates with experience in one or more of the following are preferred:Research topics include but are not limited to:
A stipendiary studentship is available. This covers fees at the EU/home rate as well as a student stipend for three and a half years.
The candidates should have an M.Sc./B.Sc. degree or equivalent in Computer Science/Computer Engineering/Electrical Engineering/Applied Mathematics/IT Security.
If English is not your first language, you must have an IELTS score of 6.5 overall, with no less than 6.0 in each component.
In the first instance, candidates are advised to discuss applications with Dr. Elif Kavun (e.kavun@sheffield.ac.uk).
To apply for the studentship, applicants need to apply directly to The University of Sheffield using the online application system. Please name Dr Elif Kavun as your proposed supervisor.
Complete an application for admission to the standard Computer Science PhD programme http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/postgraduate/research/apply
Applications should include CV, statement of purpose, transcripts, and contact information of at least two referencesClosing date for applications:
Contact: Dr Elif Kavun
More information: http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/postgraduate/research/apply
Concordia University, Institute for Information Systems Engineering (CIISE); Montreal, Canada
Job PostingConcordia University is strongly committed to building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community, and recognizes the importance of inclusion in achieving excellence in teaching and research. Commensurate with their rank candidates will be assessed on their demonstrated potential to attract diverse students and collaborators to Concordia University, conduct internationally-recognized research, secure research funds, as well as teach and drive curricular development within their respective area.
Qualifications
Applicants must hold a PhD in Computer Science, Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a closely related engineering field. A strong commitment to research excellence, supervision of graduate students, and teaching excellence is expected. The successful candidate is expected to provide academic leadership, conduct independent and superior scholarly research, establish a strong externally-funded research program and demonstrate industrial applications of her/his research activities. Membership or eligibility for membership in a Canadian professional engineering association, preferably in the province of Quebec, is desirable. The language of instruction at Concordia is English; however, knowledge of French is an asset.
How to Apply Click on link in title above.
Closing date for applications:
Contact: Dr. Abdessamad Ben Hamza, Director
Concordia Institute for Information Systems Engineering
Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science
Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada
Email: director-ciise@encs.concordia.ca
More information: https://www.concordia.ca/ginacody/about/jobs/ciise/faculty-position-blockchain-technology.html
Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya; Barcelona, Spain
Job Postinghttp://www.h2020prometheus.eu/
Specifically, to design/analyze/implement better lattice-based cryptographic protocols that may be needed in electronic voting applications; this includes encryption (with threshold decryption), (group, blind) signatures and zero-knowledge proofs of knowledge.
The candidate (with a phD. completed or close to be completed) should therefore have experience in the area of lattice-based cryptography.
The expected salary will be around 43.000 euros per year, before taxes are applied (which may mean around 30.000 euros per year, at the end; the salary includes health insurance). The work place will be in UPC Campus Nord (Barcelona). The contract would start at some point in 2020, and could last 1-2 years.
Closing date for applications:
Contact: Javier Herranz
Horizen Labs, Milan (Italy)
Job PostingHorizen Labs is a technology company that develops and delivers scalable and reliable distributed ledger solutions. Our Research and Development team is now looking for a cryptography scientist who can help bridging between academia and practice in our on-going effort of designing and coding world-class SNARG implementations.
The Role
- Keep up to date on emerging capabilities in the fast-growing Zero-Knowledge research area, and identify where and how new capabilities can be applied
- Identify and recommend technologies and cryptographic solutions to solve identified technical challenges
- Support the team’s software developers with the introduction of advanced Zero Knowledge Proof protocols and conventional cryptographic tools
- Participate in standards setting, perform collaborative research into open source solutions
Requirements
- MS/Ph.D. in Mathematics, Computer Science, Computer Programming, or Computer Engineering
- Core understanding of cryptography, public/private key, hash functions, encryption/signatures
- Strong understanding of Elliptic Curve Cryptography
Closing date for applications:
Contact: Luca Cermelli, luca AT horizenlabs DOT io
More information: https://horizenlabs.io/
Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB)
Job PostingClosing date for applications:
Contact: Prof. Tom Lenaerts
More information: http://wwwdev.ulb.ac.be/greffe/files/6544.pdf
TU Dresden, Germany
Job PostingMore information can be found at: https://www.verw.tu-dresden.de/StellAus/stelle.asp?id=7174&lang=en
Deadline for submission: Dec 16th, 2019
Closing date for applications:
Contact: Wolfgang Lehner at +49 351 463 38383
More information: https://www.verw.tu-dresden.de/StellAus/stelle.asp?id=7174&lang=en
University of Birmingham
Job PostingClosing date for applications:
Contact: Professor Mark Ryan
More information: https://bham.taleo.net/careersection/external/jobdetail.ftl?job=190005S3&tz=GMT%2B00%3A00&tzname=Europe%2FLondon
Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, China
Job PostingClosing date for applications:
Contact: Prof. Jin Li: E-mail: jinli71 (at) gmail.com
More information: http://www.scholat.com/jinli71
Microsoft Research India, Bangalore
Job PostingRequired Qualification: The applicant must be enrolled in a PhD or Masters program in mathematics, computer science, electrical engineering, or a related field.
Preferred Qualifications: • Experience in cryptography or MPC • Strong coding skills • Experience in research pertaining to the above topics
Interested candidates must write to ezpc AT microsoft.com with the subject “MPC Internship”. The deadline for applying is December 15th 2019.
Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran status, race, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations and ordinances. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements.
Closing date for applications:
Contact: Nishanth Chandran
More information: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/project/ezpc-easy-secure-multi-party-computation/
University of Erlangen-Nuremberg
Job Posting... Privacy and (long-term) security in digital health ...
Your responsibilities will also entail setting up and leading an independent research group in the Department of Computer Science. You will be required to make a contribution to the degree programmes in computer science and medical engineering. Two of the four professorships are endowed professorships of Siemens Healthcare GmbH. For these professorships, it would be advantageous if applicants want to be involved in industry-related application research, especially at the organisation funding the professorship. The remaining two professorships will be funded by FAU. Please indicate in your application whether you are particularly interested in one of the endowed professorships or one of the FAU professorships. If you have no preference, please indicate this as well.
Please submit your complete application documents (CV, list of publications, list of lectures and courses taught, copies of certificates and degrees, list of third-party funding) online at https://berufungen.fau.de by 06.01.2020, addressed to the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering. Please contact tf-dekanat@fau.de with any questions.
Closing date for applications:
Contact: Dominique Schröder
More information: https://www.fau.eu/university/careers-at-fau/professorships/#collapse_2
NCC Group
Job PostingNCC Group Crypto Services is hiring interns for summer 2020! We're a small team auditing applied crypto and doing research in the field. If you like cryptography and security, and would like to pursue a research project in any of the applied crypto areas, such as (but not limited to):
- cryptographic implementations (cryptographic protocols or primitives, post-quantum crypto)
- cryptocurrencies (payment channel security, audit of novel consensus algorithms, privacy preserving coin implementations)
- audits of existing cryptographic software
Some previous work done by our crypto interns:
- Implementing Optimized Cryptography for Embedded Systems https://cryptoservices.github.io/post-quantum/cryptography/2...
- nQUIC: Noise-Based QUIC Packet Protection https://eprint.iacr.org/2019/028.pdf
- Confidential Transactions from Basic Principles https://cryptoservices.github.io/cryptography/2017/07/21/Sig...
Closing date for applications:
Contact: aleksandar.kircanski_at_nccgroup_com
More information: https://cryptoservices.github.io/
Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Gjøvik, Norway
Job PostingThe appointment is for a term of 3 years, or 4 years including 25% duty work.
The position will be concerned with analyzing and designing secure mechanisms for data and information access that allow control of the privacy – utility trade-off. Of particular interest is development of new differentially private response mechanisms for distributed and longitudinal data. Depending on the skills of the candidate, different aspects may be emphasized, for instance by focusing on
- secure multi-party computation with shared randomness
- statistical modeling of longitudinal data
- information retrieval and machine learning
The research will be carried out as an integrated part of the NTNU Applied Cryptology Lab.
Closing date for applications:
Contact: Staal A. Vinterbo, Staal.Vinterbo@ntnu.no
More information: https://www.jobbnorge.no/en/available-jobs/job/178756/phd-position-in-data-privacy-and-disclosure-control