Blockchain-based system for secure outsourcing of bilinear pairings

Abstract

Secure computation outsourcing in Internet of Things (IoT) system is an ongoing research challenge, partly due to the resource-constrained nature of most (inexpensive) IoT devices. In this paper, we focus on the secure outsourcing of bilinear pairings (SOBP) (the most computationally expensive operation in pairing-based cryptographic protocols / algorithms). First, we analyze the limitations in existing SOBP-based schemes, such as the one-malicious model (Strong Assumption), a secure channel (Insufficiency), and a trusted server (Centralization). Then, we propose a novel blockchain-based system for SOBP based on a permissioned version (i.e., a blockchain ledger maintained by some permissioned nodes), designed to efficiently address the limitations. Finally, we prove the security of our proposed approach in the one untrusted program model and implement it on Ethereum (an open-source blockchain system) to show its utility.