Aggregate Signature Research Articles

A secure and efficient data aggregation scheme for cloud–edge collaborative smart meters

Smart meters are part of the Advanced Measurement Infrastructure (AMI) system in the smart grid. It facilitates data transfer between consumers and electricity suppliers (ES). However, the mass deployment of smart meters (SM) brings heavy overhead to grid operation and poses serious privacy threats. To this end, this paper proposes a secure and efficient data aggregation scheme of cloud–edge collaboration smart meters. At first, we standardize the users’ historical electricity load features and use the improved K-Means clustering algorithm to calculate the Euclidean distance between feature vectors to obtain the classification results of users’ load features. On this basis, ES generates relevant parameters to encrypt meter data and protect users’ data privacy based on classification results. The aggregator (Ag) performs the data aggregation, generates the overall signature using the Schnorr aggregation signature method, and sends it to the cloud server (CS). The ES queries the CS to obtain data and parses it to realize the customer billing service. Meanwhile, this paper executes a series of experiments, and the results show that the proposed scheme exhibits significant advantages in privacy protection and system operation efficiency.

An Efficient Aggregate Signature Scheme With Designated Verifier Based on the Schnorr Signature in Healthcare Wireless Sensor Networks

An Efficient Aggregate Signature Scheme With Designated Verifier Based on the Schnorr Signature in Healthcare Wireless Sensor Networks

CHAM-CLAS: A Certificateless Aggregate Signature Scheme with Chameleon Hashing-Based Identity Authentication for VANETs

Vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs), which are the backbone of intelligent transportation systems (ITSs), facilitate critical data exchanges between vehicles. This necessitates secure transmission, which requires guarantees of message availability, integrity, source authenticity, and user privacy. Moreover, the traceability of network participants is essential as it deters malicious actors and allows lawful authorities to identify message senders for accountability. This introduces a challenge: balancing privacy with traceability. Conditional privacy-preserving authentication (CPPA) schemes are designed to mitigate this conflict. CPPA schemes utilize cryptographic protocols, including certificate-based schemes, group signatures, identity-based schemes, and certificateless schemes. Due to the critical time constraints in VANETs, efficient batch verification techniques are crucial. Combining certificateless schemes with batch verification leads to certificateless aggregate signature (CLAS) schemes. In this paper, cryptanalysis of Xiong’s CLAS scheme revealed its vulnerabilities to partial key replacement and identity replacement attacks, alongside mathematical errors in the batch verification process. Our proposed CLAS scheme remedies these issues by incorporating an identity authentication module that leverages chameleon hashing within elliptic curve cryptography (CHAM-CLAS). The signature and verification modules are also redesigned to address the identified vulnerabilities in Xiong’s scheme. Additionally, we implemented the small exponents test within the batch verification module to achieve Type III security. While this enhances security, it introduces a slight performance trade-off. Our scheme has been subjected to formal security and performance analyses to ensure robustness.

LB-CLAS: Lattice-based conditional privacy-preserving certificateless aggregate signature scheme for VANET

The rapid development of vehicular ad-hoc networks (VANETs) has brought great convenience to intelligent transportation, and the secure transmission of information in VANETs has become a serious problem. In addition, the protection of private information of vehicles is also a key issue. Aiming at the problem of how to guarantee the secure transmission of information in VANETs under the condition of satisfying security and privacy, we propose a lattice-based conditional privacy-preserving certificateless aggregate signature scheme (LB-CLAS) for VANETs. Instead of using Number Theory Research Unit (NTRU) lattices and discrete Gaussian sampling, the proposed LB-CLAS scheme is based on algebraic lattice. In addition, based on the module version of Small Integer Solution (MSIS) and module version of Learning With Error (MLWE) hard problems, we prove that the LB-CLAS scheme is existential unforgeability under adaptively chosen message attacks (EUF-CMA). Our LB-CLAS scheme employs individual signature verification in vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) mode, while utilizing aggregate signatures and batch verification in vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) mode, with slightly differing transmission parameters between the two modes. Based on Dilithium, our LB-CLAS scheme solves the problem of high storage overhead and computational cost of existing schemes. The performance analysis shows that our LB-CLAS scheme is more efficient in terms of computation cost, storage overhead, and power consumption compared to existing schemes. Compared with existing schemes, our LB-CLAS scheme reduces the signature and verification overheads by more than 17.6% and 43.4%, respectively. Our LB-CLAS program also has significant advantages in batch verification. As the number of vehicles increases, our batch certification time cost is reduced by more than 90%. In addition, our LB-CLAS scheme has the smallest signature length, with a signature size that is 1X smaller than the most efficient existing scheme for the same level of security.

ECC based certificateless aggregate signature scheme for healthcare wireless sensor networks

ECC based certificateless aggregate signature scheme for healthcare wireless sensor networks

Secure Lattice-Based Aggregate Signature Scheme for Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks

Secure Lattice-Based Aggregate Signature Scheme for Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks

Certificateless Aggregate Signature Scheme With Security Proofs in the Standard Model Suitable for Internet of Vehicles

Certificateless Aggregate Signature Scheme With Security Proofs in the Standard Model Suitable for Internet of Vehicles

Locally verifiable approximate multi-member quantum threshold aggregation digital signature scheme

Locally verifiable aggregate signature primitives can reduce the complexity of aggregate signature verification by computing locally open algorithms to generate auxiliary parameters. However, the breakthrough results of quantum computers at this stage indicate that it will be possible for quantum computers to break through the security of traditional hardness-based aggregated signature schemes. In order to solve the above problems, this paper proposes for the first time a new locally verifiable class of multi-member quantum threshold aggregated digital signature scheme based on the property that the verification of quantum coset states is a projection on the trans-subspace. Combined with the idea of auxiliary parameter generation in traditional locally verifiable aggregated signatures, it makes the current stage of threshold quantum digital signatures realize the aggregated features, and reduces the complexity of the verification of aggregated signatures while realizing post-quantum security. In addition, the verification of the signature key (quantum state) of the signature members does not require measurement operations, and the generated signatures are classical, so the communication between the trusted third center (TC), the set of signature members, the classical digital signature verifier (CV), and the third-party trusted aggregation generator (TA) are all classical, simplifying the communication model. In the performance analysis we make this quantum aggregation signature scheme more flexible as well as less quantum state preparation compared to other schemes.

Lightweight Certificate-Less Anonymous Authentication Key Negotiation Scheme in the 5G Internet of Vehicles

In the current 5G vehicle network system, there are security issues such as wireless intrusion, privacy leakage, and remote control. To address these challenges, an improved lightweight anonymous authentication key negotiation scheme based on certificate-less aggregate signatures is proposed and its security and efficiency are analyzed. The result shows that the scheme can offer security attributes including anonymity, traceability, and revocability, as well as effective identity authentication, and it can resist forgery attacks, man-in-the-middle attacks, tampering attacks, and smart card loss attacks. Moreover, compared with similar schemes, it possesses superior security and more efficient computational efficiency and less communication overhead, thereby being more appropriate for high-speed, large-capacity, low-latency, and resource-constrained 5G vehicle network application scenarios.

Blockchain-assisted Verifiable Secure Multi-Party Data Computing

Secure multi-party computation (SMPC) is a crucial technology that supports privacy preservation, enabling multiple users to perform computations on any function without disclosing their private inputs and outputs in a distrustful environment. Existing secure multi-party computation models typically rely on obfuscation circuits and cryptographic protocols to facilitate collaborative computation of tasks. However, the efficiency and privacy leakage of users have not been paid much attention during the computation process. To address these problems, this article proposes a privacy-preserving approach Blockchain-assisted Verifiable Secure Multi-Party Data Computing (BVS-MPDC). Specifically, to prevent privacy leakage when users and multiple participants share data, BVS-MPDC uses additive homomorphic encryption to encrypt data shares; and verifies the generated Pedersen commitment of all the data. BVS-MPDC utilizes an improved Schnorr aggregation signature to improve computation efficiency between computing nodes and smart contracts by submitting an aggregation signature to the blockchain. Moreover, we design and implement a smart contract for verifying aggregation signature results on Ethereum. The security proof is presented under the UC framework. Finally, simulation experiments of performance evaluations demonstrate that our scheme outperforms existing schemes in computation overhead and verification.

(Invited) Influence of Y6 Aggregation on Energetics and Charge Generation in High Performance OPV Blends

We investigated the origin of the high ratio of open circuit voltage to charge transfer state energy (eVOC/ECT) of OPV polymer blends consisting of the electron donating polymer PM6 and the non-fullerene electron acceptor Y6. PM6-Y6 and related donor-acceptor OPV blends exhibit remarkable optoelectronic properties and record power conversion efficiencies in part because of their unusually high eVOC/ECT ratios, which is believed to be related to the small energetic offset of the HOMO levels of PM6 and Y6. In this study, we varied the amount of Y6 in PM6 blends as a means to control the aggregation of Y6 molecules. We examined the corresponding influence that Y6 aggregation has on the energetic offsets and the charge generation efficiency of the materials by probing the appearance of polaron absorption signals in the mid-infrared using time-resolved infrared spectroscopy. Furthermore, we examined the optical absorption and emission spectra of the PM6-Y6 blends over the range of compositions to correlate the efficiency of charge generation with the signatures of Y6 aggregation in the optical spectra. We observed an abrupt transition around 30 mass% Y6 content at which polarons were efficiently generated by charge separation from PM6 to Y6. Comparison to composition dependent GIWAXS studies of PM6-Y6 blends revealed the formation of Y6 aggregates around the same 30 mass% threshold. These observations demonstrate that aggregation of Y6 molecules is required for charge separation to occur from PM6 to Y6 as measured through the mid-infrared absorption of polarons in the TRIR spectra. Although charges were efficiently generated in blends with only 30 mass% Y6 content, OPV device studies revealed that 50-60 mass% Y6 was needed to reach optimized short-circuit current and OPV device efficiency because these measurements convolve charge generation with charge transport. These findings clarify the optoelectronic properties of the novel class of Y6 acceptors and emphasize the importance of molecular aggregation for tuning the energetics of high performance systems that minimize energy offsets for maximum OPV power conversion efficiencies.

Deep Learning-Based Vulnerability Detection and Mitigation in Virtualization Data Center

Virtualization is a critical technology that enables users to leverage the vast resources available within datacenters. Despite its numerous benefits, such as on-demand scalability, continuous availability, and cost efficiency, virtualization is susceptible to various security challenges, including intrusion, data compromise, and session hijacking. To address these threats, this study presents an innovative approach based on deep learning for detecting attacks and proactively isolating virtual machines (VMs) to mitigate their impact. The event sequences of VMs are transformed into event images using advanced techniques Integrated Gramian Markov Plot (IGMP). The proposed IGMP model comprises of the Gramian model with Markov estimate. The model uses the recurrence plot for the estimation of the IGMP in the virtualization process with the computation of data centers. Additionally, to improve the security IGMP model uses the aggregation signature generation model for the security features in the Virtual Machines. The proposed IGMP model uses the Deep learning models are then employed to extract meaningful features from these event images, which are subsequently classified into specific attack classes. Once an attack is predicted within the physical machine, the suspected VMs are immediately isolated to prevent further damage. Experimental results demonstrated that the high efficacy of the IGMP method, achieving an impressive attack prediction accuracy of 96%, surpassing existing approaches by at least 2%.

Correction to: Certificate-less Aggregate Signature Authentication Scheme (CLASAS) for secure and efficient data transmission in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs)

Correction to: Certificate-less Aggregate Signature Authentication Scheme (CLASAS) for secure and efficient data transmission in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs)

On The Security Of A Novel Construction Of Certificateless Aggregate Signature Scheme For Healthcare Wireless Medical Sensor Networks

Abstract Recently, Qiao et al. proposed a novel construction of certificateless aggregate signature (CLAS) scheme to ensure the integrity and authenticity of medical data in healthcare wireless medical sensor networks (HWMSNs). They first created an underlying certificateless signature (CLS) scheme, and then proposed a CLAS scheme from the underlying CLS scheme by adding an aggregation algorithm and a verification algorithm. In this paper, we point out that their CLS scheme is insecure because the Type I adversary can forge valid signatures. That is, the unforgeability is not actually captured by their CLS scheme. Finally, we map our cryptanalysis to the practical application. That is, in the practical application of HWMSNs, the attacker can launch real attack to their CLS scheme using our cryptanalysis to forge signatures. Therefore, Qiao et al.’s CLS scheme can be totally broken.

Certificate-less Aggregate Signature Authentication Scheme (CLASAS) for secure and efficient data transmission in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs)

Certificate-less Aggregate Signature Authentication Scheme (CLASAS) for secure and efficient data transmission in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs)

IPCAS: An improved conditional privacy-preserving certificateless aggregate signature scheme without bilinear pairing for VANETs

Recently, Gong et al. proposed a Certificateless Aggregate Signature (CLAS) scheme (shorted by PCAS) with conditional privacy-preserving without bilinear pairing for Vehicular Ad-hoc Networks (VANETs). Unfortunately, after analyzing security, the PCAS scheme fails to satisfy the necessary unlinkability in VANETs and is vulnerable to the public key replacement forgery attack of the Type-I adversary. Subsequently, this article analyzes the causes of these two security issues in detail and proposes an improved CLAS scheme for VANETs (called IPCAS). Through security analysis, this article proves that the IPCAS is existentially unforgeable under the adaptive chosen message attacks against Type-I and Type-II adversaries in the random oracle model, and satisfies the necessary security and privacy requirements in VANETs, including unlinkability. Finally, the performance analysis results show that compared to PCAS for single message and n aggregate messages (n=1000), the computational overhead of IPCAS is reduced by 20.01% and 49.08% respectively, and the communication overhead is reduced by 18.75% and 28.14% respectively. Therefore, IPCAS not only makes up for the security vulnerabilities of PCAS but also has better performance.

Quantum homomorphic aggregation signature scheme based on GHZ states

A quantum homomorphic aggregation signature scheme is proposed based on GHZ states, combined with homomorphic aggregation techniques. The scheme has the following features: Firstly, by changing the existing quantum homomorphic signature scheme which generally uses Bell state as the signature particle, and choosing GHZ state as the signature particle, it can realize the signature of the multi-bit messages by preparing fewer quantum resources; Secondly, the idea of classical aggregated signature is introduced, where multiple message signatures are aggregated into a single signature by quantum entanglement swapping technique, and the verifier can determine the validity of all signatures by only one verification; At the same time, the verification of individual signatures by the aggregator is realized, and dishonest behaviors among the signature members can be detected in time; Finally, the whole signature process satisfies the basic homomorphic property. Compared with the existing quantum homomorphic signature scheme, this scheme can effectively reduce the consumption of quantum resources, improving the efficiency of signature verification and enhancing the reliability of the signature. The security analysis shows that the scheme has the verifiability, unforgeability and non-repudiation.

Hippocampal aggregation signatures of pathogenic UBQLN2 in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia.

Pathogenic variants in the UBQLN2 gene cause X-linked dominant amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and/or frontotemporal dementia characterized by ubiquilin 2 aggregates in neurons of the motor cortex, hippocampus and spinal cord. However, ubiquilin 2 neuropathology is also seen in sporadic and familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and/or frontotemporal dementia cases not caused by UBQLN2 pathogenic variants, particularly C9orf72-linked cases. This makes the mechanistic role of mutant ubiquilin 2 protein and the value of ubiquilin 2 pathology for predicting genotype unclear. Here we examine a cohort of 44 genotypically diverse amyotrophic lateral sclerosis cases with or without frontotemporal dementia, including eight cases with UBQLN2 variants [resulting in p.S222G, p.P497H, p.P506S, p.T487I (two cases) and p.P497L (three cases)]. Using multiplexed (five-label) fluorescent immunohistochemistry, we mapped the co-localization of ubiquilin 2 with phosphorylated TDP-43, dipeptide repeat aggregates and p62 in the hippocampus of controls (n = 6), or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis with or without frontotemporal dementia in sporadic (n = 20), unknown familial (n = 3), SOD1-linked (n = 1), FUS-linked (n = 1), C9orf72-linked (n = 5) and UBQLN2-linked (n = 8) cases. We differentiate between (i) ubiquilin 2 aggregation together with phosphorylated TDP-43 or dipeptide repeat proteins; and (ii) ubiquilin 2 self-aggregation promoted by UBQLN2 pathogenic variants that cause amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and/or frontotemporal dementia. Overall, we describe a hippocampal protein aggregation signature that fully distinguishes mutant from wild-type ubiquilin 2 in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis with or without frontotemporal dementia, whereby mutant ubiquilin 2 is more prone than wild-type to aggregate independently of driving factors. This neuropathological signature can be used to assess the pathogenicity of UBQLN2 gene variants and to understand the mechanisms of UBQLN2-linked disease.

A quantum-secure certificateless aggregate signature protocol for vehicular ad hoc networks

Vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs) have revolutionized communication between vehicles and infrastructure, notably enhancing traffic management and passenger safety. However, VANETs are vulnerable to security threats, especially regarding data authenticity. Aggregate signature is a powerful technique that reduces computational and communication burdens by aggregating multiple signatures from different signers into a single signature. Traditional aggregate signature schemes, based on large prime number decomposition and the discrete logarithm problem, cannot effectively resist quantum attacks. This paper introduces a novel quantum secure certificateless aggregate signature (QSCLAS) scheme designed to enhance data security and privacy in VANETs. Our proposed scheme employs the number theory research unit (NTRU) algorithm. As a lattice-based cryptographic algorithm, NTRU is renowned for its security against quantum computer attacks, making it an essential component of our quantum-secure solution. By eliminating the need for expensive bilinear pairing operations, our proposed scheme achieves high efficiency and practicality in resource-limited VANETs environments. The security analysis demonstrates our scheme's resilience against both Type-I and Type-II adversaries in the random oracle model under the small integer solution (SIS) problem on the NTRU lattice. Furthermore, compared with existing approaches, the results illustrate that our proposed scheme offers significant advantages in signature generation and verification cost, as well as lower transmission overhead than other lattice-based schemes, thereby making it highly suitable for VANETs environments.

A Blockchain-Assisted Security Protocol for Group Handover of MTC Devices in 5G Wireless Networks.

In the realm of the fifth-generation (5G) wireless cellular networks, renowned for their dense connectivity, there lies a substantial facilitation of a myriad of Internet of Things (IoT) applications, which can be supported by the massive machine-type communication (MTC) technique, a fundamental communication framework. In some scenarios, a large number of machine-type communication devices (MTCD) may simultaneously enter the communication coverage of a target base station. However, the current handover mechanism specified by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Release 16 incurs high signaling overhead within the access and core networks, which may have negative impacts on network efficiency. Additionally, other existing solutions are vulnerable to malicious attacks such as Denial of Service (DoS), Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, and the failure of Key Forward Secrecy (KFS). To address this challenge, this paper proposes an efficient and secure handover authentication protocol for a group of MTCDs supported by blockchain technology. This protocol leverages the decentralized nature of blockchain technology and combines it with certificateless aggregate signatures to mutually authenticate the identity of a base station and a group of MTCDs. This approach can reduce signaling overhead and avoid key escrow while significantly lowering the risk associated with single points of failure. Additionally, the protocol protects device anonymity by encrypting device identities with temporary anonymous identity markers with the Elliptic Curve Diffie-Hellman (ECDH) to abandon serial numbers to prevent linkage attacks. The resilience of the proposed protocol against predominant malicious attacks has been rigorously validated through the application of the BAN logic and Scyther tool, underscoring its robust security attributes. Furthermore, compared to the existing solutions, the proposed protocol significantly reduces the authentication cost for a group of MTCDs during handover, while ensuring security, demonstrating commendable efficiency.