Signs Research Articles

Verifiable data distribution technique for multiple applicants in a cloud computing ecosystem

<span lang="EN-US"><span lang="EN-US">Cloud computing is the most exploited research technology in both industry and academia due to wide application and increases in adoption from global organizations. In cloud, computing data storage is one of the primary resources offered through cloud computing, however, an increase in participants raises major security concerns, as the user has no hold over the data. Furthermore, recent research has shown great potential for efficient data sharing with multiple participants. Existing researches suggest complicated and inefficient cloud security architecture. Hence, this research work proposes identifiable data sharing for multiple users (IDSMU) mechanism, which aims to provide security for multiple users in a particular cloud group. A novel signature scheme is used for identifying the participants, further verification of the Novel Signature Scheme is proposed along with a retraction process where the secret keys of the participant and the sender is cross-verified; at last, a module is designed for the elimination of any malicious participants within the group. IDSMU is evaluated on computation count and efficiency is proved by comparing with an existing model considering computation count. IDSMU performs marginal improvisation over the existing model in comparison with the existing model using the novel signature scheme. </span><br /></span>

A novel identifiable data sharing mechanism for multiple participants in cloud computing

Recent applications and growth on the internet have generated a lot of popularity and adoption of cloud computing which aims to assure the various computing resources. Data storage is one of the primary resources offered by the cloud; however, considering the multiple users in the particular cloud raises major concerns due to security. Recent researches shown great potential for providing efficient data sharing with multiple users. However, tracing of the data provider is still concerned to be a major issue. Hence, this research work proposes identifiable data sharing for multiple users (IDSMU) mechanism which aims to provide security for multiple users in a particular cloud group. At first, IDSMU creates the general participants (GP)-key for secure access to data. Further, IDSMU creates the trusted participants (TP) based on the reputation which further helps in creating the key generation. A novel signature scheme is used for identifying the participants; IDSMU is evaluated on computation count and efficiency is proved by comparing with an existing model considering computation count.

Security of the Secp256k1 Elliptic Curve used in the Bitcoin Blockchain

The article delves into the intricate characteristics and security properties of the secp256k1 elliptic curve used for the generation of addresses in the Bitcoin blockchain. The Bitcoin blockchain is a decentralized digital ledger that records all transactions made with Bitcoin cryptocurrency. In this work, the secp256k1 elliptic curve and its parameters and the method of generating private and public keys using random numbers are described. While the private key allows for the signing of transactions to spend Bitcoin, the corresponding public key and address enable others to verify transactions and send funds to that specific address on the blockchain, ensuring security, authenticity, and privacy in the decentralized network. The attacks on the use of secp256k1 for generating the bitcoin addresses like the Brute force attack, twist attack, fault attacks, and side channel attacks in the implementation of the elliptic curve are discussed. By maintaining the security and integrity of secp256k1, we can ensure that cryptographic operations, such as digital signatures and key exchanges, remain uncompromised. If the curve's security were compromised, malicious users could potentially derive private keys from public keys, leading to unauthorized transactions, double-spending, or other malicious activities. The security of implementation can be enhanced by ensuring cryptographic libraries and software implementations that utilize secp256k1 undergo thorough testing and validation to ensure correct and secure operations. The important attacks on blockchain technology like the 51% attack, Sybil attack, Double Spending attack, and Smart Contract vulnerabilities are discussed. Through a comprehensive exploration, readers will gain insights into why this particular elliptic curve was chosen for use in Bitcoin's cryptographic protocols, highlighting its role in ensuring the robustness and integrity of the blockchain ecosystem.

Enhancing Contextual Masking in Reversible Linguistic Steganography with Ensemble Methods

Various cybercrimes can be prevented by text authentication that is responsible for preserving digital identities and contents. Digital signatures come in handy as a way of authenticating texts, which is an extensively used method. One approach to this problem is linguistic steganography, which allows hiding the signature in other words within the text and thereby facilitating efficient data management. However, it should be noted that there is a danger that these kinds of changes may result in inappropriate decisions being taken by automated computing systems not to mention change their final outputs (unseen). As such, many people are becoming more concerned with the possibility of reversing steganography so that it becomes possible to eliminate any distortions made during the process. This paper uses Contextual masking instead of masking randomly with BERT model. The goal behind this research was developing a natural language text specific Reversible Steganographic System. Our model uses pre-trained BERT as a transformer based masked language model and reversibly embeds messages through predictive word substitution. To quantify predictive uncertainty, we introduce an adaptive steganographic technique using Bayesian deep learning. This experiment shows us how our proposed system balances imperceptibility with capacity while maintaining near semantics at all times. Also, we integrate ensemble methods instead of Monte Carlo to balance the imperceptibility.

Enhancing IoT Security: A Blockchain-Based Mitigation Framework for Deauthentication Attacks

AbstractThe proposed Blockchain-Based Mitigation of Deauthentication Attacks (BBMDA) Framework aims to enhance the security and trustworthiness of IoT environments by leveraging blockchain technology, the Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm (ECDSA) for secure authentication, and Multi-Task Transformer (MTT) for efficient traffic classification. This paper presents a novel approach to mitigate de-authentication attacks in IoT ecosystems. The research methodology involves developing and implementing the BBMDA framework, followed by a comprehensive evaluation and comparison with existing techniques. Key findings indicate that the BBMDA framework outperforms traditional methods such as Support Vector Machine (SVM), k-nearest Neighbors (KNN), and Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) in terms of accuracy, false positive rate, false negative rate, precision, recall, and F1-score. These results underscore the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed framework in enhancing IoT security.

A new quantum group blind signature scheme based on GHZ states

With the development of quantum computers, traditional communication security based on classical computers can no longer guarantee unconditional security. At the same time, a series of encrypted communication solutions that rely on quantum mechanical properties have been spawned. This article focuses on the field of quantum signatures, based on the entangled Greenberger–Horne–Zeilinger state, combining group signatures (any member of the group can sign on behalf of the group) and blind signatures (the signer cannot know the accuracy of the signature content) proposed a new quantum group blind signature scheme that utilizes quantum key distribution to achieve unconditional security. By splitting the original message, the scheme strengthens the relevance of the signature participants and makes the signature to have stronger binding. Then, the security of the scheme against internal and external attacks is analyzed. In this scheme, a pleasing efficiency has been achieved, and the non-repudiation of signatures has been enhanced. At the same time, disputed signatures can be traced back to the signer.

Hypericum: a post-quantum digital signature for standardization in Russia

Hypericum: a post-quantum digital signature for standardization in Russia

Research on blockchain smart contract technology based on resistance to quantum computing attacks.

In recent years, blockchain technology has developed rapidly and has been widely used in medical, financial, energy and other fields. However, in the process of practical application, each blockchain is a small independent ecosystem, with all transactions and operations limited to the chain, resulting in a large number of mutually heterogeneous to independent blockchains. It presents challenges for cross-chain interactions, cross-organization data sharing, and cross-blockchain expansion, and hinders the wider application of blockchain technology. In addition, the traditional digital signature method based on elliptic curve cipher faces the threat of being cracked by quantum computing attacks. To solve the aforementioned problems, this paper proposed a blockchain smart contract technique based on quantum computing attack resistance(BSCTQCAT). The technique first introduces the digital signature of the lattice cipher into the blockchain to resist the quantum search algorithm attack. Then, based on the smart contract authentication scheme, the nodes on multiple heterogeneous chains are organized into an identity agent layer P2P network, through which transactions on the chain will establish a credible identity management and message authentication mechanism between different chains, solving the current problem that each chain is difficult to communicate with each other. In this paper, the performance of the algorithm is evaluated by simulating the Bitcoin transaction scenario and analyzing the experimental data.

Secure cross‐chain transactions for medical data sharing in blockchain‐based Internet of Medical Things

SummaryBlockchain technology has greatly promoted the development of the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) from a centralized form to a distributed form. However, with many independent blockchain‐based IoMT (BIoMT) systems being established by different institutions, these heterogeneous blockchain systems have created a new “data islands” problem. This paper proposes a multi‐chain fusion (MCF) multi‐party governance model based on relay chain technology. The MCF model helps establish cross‐chain interaction and communication among the multiple heterogeneous blockchain systems in different medical institutions through the cross‐chain gateway. Meanwhile, by utilizing the inter‐blockchain transfer protocol (IBTP), the MCF model takes responsibility for legitimacy verification and reliable routing of cross‐chain transactions, thus addressing the “data islands problem” inherent in traditional blockchain‐based medical systems. Then, an elliptic curve signature scheme is adopted to protect user privacy in cross‐chain transactions, which helps establish transaction verification for the MCF model in BIoMT systems. Finally, several experiments are carried out to prove the feasibility of the cross‐chain scheme and the security of the elliptic curve signature scheme, and the performance index of the cross‐chain system is evaluated. The performance results show that the MCF model can provide secure and efficient cross‐chain services for sharing medical data among heterogeneous BIoMT systems, thus addressing the “data islands problem” inherent in traditional blockchain‐based medical systems.

Exploring on Cloud Security Landscapes:A Comprehensive Review

Nowadays, the massive growth of data and the adoption of the cloud-based architecture indicate that the secure storage of data is a very essential issue. Cloud storage is the solution to convenient, scalable and cost-effective storage, yet security issues persist, especially regarding the protection of sensitive information. The encryption plays a vital role in which data is made unreadable and only accessible by those with the proper authorization. This helps in data management and minimizes data leaks. Shared responsibility in cloud security entails collaboration between the operators and users through the encryption strategy and a number of security measures to protect the data, apps, and infrastructure. This paper deals with the different cryptographic techniques and technologies used for improving cloud security. It discusses the notion of Non-Deterministic Cryptographic Scheme (NCS), which is a secure technique that effectively utilizes randomness in cryptographic algorithms. Regarding the Intel architecture compatibility, SGX and blockchain technology implementation not only ensures data immutability, but it also strengthens the data against cyber threats. SGX produces secure compartments inside cloud platforms, while blockchain makes data integrity possible through decentralized and immutable ledger technology. The research gives an impression of the seaside and multi sided cloud security. Involving encryption, access control, data loss prevention, and intrusion detection systems. Technologies of cryptography like Group Key Based Attribute Encryption (GKBAE) and Modified Random Fibonacci Cryptography (MRFC) offers both data protection and reduced resource requirement in clouds. GKBAE enables fine-grained access control and attribute-based encryption that ensures high data security without any additional computation. In addition, the paper also talks about the privacy-preserving technology, and policy-oriented access control framework. Techniques like Linear Elliptical Curve Digital Signature (LECDS) that combine digital signatures with blockchain technologies can also be used to implement the above features. To sum up, the changing scenario of cloud security requires ceaseless innovation and application of the latest cryptographic methods. Through encryption, hardware level security features and distributed ledger technology implementation, data environment is more strengthened and vulnerabilities to hacking, data leakage, and unauthorized access are decreased. Making use of the modern security tools not only does the data safety but also is responsible for the trustworthiness and stability of the cloud computing infrastructure. Keywords— Cloud Security, Encryption, Data Protection, Non-Deterministic Cryptographic Scheme (NCS), Intel SGX, Blockchain, Group Key Based Attribute Encryption (GKBAE), Modified Random Fibonacci Cryptography (MRFC), Data Confidentiality.

A Blockchain-Based Privacy Preserving Intellectual Property Authentication Method

A Blockchain-Based Privacy Preserving Intellectual Property Authentication Method

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 analyses 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.

Security aspects in the implementation of blockchain in payment gateway transactions in Ecuador

This paper explores the security aspects involved in implementing blockchain technology in payment gateway transactions within the Ecuadorian context. Blockchain technology offers numerous security benefits such as data security, immutability, decentralization, authentication, and transparency. These features contribute to enhancing the overall security and trustworthiness of payment transactions. The decentralized nature of blockchain reduces the risk of cyber attacks targeting centralized servers, while its immutability ensures the integrity of transactions. Additionally, authentication mechanisms such as digital signatures and smart contracts help ensure that only authorized parties can participate in and validate transactions. Furthermore, blockchain’s transparency facilitates auditing and compliance with financial regulations. This paper discusses how leveraging blockchain technology can significantly improve security in payment gateway transactions in Ecuador and provides insights into the potential challenges and opportunities associated with its implementation.

An Identity-Based Strong Designated Verifier Dual-Signature Scheme With Constrained Delegatability

An Identity-Based Strong Designated Verifier Dual-Signature Scheme With Constrained Delegatability

Challenges and opportunities on the horizon of post-quantum cryptography

Large quantum computers have the potential to break many cryptographic systems, e.g., Rivest–Shamir–Adleman, Diffie–Hellman key exchange, and the elliptical curve cryptosystem. The Department of Defense (DoD) is aware of this threat, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology is preparing a set of approved encryption and signature schemes that are not susceptible to these attacks by quantum computers, the so-called Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC). The task of substituting older encryption and signature schemes raises a number of questions, to which there are not yet clear answers. In this research, we investigate the transition to PQC on existing networks, explain the approved PQC schemes, describe the likely path to an adaptation of PQC, and offer forward guidance on challenges and threats that may be encountered in the process of transition to PQC. This paper discusses the impacts of the new PQC schemes on network performance and speculates on possible side-channel attacks on the new encryption scheme. This paper offers hardware/software solutions based on the Split-protocol.

Edwards curve digital signature algorithm for video integrity verification on blockchain framework

Within the field of forensic science, video integrity is an essential component that ensures the validity and dependability of visual evidence that is essential for court cases. Maintaining the integrity of justice in a time when digital modification tools are easily accessible requires making sure that video recordings are unaltered. Video footage is carefully inspected by forensic analysts who use advanced tools to look for indications of manipulation or change. This paper presents a novel, lightweight approach for verifying the integrity of video data. The proposed method utilizes the blockchain and the Edwards Curve Digital Signature Algorithm, coupled with the BLAKE2b hash function. Signatures are generated for video clips with a predetermined size called video segments and stored in blocks chronologically. The signature of the previous block is stored in the current block to add another layer of security. At the time of validation, these signatures are verified. Experimental results show that the proposed method outperforms state-of-the-art methods in both speed and security. Our method is capable of identifying any type of forgery on any video file, by anyone, at any given moment, with insignificant additional storage requirements. Furthermore, our security analysis shows that our method is resilient against various types of attacks, including collision attacks, key substitution attacks, side-channel attacks, and chosen message attacks. The proposed lightweight video integrity verification method is better suited for use in resource constrained devices.

A Certificateless Linearly Homomorphic Signature Scheme Based on Lattice for Network Coding

Abstract Homomorphic signature is an extremely important public key authentication technique for network coding to defend against pollution attacks. However, there are many problems with previous homomorphic signature schemes which require key escrow, cannot resist malicious key generation center (KGC), and are insecure in the post-quantum era. Therefore, we propose a lattice-based certificateless linearly homomorphic signature scheme. In our scheme, certificateless structure can avoid key escrow and malicious KGC. The lattice structure ensures that our scheme is secure in the post-quantum era. The bimodal Gaussian distribution is used to improve the security and the efficiency. Compared with the previous schemes, our scheme has smaller storage space (no key escrow), can avoid malicious KGC, is more secure in the post-quantum era, and has higher signature efficiency. At the same time, our scheme is more suitable for network coding. Finally, under random oracle model, we proved that our scheme is weakly context hiding and existentially unforgeable against adaptive chosen message attacks against external attackers and the internal KGC.

Efficient attribute-based strong designated verifier signature scheme based on elliptic curve cryptography.

In an attribute-based strong designated verifier signature, a signer who satisfies the access structure signs the message and assigns it to a verifier who satisfies the access structure to verify it, which enables fine-grained access control for signers and verifiers. Such signatures are used in scenarios where the identity of the signer needs to be protected, or where the public verifiability of the signature is avoided and only the designated recipient can verify the validity of the signature. To address the problem that the overall overhead of the traditional attribute-based strong designated verifier signature scheme is relatively large, an efficient attribute-based strong designated verifier signature scheme based on elliptic curve cryptography is proposed, as well as a security analysis of the new scheme given in the standard model under the difficulty of the elliptic curve discrete logarithm problem (ECDLP). On the one hand, the proposed scheme is based on elliptic curve cryptography and uses scalar multiplication on elliptic curves, which is computationally lighter, instead of bilinear pairing, which has a higher computational overhead in traditional attribute-based signature schemes. This reduces the computational overhead of signing and verification in the system, improves the efficiency of the system, and makes the scheme more suitable for resource-constrained cloud end-user scenarios. On the other hand, the proposed scheme uses LSSS (Linear Secret Sharing Schemes) access structure with stronger access policy expression, which is more efficient than the "And" gate or access tree access structure, making the computational efficiency of the proposed scheme meet the needs of resource-constrained cloud end-users.

Evidence Vault

Ensuring the integrity of evidence is paramount within the realm of digital forensics. The preservation of evidence gathered at a crime scene is essential for concluding investigations and delivering justice to those involved. Hence, it is imperative to safeguard this evidence from any form of tampering. The process that upholds the reliability of evidence is known as the "chain of custody." Failure to maintain the chain of custody can render the evidence inadmissible in court, potentially resulting in the dismissal of the case. To address these challenges and promote an eco-friendly approach, there is a need to modernize the forensic evidence protection system through digitalization. Blockchain technology offers a promising solution in this regard. Blockchains are decentralized digital ledgers that chronologically record transactions through cryptographic signatures. These transactions are organized into blocks and are accessible to all participants within the blockchain network. In conjunction with this, the Interplanetary File System (IPFS) serves as a network file system that complements the blockchain. The current research aims to develop a system that leverages blockchain technology to digitize the forensic evidence protection system while preserving the chain of custody. This approach is rooted in the principles of blockchain and the utilization of IPFS. Keywords: Evidence, Blockchain Technology, Digital Forensics, Chain of Custody, IPFS, Cryptography.

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.