静5前沿讲座 | Advances in Cryptography & Blockchain Applications系列报告

北京大学海外名家讲学计划

系列报告

报告人

Prof. Man Ho Au

Department of Computing

Hong Kong Polytechnic University

报告地点

静园五院204

Host

邓小铁 讲席教授

报告一

Cryptography in Blockchains and Their Applications

时间

2023年9月19日 19:00

Abstract

Conceptualized 12 years ago as a core component of Bitcoin, blockchain has gained a vast amount of interest. Informally speaking, a blockchain is a distributed, shared, and immutable ledger that maintains a growing list of ordered records. It became extremely popular among the industries in the last few years. Many companies are exploring applications of blockchain beyond cryptocurrencies.

In this talk, the speaker will discuss the role of cryptography in blockchains, and why it is crucial. He will also highlight some of the latest development in this area. Topics covered include variants of digital signatures, threshold cryptosystems, anonymous credentials, zero-knowledge proofs, and post-quantum cryptography. Finally, we will conclude the talk with challenges related to the adoption of blockchain technologies and insights developed from our experience. 

报告二

Recent Advances in Zero-Knowledge Proofs

时间

2023年9月21日 19:00

Abstract

Enabling one party to prove the authenticity of a statement to another party without revealing any additional information, zero-knowledge proofs have emerged as a captivating topic within cryptography lately. Over the years, research on ZKP proofs have evolved from theoretical to practical tools with profound implications across various fields. In this talk, we will delve into the exciting realm of zero-knowledge proofs, exploring their fundamental concepts and applications.

The speaker will provide an overview of zero-knowledge, highlighting their role as building blocks of cryptographic primitives to enhancing efficiency, security and privacy and scalability of digital systems. We will journey through the cryptographic landscape, covering classic zero-knowledge protocols and their limitations, setting the stage for recent breakthroughs.

This talk will showcase cutting-edge advancements that have redefined the possibilities of zero-knowledge proofs. From post-quantum secure constructions to succinct non-interactive arguments, we will explore the latest techniques that have expanded the scope and efficiency of these proofs. Additionally, we will discuss their integration with blockchain technology, secure computation, and identity systems, as well as other recent applications.

报告三

Efficient Threshold ECDSA and Their Applications

时间

2023年9月23日 19:00

Abstract

Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm (ECDSA) is one of the most popular digital signature scheme deployed in practice. They are widely used in ensuring the authenticity and integrity of messages in various applications. In this talk, we go into the details of distributed ECDSA, exploring its significance, mechanisms, and applications.

The speaker will begin by giving an overview of traditional ECDSA and its role in establishing digital signatures. With growing popularity of the use of ECDSA in blockchains, there is an increasing need to secure the signing key. This talk will delve into the challenges posed by distributed environments, and how Distributed ECDSA rises to address these challenges.

We will formalise the concept of threshold signatures and how they enable multiple parties to collaboratively create a signature without compromising security. Then, we will discuss common approaches to design threshold ECDSA. Finally, we will also discuss how these techniques can be used to support other threshold signatures.

报告人简介

Prof. Man Ho Au is a Full Professor at the Department of Computing of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Before that, he was an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Hong Kong. His research interests include information security, cryptography, blockchain technology, and their applications. He has published over 200 refereed papers in top journals and conferences, including CRYPTO, ASIACRYPT, ACM CCS, NDSS, IEEE S&P, SIGMOD, SOSP, IEEE TIFS, IEEE TDSC, and others. He is a recipient of the 2009 PET runner-up award for outstanding research in privacy-enhancing technologies. His team won the ZPrize – Open Division Plonk-DIZK GPU Acceleration prize, which came with a cash award of 550K USD. He has served as a program committee/general chair of several international conferences, including ACM ASIACCS, RAID, SECURECOM, ISPEC, PROVSEC, among others. Currently, he is an associate editor of IEEE Transactions on Dependable and Secure Computing, Journal of Information Security and Applications, and an editorial board member of the Journal of Cryptologic Research.

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