Toward a Framework for Cost-Effective and Publicly Verifiable Confidential Computations in Blockchain
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: Blockchain technologies have introduced a compelling paradigm for a new understanding of security through decentralized networks and consensus mechanisms. However, they need all data to be public, which may be unacceptable for use cases such as biometric data processing or sensitive monetary transactions. Therefore, confidentiality is identified as a need in blockchain. Additionally, blockchain can contribute to confidential applications by providing publicly verifiable mechanisms, therefore enhancing security. This work presents a framework for cost-effective and publicly verifiable confidential computations in blockchain, by relying on secure multi-party computation committees and zero-knowledge proofs. Our framework supports arbitrary computations on confidential data enforced by smart contracts. Additionally, staking, incentives, and cheat identification are provided as solutions to enhance trust. We also provide a technical solution to embed secure multi-party computations within smart contracts by using the Promise programming pattern. Finally, a cost analysis is provided to justify the feasibility of the framework compared to other solutions.
Source: IEEE Communications Magazine
Authors: Daniel Morales, Isaac Agudo, Javier Lopez
Institution: Universidad de Málaga
Language: English
Subfield: Information Systems
Field: Computer Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4402170673