Cryptology ePrint Archive: Report 2002/186

Zero-Knowledge twenty years after its invention

Oded Goldreich

Abstract: Zero-knowledge proofs are proofs that are both convincing and yet yield nothing beyond the validity of the assertion being proven. Since their introduction about twenty years ago, zero-knowledge proofs have attracted a lot of attention and have, in turn, contributed to the development of other areas of cryptography and complexity theory.

We survey the main definitions and results regarding zero-knowledge proofs. Specifically, we present the basic definitional approach and its variants, results regarding the power of zero-knowledge proofs as well as recent results regarding questions such as the composeability of zero-knowledge proofs and the use of the adversary's program within the proof of security (i.e., non-black-box simulation).

Category / Keywords: foundations / Probabilistic Proof Systems, Zero-Knowledge

Date: received 5 Dec 2002

Contact author: oded at wisdom weizmann ac il

Available format(s): Postscript (PS) | Compressed Postscript (PS.GZ) | BibTeX Citation

Version: 20021205:184048 (All versions of this report)

Short URL: ia.cr/2002/186

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