Cryptology ePrint Archive: Report 2002/187

Entity Authentication Schemes Using Braid Word Reduction

Hervé SIBERT and Patrick DEHORNOY and Marc GIRAULT

Abstract: Artin's braid groups currently provide a promising background for cryptographical applications, since the first cryptosystems using braids were introduced in \cite{SCY,AAF, AAG, KLC}. A variety of key agreement protocols based on braids have been described, but few authentication or signature schemes have been proposed so far. We introduce three authentication schemes based on braids, two of them being zero-knowledge interactive proofs of knowledge. Then we discuss their possible implementations, involving normal forms or an alternative braid algorithm, called handle reduction, which can achieve good efficiency under specific requirements.

Category / Keywords: public-key cryptography / braid group, authentication, zero knowledge, handle reduction

Date: received 5 Dec 2002, last revised 13 Dec 2002

Contact author: herve sibert at math unicaen fr

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

Version: 20021213:094644 (All versions of this report)

Short URL: ia.cr/2002/187

Discussion forum: Show discussion | Start new discussion