Bool Network: An Open, Distributed, Secure Cross-chain Notary Platform

Zeyuan Yin; Bingsheng Zhang; Jingzhong Xu; Kaiyu Lu; Kui Ren

Paper 2022/1290

Bool Network: An Open, Distributed, Secure Cross-chain Notary Platform

Zeyuan Yin

, Zhejiang University

Bingsheng Zhang, Zhejiang University

Jingzhong Xu, MATRIX LABS PTE. LTD

Kaiyu Lu, MATRIX LABS PTE. LTD

Kui Ren, Zhejiang University

Abstract

With the advancement of blockchain technology, hundreds of cryptocurrencies have been deployed. The bloom of heterogeneous blockchain platforms brings a new emerging problem: typically, various blockchains are isolated systems, how to securely identify and/or transfer digital properties across blockchains? There are three main kinds of cross-chain approaches: sidechains/relays, notaries, and hashed time-lock contracts. Among them, notary-based cross-chain solutions have the best compatibility and user-friendliness, but they are typically centralized. To resolve this issue, we present Bool Network -- an open, distributed, secure cross-chain notary platform powered by MPC-based distributed key management over evolving hidden committees. More specifically, to protect the identities of the committee members, we propose a Ring verifiable random function (Ring VRF) protocol, where the real public key of a VRF instance can be hidden among a ring, which may be of independent interest to other cryptographic protocols. Furthermore, all the key management procedures are executed in the TEE, such as Intel SGX, to ensure the privacy and integrity of partial key components. A prototype of the proposed Bool Network is implemented in Rust language, using Polkadot Substrate.

Metadata

Available format(s): PDF
Category: Applications
Publication info: Published elsewhere. IEEE Transactions on Information Forensics & Security
DOI: 10.1109/TIFS.2022.3209546
Keywords: cross-chain evolving committee threshold cryptography ring VRF trusted execution environment
Contact author(s): zeyuanyin @ zju edu cn
bingsheng @ zju edu cn
jingzhongxu @ matrix-labs io
lukaiyu @ matrix-labs io
kuiren @ zju edu cn
History: 2022-09-28: approved; 2022-09-28: received; See all versions
Short URL: https://ia.cr/2022/1290
License: CC BY-NC

BibTeX

@misc{cryptoeprint:2022/1290,
      author = {Zeyuan Yin and Bingsheng Zhang and Jingzhong Xu and Kaiyu Lu and Kui Ren},
      title = {Bool Network: An Open, Distributed, Secure Cross-chain Notary Platform},
      howpublished = {Cryptology {ePrint} Archive, Paper 2022/1290},
      year = {2022},
      doi = {10.1109/TIFS.2022.3209546},
      url = {https://eprint.iacr.org/2022/1290}
}