The Ouroboros of ZK: Why Verifying the Verifier Unlocks Longer-Term ZK Innovation

Denis Firsov; Benjamin Livshits

Paper 2024/768

The Ouroboros of ZK: Why Verifying the Verifier Unlocks Longer-Term ZK Innovation

Denis Firsov

, Matter Labs

Benjamin Livshits

, Matter Labs, Imperial College London

Abstract

Verifying the verifier in the context of zero-knowledge proof is an essential part of ensuring the long-term integrity of the zero-knowledge ecosystem. This is vital for both zero-knowledge rollups and also other industrial applications of ZK. In addition to further minimizing the required trust and reducing the trusted computing base (TCB), having a verified verifier opens the door to decentralized proof generation by potentially untrusted parties. We outline a research program and justify the need for more work at the intersection of ZK and formal verification research.

Metadata

Available format(s): PDF
Category: Implementation
Publication info: Preprint.
Keywords: formal methods EasyCrypt zero-knowledge verifier rollup blockchain Ethereum
Contact author(s): denis firsov @ gmail com
bl @ matterlabs dev
History: 2024-05-22: approved; 2024-05-20: received; See all versions
Short URL: https://ia.cr/2024/768
License: CC BY

BibTeX

@misc{cryptoeprint:2024/768,
      author = {Denis Firsov and Benjamin Livshits},
      title = {The Ouroboros of {ZK}: Why Verifying the Verifier Unlocks Longer-Term {ZK} Innovation},
      howpublished = {Cryptology {ePrint} Archive, Paper 2024/768},
      year = {2024},
      url = {https://eprint.iacr.org/2024/768}
}