Distributed key generation protocol with hierarchical threshold access structure. Issue 4 (1st July 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Pakniat, Nasrollah; Noroozi, Mahnaz; Eslami, Ziba
• Is Part Of: IET information security. Volume 9:Issue 4(2015)
• Page Start: 248
• Page End: 255
• Publication Date: 2015-07-01
• Subjects: private key cryptography -- public key cryptography -- cryptographic protocols -- hierarchical systems; discrete‐logarithm‐based cryptosystems -- hierarchical structure -- trusted participant -- public key cryptography -- private key cryptography -- distributed cryptosystems -- DKG protocol -- hierarchical threshold access structure -- distributed key generation protocol; Computer security -- Periodicals; Cryptography -- Periodicals; Computer networks -- Security measures -- Periodicals; Database security -- Periodicals; 005.8
• DOI: 10.1049/iet-ifs.2014.0161
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1751-8709

Abstract

Abstract : A distributed key generation (DKG) protocol is a central component in distributed cryptosystems. It allows a group of participants to jointly generate a pair of keys (private key and public key) without assuming any trusted participant. The public key is output in clear but only authorised subgroups of participants are able to reconstruct or use the private key. Existing literature on DKG protocols assumes equal authority for participants. In this study, the authors consider the problem of DKG in groups with hierarchical structure where the authorised subsets can be defined by a hierarchical threshold access structure. They first propose a verifiable hierarchical threshold secret sharing protocol. On the basis of this construction, they then propose a new DKG protocol with hierarchical threshold access structure for discrete‐logarithm‐based cryptosystems. It is shown that the proposed protocols satisfy all the security requirements.