Computer Scientists Figure Out How To Prove Lies
Computer Scientists Figure Out How To Prove Lies
A new research paper reveals a significant security vulnerability in the Fiat-Shamir transformation, a foundational proof technique used in blockchains and other cryptographic systems. The attack demonstrates how to trick proof systems into certifying false statements by exploiting how randomness is generated from hash functions, challenging the long-held assumption known as the random oracle model. This discovery has prompted a re-evaluation of the security of many digital systems that rely on this method.
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the homework professor analogy really didn't satisfy. I find writers attempts to simplify and provide analogies to cryptography misses the mark more than it elucidates.
for me, a simple mathematical outline that is tangible really goes a long way. and then you can provide an analogy.
wikipedias article on fiat-shamir isn't half bad (but still needs some boiling down a bit), given the protocol can be distributed to picking a hashing function and some verification protocol (like those based on calculating the discrete logarithm)
overall a fun find and continued reasons to not roll your own...
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