Transient-key cryptography: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 18:10, 15 April 2025

Latest revision as of 05:28, 21 June 2025

(One intermediate revision by one other user not shown)

Line 2:

==Public-key vs. transient-key==

Both [[Public key|public- key]] and transient-key systems can be used to generate [[digital signature]]s that assert that a given piece of data has not changed since it was signed. But the similarities end there. In a traditional public key system, the public/private keypair is typically assigned to an individual, server, or [[organization]]. Data signed by a private key asserts that the signature came from the indicated source. Keypairs persist for years at a time, so the private component must be carefully guarded against disclosure; in a public-key system, anyone with access to a private key can counterfeit that person's digital signature.

In transient-key systems, however, the keypair is assigned to a brief interval of time, not to a particular person or entity. Data signed by a specific private key becomes associated with a specific time and date. A keypair is active only for a few minutes, after which the private key is permanently destroyed. Therefore, unlike public-key systems, transient-key systems do not depend upon the long-term security of the private keys.

Line 18:

==Cross-verification==

[[Image:Cross-Certification.png|thumb|right|320px|A private key is cross-certified using two other transient-key servers.]]

Through independently operating servers, '''cross-certification''' can provide third-party proof of the validity of a time interval chain and irrefutable evidence of consensus on the current time. Transient-key cryptographic systems display high [[Byzantine fault tolerance]]. A web of interconnected cross-certifying servers in a distributed environment creates a widely witnessed chain of trust that is as strong as its strongest link. By contrast, entire [[Hierarchy|hierarchies]] of traditional public key systems can be compromised if a single private key is exposed.

Line 25:

==Network archives==

Along with intervals, cross-certifications are stored in a network archive. Within a transient-key network, the [[archive]] is a logical [[database]] that can be stored and replicated on any system to enable verification of data that has been timestamped and signed by transient keys. A map of the set of accessible archives is stored within every digital signature created in the system. Whenever cross-certifications are completed at the beginning of an interval, the archive map is updated and published to all servers in the network.{{cn|date=April 2025}}

==Verification==

Line 34:

==See also==

* [[Certificateless cryptography]]

* [[Certificate-based encryption]]

==References==

Line 41 ⟶ 42:

[[Category:Blockchains]]

[[Category:Public-key cryptography]]

[[Category:Banking technology]]

[[Category:Public-key cryptography]]

[[Category:Data security]]