Paper 2018/893
Blockchain as cryptanalytic tool
Manfred Lochter
Abstract
One approach for blockchain based applications to provide a proof-of-work is the computation of hash-values. In our opinion these computations are a waste of energy. It would be highly desirable to find an alternative method that generates useful output. We show how to substitute hashing by performing multiplications on Elliptic Curves in order to find distinguished points that can then be used to solve the discrete logarithm problem on a chosen curve. Today's digital infrastructures rely on only a few curves. We argue that the advent of blockchain based technologies makes the use of only few standardised curves questionable. In principle all cryptanalytic algorithms that use Rabin's idea of distinguished points can be used in blockchain based attacks. Similar ideas can be used for the number field sieve.
Metadata
- Available format(s)
-
PDF
- Category
- Cryptographic protocols
- Publication info
- Preprint. MINOR revision.
- Keywords
- Blockchain Elliptic Curve Proof-of-Work
- Contact author(s)
- manfred lochter @ bsi bund de
- History
- 2018-09-23: received
- Short URL
- https://ia.cr/2018/893
- License
-
CC BY
BibTeX
@misc{cryptoeprint:2018/893,
author = {Manfred Lochter},
title = {Blockchain as cryptanalytic tool},
howpublished = {Cryptology {ePrint} Archive, Paper 2018/893},
year = {2018},
url = {https://eprint.iacr.org/2018/893}
}