Authentication protocol using trapdoored matrices

Abstract

In this thesis, we propose a new type of public-key authentication protocol, which is based on timing gaps. The honest user's secret key allows him to perform a task faster than any adversary. In our construction, the public key is a n x n matrix and the secret key is a trapdoor of this matrix. The task which an honest user has to perform in order to authenticate himself is a matrix-vector multiplication, where the vector is supplied by the verifier. We provide specific constructions of the trapdoor and analyze them both theoretically and practically.