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New Frontiers in Information-Theoretic Secure Computation

Project description

Forging a new era in cryptographic understanding

In the cryptic realm of data protection, the inherent complexity of information-theoretic secure computation poses a formidable challenge, its intricacies shrouded in uncertainty for over three decades. As a cornerstone in cryptography, its significance is undeniable, yet fundamental questions remain unanswered. In this context, the ERC-funded NFITSC project is a pioneering endeavour seeking to decipher the enigma, propel secret-sharing schemes to new heights, explore cutting-edge non-interactive reductions, and redefine the landscape of constant-round information-theoretic protocols. Specifically, NFITSC heralds a breakthrough by bridging realms of coding theory, cryptography, and computational complexity to reshape the foundations of theoretical computer science. Overall, this interdisciplinary venture promises breakthroughs that will reshape the foundations of theoretical computer science.

Objective

Information-theoretic secure computation is a general-purpose technique for processing sensitive data without compromising its confidentiality or integrity even in the presence of a computationally-unbounded all-powerful adversary. This notion plays an important role in cryptography, both as a stand-alone object and as a tool for computational constructs. Despite its increasing importance, we have a very limited understanding of the *intrinsic complexity* of information-theoretic security, and some of the most central feasibility questions in this area have remained open for more than three decades.

In this proposal, we aim to decipher the power and limitations of this notion. We will focus on three main objectives. First, we aim to improve the complexity of general *secret sharing schemes* and exploit such improvements towards realizing highly-efficient general-purpose zero-knowledge proofs. The second objective is to explore the complexity of Secure Non-Interactive Reductions and Multiparty Randomized Encoding -- a powerful generalization of information-theoretic garbled circuits that was recently presented by the PI. The third objective is to expand our theoretical understanding of constant-round information-theoretic protocols, optimize their round complexity, and study their concrete and asymptotic computational complexity.

Being part of several recent exciting developments in these areas, we believe that it is now possible to make progress in some of these basic open problems. The suggested research will bridge across different regions of computer science such as coding theory, cryptography, and computational complexity. It is expected to impact central problems in cryptography, while enriching the general landscape of theoretical computer science.

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Keywords

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Programme(s)

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Topic(s)

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Funding Scheme

Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.

HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants

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Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) ERC-2022-ADG

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Host institution

TEL AVIV UNIVERSITY
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 1 843 125,00
Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 1 843 125,00

Beneficiaries (3)

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