Invited Speakers

Speaker: Jens Groth (University College London, UK )
Title: Pairing-Based Non-Interactive Zero-Knowledge Proofs
Abstract: A non-interactive zero-knowledge proof permits the construction of a proof of the truth of a statement that reveals nothing else but the fact that the statement is true. Non-interactive zero-knowledge proofs are used in the construction of numerous cryptographic schemes such as public-key cryptosystems and advanced digital signatures. The only practically efficient constructions of non-interactive zero-knowledge proofs that are based on standard intractability assumptions come from pairing based-cryptography. In this talk, we sketch these constructions and show how pairing-based non-interactive zero-knowledge proofs smoothly integrate with other pairing-based cryptographic schemes.
Biography: Jens Groth received his PhD in Computer Science from Aarhus University. As a postdoc at University of California Los Angeles he received the 2007 UCLA Chancellor's Award for Postdoctoral Research. Currently, he is Assistant Professor in Computer Science at University College London. His research interests include electronic voting, anonymization protocols, advanced digital signatures, public-key encryption and zero-knowledge proofs.
Speaker: Joseph H. Silverman (Brown University, USA )
Title: A Survey of Local and Global Pairings on Elliptic Curves and Abelian Varieties
Abstract: There are many bilinear pairings that naturally appear when one studies elliptic curves, abelian varieties, and related groups. Some of these pairings, notably the Weil and Tate pairings, can be defined over finite fields and have important applications in cryptography. Others, such as the Neron-Tate canonical height pairing and the Cassel's pairing on the Shafarevich-Tate group, are of fundamental importance in number theory and arithmetic geometry, but have not yet seen significant use in cryptography. In this talk I will present a survey of the many pairings that are used to study elliptic curves and abelian varieties, and I will attempt to fit them into a wider framework that illustrates their interrelationships.
Biography: Joseph Silverman received an Sc.B. from Brown University in 1977 and a Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1982 under the direction of John Tate. He then held positions at M.I.T. and Boston University before moving to Brown University in 1988, where he is currently a professor of mathematics. Silverman works primarily in number theory, arithmetic geometry, arithmetic dynamics and cryptography. He has published more than 100 research articles in these areas, and has written or coauthored seven books, including several on elliptic curves and one on cryptography. Two of his books on elliptic curves were awarded the Steele Prize by the American Mathematical Society in 1998.
Speaker: Gene Tsudik (University of California at Irvine, USA )
Title: Some Security Topics with Possible Applications for Pairing-Based Cryptography
Abstract: Over the last decade, pairing-based cryptography has found a wide range of interesting applications. It often yields the most elegant (if not the cheapest) techniques. This talk will overview two topics where pairing-based methods either have not been applied or have not yet achieved their potential. The first topic is privacy-preserving set operations, such as private set intersection (PSI) protocols. Despite lots of prior work, state-of-the-art (in terms of efficiency) PSI is grounded in more mundane non-pairing based settings. This is puzzling, since the same does not hold with closely related secret handshakes and affiliation-hiding key exchange (AH-AKE) techniques. The second topic is more applied: security in unattended wireless sensor networks (UWSNs). We discuss certain unique security issues occurring in UWSNs, overview some protection measures, and consider whether pairing-based cryptography has some applications in this context. Finally, we consider code attestation of embedded devices and, after discussing current approaches, once again, ask whether pairing techniques can be of use.
Biography: Gene Tsudik is a "Lois and Peter Griffin" Professor of Computer Science at the University of California, Irvine (UCI). He obtained his PhD in Computer Science from USC in 1991 for research on firewalls and Internet access control. Before coming to UCI in 2000, he was a Project Leader at IBM Zurich Research Laboratory (1991-1996) and USC Information Science Institute (1996-2000). Over the years, his research interests included: routing, firewalls, authentication, mobile networks, secure e-commerce, anonymity ad privacy, group communication, digital signatures, key management, mobile ad hoc networks, as well as database privacy and secure storage. He currently serves as the Director of Secure Computing and Networking Center (SCONCE) and the Vice-Chair of the Computer Science Department. In 2007, he was on sabbatical at the University of Rome as a Fulbright Senior Scholar. Since 2009, he is the Editor-in-Chief of ACM Transactions on Information and Systems Security (TISSEC).
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