Establishment, authentication, and verification of a relationship and untraceability of undeniable secret

*********************************** Network Security Observations Challenge Nr. 1995-001 February 8, 1995 *********************************** Network Security Observations invites the international research community to produce a detailed presentation on the following subject: transactions < Conditions - Party A (Alice) - Party B-n (Bob) - A multitude of Bobs know who Alice is - Alice - being only one party - does not personally know who the Bobs are - It is the desire of Alice to transact - Bob - only producing a certain proof - remains further a static party - At one given time Alice established a relationship with Bob-n - Further, from time to time Alice wants to check this relationship with Bob-n - Alice may utilize the verification process only for this purpose - At a given point Alice might want to terminate her relationship with Bob-n, or vice versa - It is essential that the relationship between Alice and Bob-n is set up so that Bob can prove to Alice that he is the legitimate Bob, but, in such a way that his real identity remains secret for Alice - Alice can only use this procedure to verify Bobs legitimacy - Alice may only verify, but not register - Alice may have the option to repeatedly challenge Bob s legitimacy, but the conditions under which these separate verification checks take place may not be registered as well - Alice now wants that Bob can undeniably prove to her that he is who he says he is, by untraceable number verification, thus without actually knowing the real identity of Bob, and without the ability to utilize the verification process for any other purpose The presentation should include the full theoretical processes, applying known cryptographic algorithms, the theories of undeniable untraceable number verification and secret transactions as developed by Dr. David Chaum (see proceedings Crypto, Eurocrypt, etc.), and envision a practical applicability in a real world environment. The presentations will be judged by a team of seven international experts of senior academic/research level. The best presentation will receive international acclaim (including, but not limited to TV) and a (secret) financial reward of substance. It is essential to register, (name, surface mail address information, affiliation, email address, p-pgp key (optional)). One should do so by sending an email message with this information to: nso@delphi.com Upon registration a notification and detailed instructions will be mailed to the individual who registers by surface mail/airmail. There is no limitation as to origin, nationality, position, or seniority of the researcher(s). The presentation may be made by more than one researcher, but a lead-researcher must be registered. Co-researchers will share equally in the benefits, allowing for one extra share for the lead-researcher. There is no set maximum number of pages for the presentation, though an extended abstract must be at least 15 pages, while the full paper must be at least 25 pages in length. The lead-researcher and at least two co- researchers (if any) must be prepared to present the efforts in person during an international conference. Commercial entities/companies may not participate. Employees of commercial entities/companies may participate individually, but must testify that their employer shall have no benefit of their efforts. To allow for proper preparation the deadlines are as follows: 1. registration with NSO: ends on March 1, 1995. 2. proposed presentations (extended abstracts) should be received by NSO on or before August 31, 1995. 3. final presentations must be received by NSO on or before November 30, 1995. The presentation selection/review process takes place in three rounds: - first selection of the extended abstracts - correction selection of first round passed - final selection of remaining passed More details will be available in the next issue of Internet Security Monthly and the next supplement of Network Security Observations. | Network Security Observations - Internet Security Monthly | International Research Journals on | Datacommunications and Network Security | Suite 400, 1825 I Street NW, Washington DC 20006 | United States | Telephone +1 202 775 4947 - Fax +1 202 429 9574 | Internet: nso@delphi.com ----------------------X----------------------