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Abstract A distributed ledger is a shared and synchronized database across multiple designated nodes, often referred to as miners, validators, or peers. These nodes record, distribute, and access data to ensure security and transparency. However, these nodes can be compromised and manipulated by selectively choosing which user transactions to include, exclude, or reorder, thereby gaining an unfair advantage. This is known as a miner/maximal extractable value (MEV) attack. Existing solutions can be classified into various categories, such as MEV auction platforms and time-based ordering properties, which rely on private transaction Mempools. In this paper, we first identify some architectural weaknesses inherent in the latest proposals that divide the block creation and execution roles into separate functions: block builders and block executors. The existing schemes mainly suffer from the verifiability of the decryption process, where a corrupted builder or executor can simply deny the inclusion of specific targeted transactions by exploiting the fact that all transactions are in plain format. To address this, we propose an enhanced version that incorporates a verifiable decryption process. On a very high level, within our proposal, whenever an Executor or a Builder performs a decryption, the decrypted values must be broadcasted. This enables any entity in the network to publicly verify whether the decryption was executed correctly, thus preventing malicious behavior by either party from going undetected. We also define a new adversary model for MEV and conduct a comprehensive security analysis of our protocol against all kinds of potential adversaries related to MEV. Finally, we present the performance analysis of the proposed solution.

A distributed ledger is a shared and synchronized database across multiple designated nodes, often referred to as miners, validators, or peers. These nodes record, distribute, and access data to ensure security and transparency. However, these nodes can be compromised and manipulated by selectively choosing which user transactions to include, exclude, or reorder, thereby gaining an unfair advantage. This is known as a miner/maximal extractable value (MEV) attack. Existing solutions can be classified into various categories, such as MEV auction platforms and time-based ordering properties, which rely on private transaction Mempools. In this paper, we first identify some architectural weaknesses inherent in the latest proposals that divide the block creation and execution roles into separate functions: block builders and block executors. The existing schemes mainly suffer from the verifiability of the decryption process, where a corrupted builder or executor can simply deny the inclusion of specific targeted transactions by exploiting the fact that all transactions are in plain format. To address this, we propose an enhanced version that incorporates a verifiable decryption process. On a very high level, within our proposal, whenever an Executor or a Builder performs a decryption, the decrypted values must be broadcasted. This enables any entity in the network to publicly verify whether the decryption was executed correctly, thus preventing malicious behavior by either party from going undetected. We also define a new adversary model for MEV and conduct a comprehensive security analysis of our protocol against all kinds of potential adversaries related to MEV. Finally, we present the performance analysis of the proposed solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A significant topic of contemporary cryptography research and standardization is the development of public key crypto systems that resist attacks from quantum computers. Protocols and applications should start investigating the use of quantumresistant key exchange and encryption to protect the confidentiality of current communications against future quantum computers utilizing post-quantum cryptography for a particular key exchange. Since they operate harder and need fewer steps compared to conventional computers, quantum algorithms are more secure and robust. Attackers who use quantum computers have powerful computing capabilities, and a quantum allows for simple cryptographic system breaking. Security algorithms that are quantum secure are resistant to attacks from conventional, as well as quantum computers. This work has surveyed, summarized, and analysed previous research to provide readers of this study an integrated understanding of quantum cryptography. It also discusses quantum attacks, which could be used in place of more conventional cryptography techniques, such as quantum key distribution, which takes advantage of quantum mechanics' properties to ensure secure exchanges of the secret keys, and various quantum algorithms. With quantum computation becoming a very real threat, this should motivate more people to show an early interest in the future of cryptography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, the prevalence of mobile phones in the country and the availability of capabilities such as encryption, key generation, and authentication present an appropriate opportunity for a variety of payment platforms. The preparation of equipment and a comprehension of the technical possibilities and difficulties in this field are necessary to achieve this capability. This paper introduces a secure electronic payment system that utilizes the Kerberos cryptography protocol to guarantee authentication, integrity, and confidentiality. The system ensures secure transactions between users and merchants by utilizing the ticket-granting mechanisms of Kerberos and symmetric key encryption. It mitigates the risk of unauthorized access and fraud by guaranteeing that all parties are authenticated prior to the exchange of any payment information. This method addresses critical challenges in the digital financial environments of today by improving the trust and privacy of electronic payments. The proposed model effectively safeguards sensitive financial data while simultaneously ensuring user convenience. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method maintains robust security characteristics while simultaneously achieving high quality and low computing complexity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a proposal is made for a cryptographic algorithm designed for passive ultra-high-frequency (UHF) radio frequency identification systems. The algorithm relies on the advanced encryption standard (AES) as its fundamental encryption technique, augmented by two supplementary steps: the initial step involves generating a random key and the second is the randomization of data, this introduces an extra level of security to encryption process against attacks. The developed architecture has been optimized to minimize hardware resource consumption with faster execution speed. The algorithm has been simulated, synthesized and implemented in an xtreme digital signal processing (DSP) starter kit equipped with xilinx’s spartan-3A DSP 1800A edition and it serves the purpose of encrypting and decrypting user data on a radio frequency identification (RFID) passive tag. The main objective is to make it difficult to break the algorithm because of its multiple steps. The experimental results showed that the speed, functionality and cost of encryption and decryption make this a perfectly practical solution, providing a satisfactory level of security for today’s communications systems, or other electronic data transfer processes where security is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Private Set Intersection Cardinality (PSI-CA) is a cryptographic method in secure multi-party computation that allows entities to identify the cardinality of the intersection without revealing their private data. Traditional approaches assume similar-sized datasets and equal computational power, overlooking practical imbalances. In real-world applications, dataset sizes and computational capacities often vary, particularly in Internet of Things and mobile scenarios where device limitations restrict computational types. Traditional PSI-CA protocols are inefficient here, as computational and communication complexities correlate with the size of larger datasets. Thus, adapting PSI-CA protocols to these imbalances is crucial. This paper explores unbalanced scenarios where one party (the receiver) has a relatively small dataset and limited computational power, while the other party (the sender) has a large amount of data and strong computational capabilities.This paper, based on the concept of commutative encryption, introduces Cuckoo filter, cloud computing technology, and homomorphic encryption, among other technologies, to construct three novel solutions for unbalanced Private Set Intersection Cardinality (PSI-CA): an unbalanced PSI-CA protocol based on Cuckoo filter, an unbalanced PSI-CA protocol based on single-cloud assistance, and an unbalanced PSI-CA protocol based on dual-cloud assistance. Depending on performance and security requirements, different protocols can be employed for various applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasing popularity of the internet of things (IoT) application such as smart home, more data is being collected, and subsequently, concerns about preserving the privacy and confidentiality of these data are growing. When intruders attack and get control of smart home devices, privacy is compromised. Attribute-based encryption (ABE) is a new technique proposed to solve the data privacy issue in smart homes. However, ABE involves high computational cost, and the length of its ciphertext/private key increases linearly with the number of attributes, thus limiting the usage of ABE. This study proposes an enhanced ABE that utilises gait profile. By combining lesser number of attributes and generating a profiling attribute that utilises gait, the proposed technique solves two issues: computational cost and one-to-one encryption. Based on experiment conducted, computational time has been reduced by 55.27% with nine static attributes and one profile attribute. Thus, enhanced ABE is better in terms of computational time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers have created cryptography algorithms that encrypt data using a public or private key to secure it from intruders. It is insufficient to protect the data by using such a key. No research article has identified an algorithm capable of protecting both the data and the associated key, nor has any mechanism been developed to determine whether access to the data is permissible or impermissible based on the authentication of the key. This paper presents a WEDEx-Kerberotic Framework for data protection, in which a user-defined key is firstly converted to a cipher key using the "Secure Words on Joining Key (SWJK)" algorithm. Subsequently, a WEDEx-Kerberotic encryption mechanism is created to protect the data by encrypting it with the cipher key. The first reason for making the WEDEx-Kerberotic Framework is to convert the user-defined key into a key that has nothing to do with the original key, and the length of the cipher key is much shorter than the original key. The second reason is that each ciphertext and key value are interlinked. When an intruder utilizes the snatching mechanism to obtain data, the attacker obtains data or a key unrelated to the original data. No matter how efficient the algorithm is, an attacker cannot access the data when these methods and algorithms are used to protect it. Finally, the proposed algorithm is compared to the previous approaches to determine the uniqueness of the algorithm and assess its superiority to the previous algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the realm of cloud computing, ensuring robust data security is of utmost importance. Authentication, a cornerstone of safeguarding information, continuously evolves to counter escalating threats. This paper introduces MultiFusionGuard, an innovative multimodal biometric authentication framework aimed at bolstering cloud security. By leveraging diverse biometric traits like fingerprints, iris scans, and palm prints, MultiFusionGuard utilizes their unique patterns to enhance security measures. Each trait undergoes meticulous image processing stages, encompassing pre-processing, normalization, and feature extraction. The fusion of these distinct biometric features at multiple levels results in a robust authentication framework. Integration of these features establishes a comprehensive and intricate authentication system, thereby amplifying the complexity and effectiveness of security measures. The system's efficacy is evaluated using indicators such as incorrect rejection ratio, incorrect acceptance ratio, and execution time to ensure reliability and resilience against illegal access attempts. MultiFusionGuard offers a promising solution to fortify data protection within cloud environments, providing advanced defense mechanisms against potential security breaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an era characterized by digital pervasiveness and rapidly expanding datasets, ensuring the integrity and reliability of information is paramount. As cyber threats evolve in complexity, traditional cryptographic methods face increasingly sophisticated challenges. This article initiates an exploration into these challenges, focusing on key exchanges (encompassing their variety and subtleties), scalability, and the time metrics associated with various cryptographic processes. We propose a novel cryptographic approach underpinned by theoretical frameworks and practical engineering. Central to this approach is a thorough analysis of the interplay between Confidentiality and Integrity, foundational pillars of information security. Our method employs a phased strategy, beginning with a detailed examination of traditional cryptographic processes, including Elliptic Curve Diffie-Hellman (ECDH) key exchanges. We also delve into encrypt/decrypt paradigms, signature generation modes, and the hashes used for Message Authentication Codes (MACs). Each process is rigorously evaluated for performance and reliability. To gain a comprehensive understanding, a meticulously designed simulation was conducted, revealing the strengths and potential improvement areas of various techniques. Notably, our cryptographic protocol achieved a confidentiality metric of 9.13 in comprehensive simulation runs, marking a significant advancement over existing methods. Furthermore, with integrity metrics at 9.35, the protocol's resilience is further affirmed. These metrics, derived from stringent testing, underscore the protocol's efficacy in enhancing data security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Private Set Intersection Cardinality (PSI-CA) is a cryptographic method in secure multi-party computation that allows entities to identify the cardinality of the intersection without revealing their private data. Traditional approaches assume similar-sized datasets and equal computational power, overlooking practical imbalances. In real-world applications, dataset sizes and computational capacities often vary, particularly in Internet of Things and mobile scenarios where device limitations restrict computational types. Traditional PSI-CA protocols are inefficient here, as computational and communication complexities correlate with the size of larger datasets. Thus, adapting PSI-CA protocols to these imbalances is crucial. This paper explores unbalanced scenarios where one party (the receiver) has a relatively small dataset and limited computational power, while the other party (the sender) has a large amount of data and strong computational capabilities.This paper, based on the concept of commutative encryption, introduces Cuckoo filter, cloud computing technology, and homomorphic encryption, among other technologies, to construct three novel solutions for unbalanced Private Set Intersection Cardinality (PSI-CA): an unbalanced PSI-CA protocol based on Cuckoo filter, an unbalanced PSI-CA protocol based on single-cloud assistance, and an unbalanced PSI-CA protocol based on dual-cloud assistance. Depending on performance and security requirements, different protocols can be employed for various applications.

Researchers have created cryptography algorithms that encrypt data using a public or private key to secure it from intruders. It is insufficient to protect the data by using such a key. No research article has identified an algorithm capable of protecting both the data and the associated key, nor has any mechanism been developed to determine whether access to the data is permissible or impermissible based on the authentication of the key. This paper presents a WEDEx-Kerberotic Framework for data protection, in which a user-defined key is firstly converted to a cipher key using the “Secure Words on Joining Key (SWJK)” algorithm. Subsequently, a WEDEx-Kerberotic encryption mechanism is created to protect the data by encrypting it with the cipher key. The first reason for making the WEDEx-Kerberotic Framework is to convert the user-defined key into a key that has nothing to do with the original key, and the length of the cipher key is much shorter than the original key. The second reason is that each ciphertext and key value are interlinked. When an intruder utilizes the snatching mechanism to obtain data, the attacker obtains data or a key unrelated to the original data. No matter how efficient the algorithm is, an attacker cannot access the data when these methods and algorithms are used to protect it. Finally, the proposed algorithm is compared to the previous approaches to determine the uniqueness of the algorithm and assess its superiority to the previous algorithms.