Secure computation is a powerful cryptographic tool that encompasses the evaluation of any multivariate function with arbitrary inputs from mutually distrusting parties. The oblivious transfer primitive serves is a basic building block for the general task of secure multi-party computation. Therefore, analyzing the security in the universal composability framework becomes mandatory when dealing with multi-party computation protocols composed of oblivious transfer subroutines. Furthermore, since the required number of oblivious transfer instances scales with the size of the circuits, oblivious transfer remains as a bottleneck for large-scale multi-party computation implementations. Techniques that allow one to extend a small number of oblivious transfers into a larger one in an efficient way make use of the oblivious transfer variant called randomized oblivious transfer. In this work, we present randomized versions of two known oblivious transfer protocols, one quantum and another post-quantum with ring learning with an error assumption. We then prove their security in the quantum universal composability framework, in a common reference string model.
Secure computation is a powerful cryptographic tool that encompasses the evaluation of any multivariate function with arbitrary inputs from mutually distrusting parties. The oblivious transfer primitive serves is a basic building block for the general task of secure multi-party computation. Therefore, analyzing the security in the universal composability framework becomes mandatory when dealing with multi-party computation protocols composed of oblivious transfer subroutines. Furthermore, since the required number of oblivious transfer instances scales with the size of the circuits, oblivious transfer remains as a bottleneck for large-scale multi-party computation implementations. Techniques that allow one to extend a small number of oblivious transfers into a larger one in an efficient way make use of the oblivious transfer variant called randomized oblivious transfer. In this work, we present randomized versions of two known oblivious transfer protocols, one quantum and another post-quantum with ring learning with an error assumption. We then prove their security in the quantum universal composability framework, in a common reference string model.
We study the cryptographic primitive Oblivious Transfer; a composable construction of this resource would allow arbitrary multi-party computation to be carried out in a secure way, i.e. to compute functions in a distributed way while keeping inputs from different parties private. First we review a framework that allows us to analyze composability of classical and quantum cryptographic protocols in special relativity: Abstract Cryptography implemented with Causal Boxes. We then (1) explore and formalize different versions of oblivious transfer found in the literature, (2) prove that their equivalence holds also in relativistic quantum settings, (3) show that it is impossible to composably construct any of these versions of oblivious transfer from only classical or quantum communication among distrusting agents in relativistic settings, (4) prove that the impossibility also extends to multi-party computation, and (5) provide a mutual construction between oblivious transfer and bit commitment.
Because of the concise functionality of oblivious transfer (OT) protocols, they have been widely used as building blocks in secure multiparty computation and high-level protocols. The security of OT protocols built upon classical number theoretic problems, such as the discrete logarithm and factoring, however, is threatened as a result of the huge progress in quantum computing. Therefore, post-quantum cryptography is needed for protocols based on classical problems, and several proposals for post-quantum OT protocols exist. However, most post-quantum cryptosystems present their security proof only in the context of classical adversaries, not in the quantum setting. In this paper, we close this gap and prove the security of the lattice-based OT protocol proposed by Peikert et al. (CRYPTO, 2008), which is universally composably secure under the assumption of learning with errors hardness, in the quantum setting. We apply three general quantum security analysis frameworks. First, we apply the quantum lifting theorem proposed by Unruh (EUROCRYPT, 2010) to prove that the security of the lattice-based OT protocol can be lifted into the quantum world. Then, we apply two more security analysis frameworks specified for post-quantum cryptographic primitives, i.e., simple hybrid arguments (CRYPTO, 2011) and game-preserving reduction (PQCrypto, 2014).
Oblivious linear evaluation is a generalization of oblivious transfer, whereby two distrustful parties obliviously compute a linear function, f(x)=ax+b , i.e., each one provides their inputs that remain unknown to the other, in order to compute the output f(x) that only one of them receives. From both a structural and a security point of view, oblivious linear evaluation is fundamental for arithmetic-based secure multi-party computation protocols. In the classical case, oblivious linear evaluation protocols can be generated using oblivious transfer, and their quantum counterparts can, in principle, be constructed as straightforward extensions using quantum oblivious transfer. Here, we present the first, to the best of our knowledge, quantum protocol for oblivious linear evaluation that, furthermore, does not rely on quantum oblivious transfer. We start by presenting a semi-honest protocol, and then extend it to the dishonest setting employing a commit−and−open strategy. Our protocol uses high-dimensional quantum states to obliviously compute f(x) on Galois Fields of prime and prime-power dimension. These constructions utilize the existence of a complete set of mutually unbiased bases in prime-power dimension Hilbert spaces and their linear behaviour upon the Heisenberg-Weyl operators. We also generalize our protocol to achieve vector oblivious linear evaluation, where several instances of oblivious linear evaluation are generated, thus making the protocol more efficient. We prove the protocols to have static security in the framework of quantum universal composability.
Oblivious Transfer (OT) is a major primitive for secure multiparty computation. Indeed, combined with symmetric primitives along with garbled circuits, it allows any secure function evaluation between two parties. In this paper, we propose a new approach to build OT protocols. Interestingly, our new paradigm features a security analysis in the Universal Composability (UC) framework and may be instantiated from post-quantum primitives. In order to do so, we define a new primitive named Smooth Projective Hash Function with Grey Zone (SPHFwGZ) which can be seen as a relaxation of the classical Smooth Projective Hash Functions, with a subset of the words for which one cannot claim correctness nor smoothness: the grey zone. As a concrete application, we provide two instantiations of SPHFwGZ respectively based on the Diffie-Hellman and the Learning With Errors (LWE) problems. Hence, we propose a quantum-resistant OT protocol with UC-security in the random oracle model.
Oblivious transfer is a powerful cryptographic primitive that is complete for secure multi-party computation. In oblivious transfer protocols a user sends one or more messages to a receiver, while the sender remains oblivious as to which messages have been received. Protocols for oblivious transfer cannot exist in a classical or fully-quantum world, but can be implemented by restricting the users' power. The isolated qubits model is a cryptographic model in which users are restricted to single-qubit operations and are not allowed to use entangling operations. Furthermore, all parties are allowed to store qubits for a long time before measuring them. In this model, a secure single-bit one-out-of-two randomised oblivious transfer protocol was recently presented by Liu. Motivated by this result, we construct a protocol for secure string one-out-of-two randomised oblivious transfer by simplifying and generalising the existing proof. We then study for the first time interactive protocols for more complex two-party functionalities in this model based on the security of our construction. In order to guarantee the composability of our construction, users are restricted to measurement at the end of each sub-protocol. It is then possible to construct secure one-out-of-two and one-out-of-k oblivious transfer protocols in the isolated qubits model. Moreover, we study secure password-based identification, where a user identifies himself to another user by evaluating the equality function on their inputs, or passwords. We use the oblivious transfer constructions mentioned above as sub-protocols to construct a secure identification protocol. Finally, we prove that constructing a secure identification protocol non-interactively is impossible, even using oblivious transfer.
Modern distributed computing systems and applications with strict privacy requirements demand robust data confidentiality. A primary challenge involves enabling parties to exchange data or perform joint computations. These interactions must avoid revealing private information about the data. Protocols with the obliviousness property, known as oblivious protocols, address this issue. They ensure that no party learns more than necessary. This survey analyzes the security and performance of post-quantum oblivious protocols, with a focus on oblivious transfer and oblivious pseudorandom functions. The evaluation assesses resilience against malicious adversaries in the Universal Composability framework. Efficiency is quantified through communication and computational overhead. It identifies optimal scenarios for these protocols. This paper also surveys related primitives, such as oblivious signatures and data structures, along with their applications. Key findings highlight the inherent trade-offs between computational cost and communication complexity in post-quantum oblivious constructions. Open challenges and future research directions are outlined. Emphasis is placed on quantum-resistant designs and formal security proofs in stronger adversarial models.