Biometric authentication is rapidly replacing passwords in consumer applications. It offers stronger security and top-notch privacy, while delivering a seamless user experience.
However, most of the biometrics-based zero-knowledge proof protocols rely on a secret mapping between a multi-class SVM classifier’s class label and the binary template stream. This could be revealed by brute force attacks.
What is ZKP?
Zero-knowledge biometrics allows a user to prove their identity or credentials without sharing any sensitive information. This is a significant improvement over traditional methods which may reveal information that could be used by malicious actors to impersonate or steal the user’s identity. ZKPs also prevent correlation and tracking across different websites and services as they do not store the end-user’s biometric template or cryptographic keys, removing the possibility of cross-authentication attacks or side-channel attack vulnerabilities that could be exploited by adversaries to expose important features of the template for subsequent use.
Zero knowledge proofs use cryptography to allow a party (the prover) to verify the truth of some information, such as a biometric sample or private key, without revealing the actual data itself. This is similar to how a person can prove that they know the combination to a locked door without revealing the code itself. The basic idea is that you take two paths to get to the same place, then tell a third party that you took one path and they can prove to you that you took the other.
While this is a useful technology for leveraging privacy-preserving datasets on transparent blockchain systems, it does not replace the need for IAM professionals. IAM professionals perform a variety of tasks that are not related to proving a user’s identity or permissions, including managing access control, enforcing compliance policies, detecting and responding to security breaches, etc.
Why is ZKP important?
The primary reason why ZKPs are so important is because they enable privacy-preserving verification of information without actually revealing the information in question. For example, a user could verify their identity or credentials without having to reveal any sensitive data such as their date of birth, address, or bank account information. This is especially useful in cases where sensitive information may be shared between multiple parties.
The other reason why ZKPs are so important has to do with the growing threat of cyber attacks. According to a recent report by Arkose Labs, there were over 1.1 billion fraudulent login attempts in the first quarter of 2020 alone. In addition, there have been several high-profile cases of hackers stealing private data from crypto users through various means, including tracking blockchain transactions in order to identify and target them.
Finally, there are also many privacy preserving use cases for ZKPs. For example, the ability to prove that you are a citizen of a particular country without revealing your name or address is a valuable security feature that can be used in e-governance systems around the world.
Additionally, the ability to verify your identity without having to disclose any of your personal information is also a valuable privacy feature that can be used in healthcare systems where it is necessary to share sensitive data with doctors and other medical professionals.
How do ZKPs work?
ZKPs work in two main ways. The first involves proving that something is true without revealing what that something is. This can be done by presenting the verifier with two sets of data. The verifier then compares the data from each set to determine which is true. The proofer can then reveal only the information that is true and leave out any other data.
This method can be used to verify all sorts of things, from passwordless logins to credit checks to digital identity verification. For example, a user could prove to an online bank that they know their password using a ZKP, without ever actually sending the password. The bank could then use the information to confirm that the user is who they say they are.
Another way that ZKPs are used is to prove that a piece of data is confidential or private. This can be done by providing the verifier with a challenge that they must answer correctly. The challenge can be anything from a secret question to a specific piece of data that the verifier must prove is confidential or private.
The challenges can be solved using different methods, but the most common is to use a cryptographic hashing technique called zk-SNARKs. This is how many popular privacy-oriented cryptocurrencies and blockchain networks, such as Monero and Zcash, utilize ZKPs to provide security for their transactions.
What are the benefits of ZKPs?
Zero-knowledge proofs are transforming biometric authentication and identity verification. They allow people to prove that they are who they say they are without divulging any personal information, which can help prevent fraud and identity theft.
This is a key benefit of ZKPs, especially in an age where our personal information is constantly being hacked and stolen by malicious actors. ZKPs also provide a much needed privacy layer to blockchain networks, where they are being used in many of the new solutions for scalability and transaction processing.
For example, an ING user can use ZKP to prove that they are within a certain salary range, which helps them qualify for a loan but doesn’t reveal how much they actually earn. In addition, a ZKP can be used to verify the authenticity of a digital signature on a blockchain network without revealing the signature itself.
Another use case is in access control, where a ZKP can be used to let someone know that they are in possession of a secret only if they can successfully respond to challenges from the verifier. This is similar to the way that a door-lock works: Bob can confirm that Alice knows the code by seeing her use her knowledge of the door’s passcode to open it, but without knowing what the passcode is.
ZKPs can also be used to make data interoperable, so that an identity that is verified once can be reused elsewhere with confidence that it is legitimate. This is important for things like online banking, where users want to be sure that their credentials are secure and can be trusted across different websites.