Briefing

The core research problem is the need for foundational cryptographic primitives that remain secure in the post-quantum era while maintaining practical efficiency. This paper introduces a new commitment scheme that achieves strong, non-malleable security against quantum adversaries and constant-round communication complexity. The breakthrough is its construction using only one-way functions, the most minimal assumption in cryptography, which was previously considered impossible for this level of security and efficiency. The most important implication is the establishment of a new, universally secure building block for advanced protocols like zero-knowledge proofs and secure multi-party computation, fundamentally future-proofing the integrity layer of decentralized systems.

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Context

Before this work, achieving a commitment scheme with both strong post-quantum non-malleability and high communication efficiency often required reliance on more complex, structured mathematical problems or non-minimal cryptographic assumptions. Standard commitment schemes based on classical assumptions are vulnerable to quantum attacks, and previous attempts at post-quantum solutions were either computationally inefficient or lacked the strong non-malleability property critical for secure protocol composition. The prevailing theoretical limitation was the perceived trade-off between minimal cryptographic assumptions and practical performance in the quantum setting.

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Analysis

The core mechanism is an innovative construction that leverages the minimal assumption of one-way functions (functions easy to compute but hard to invert) to realize a full commitment scheme. This is achieved through a new security proof technique that formally demonstrates non-malleability against quantum adversaries. Conceptually, the scheme functions like a digital, unchangeable “envelope” (the commitment) that is opened later (the reveal).

Its fundamental difference lies in the minimalist construction → it does not rely on complex mathematical structures like lattices or number theory, which are often used in post-quantum cryptography, thereby simplifying the trust model and maximizing the foundational security. The protocol achieves a constant number of communication rounds, meaning its efficiency does not grow with the complexity of the committed data.

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Parameters

  • Minimal AssumptionOne-Way Functions – The most fundamental building block in cryptography, proving the security relies on the weakest possible assumption.
  • Security PropertyNon-Malleability – The property ensuring an adversary cannot modify a committed message to create a related, valid commitment.
  • Communication Complexity → Constant-Round – The number of messages exchanged between parties is fixed and does not increase with the size of the data being committed.

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Outlook

This new primitive immediately opens up avenues for designing provably secure, quantum-resistant versions of all advanced cryptographic protocols, including zk-SNARKs and secure computation, without sacrificing efficiency. In the next 3-5 years, this foundational work is expected to be integrated into the core libraries of major blockchain platforms, enabling the first generation of quantum-safe, privacy-preserving decentralized applications. The research specifically paves the way for a broader application of the new security proof technique to other complex cryptographic protocols.

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Verdict

The construction of a constant-round, post-quantum non-malleable commitment scheme from one-way functions establishes a new, minimal-assumption foundation for future-proofing all cryptographic security.

Post-Quantum Cryptography, One-Way Functions, Commitment Schemes, Non-Malleability, Communication Efficiency, Constant-Round Protocol, Cryptographic Primitive, Secure Computation, Information Theory, Quantum Resistance Signal Acquired from → group.ntt

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