A Comprehensive Study of Time Lock Puzzles and Timed Signatures in Cryptography

Date

2023-7-05

Author

Doğan, Ceylin

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Timed-release cryptography is an innovative approach to sending information that is designed to be received at a specific time in the future. The thesis focuses on the evolution of timed-release cryptography, which was initially proposed by May in 1993 as a means of sending encrypted messages into the future. This concept led to the development of time-lock puzzles by Rivest, Shamir, and Wagner in 1996, which enabled the generation of puzzles with hidden solutions that became visible after a specific time had elapsed. This thesis provides a comprehensive survey of the existing literature on timed cryptography, including time-lock puzzles, timed commitment schemes, and timed signature schemes, to provide a historical background of timed cryptography. In addition, this study analyzes the efficiency and security levels of various cryptographic techniques, identifies areas for future research and development, and highlights the potential applications of timed cryptography in real-life scenarios such as contract signing and payment channel protocols.

Subject Keywords

timed-release cryptography, time-lock puzzles, timed commitments, timed signatures

URI

https://hdl.handle.net/11511/104452

Collections

Graduate School of Applied Mathematics, Thesis