Fun

Researchers identify key circuit layer vulnerabilities in SNARK systems

News Feed - 2024-08-09 05:08:42

Ana Paula Pereira3 hours agoResearchers identify key circuit layer vulnerabilities in SNARK systemsA study by Imperial College London examined 141 vulnerabilities in SNARK systems, mostly impacting system soundness and completeness.419 Total views1 Total sharesListen to article 0:00EventOwn this piece of crypto historyCollect this article as NFTCOINTELEGRAPH IN YOUR SOCIAL FEEDFollow ourSubscribe onAccording to researchers at Imperial College London, vulnerabilities at the circuit layer pose the most significant threat to systems based on Succinct Non-Interactive Arguments of Knowledge, or SNARKs. 


The investigation examined 141 vulnerabilities from 107 audit reports, 16 vulnerability disclosures, and various bug trackers associated with popular SNARK projects. The findings were presented on Aug. 7 at the Science of Blockchain Conference held at Columbia University.


SNARKs are a type of zero-knowledge (ZK) proof that allows one to demonstrate that a statement is true without revealing any information about the statement.


According to Stefanos Chaliasos, a PhD candidate at Imperial College London, the research team identified three main types of vulnerabilities in circuit layers — under-constrained, over-constrained and computational/hints error:“The majority of vulnerabilities are in the circuit layer, and the majority is also soundness response, which is the worst part that can happen when you use Zkps because basically, in the context of a ZK-rollup, if there is such a bug and someone wants to exploit it, then all the funds could be drained from the circuit layer.”


The most frequent vulnerability found on zero knowledge circuits arises from insufficient constraints, which cause a verifier to accept invalid proofs, compromising a system’s soundness or completeness. Per the research, 95 of the identified issues on SNARK-based systems affected soundness and four affected completeness.


“The primary challenge for developers lies in adapting to a different level of abstraction and optimizing circuits for efficiency, which directly impacts the cost of using SNARKs,” notes the paper.


Root causes for vulnerabilities on ZK circuits include distinguishing between assignments and constraints, missing input constraints, and unsafe reuse of circuits, among others.Source: SoK: What Don’t We Know? Understanding Security Vulnerabilities in SNARKsWeighted VRFs


The first day of the conference also featured the Aptos team presenting their recently implemented weighted verifiable random functions, or weighted VRFs — a mechanism designed to enhance the randomness in the consensus process.


The approach extends the concept of VRFs by incorporating weights into the random selection process of verifying inputs and outputs onchain. With weights, participants in the consensus mechanism have different probabilities of being chosen based on their stake (weights).


Aptos deployed the mechanism on its mainnet in June. “As far as you can tell, this is the first time you see a previously granular script that is unbiaseable, unpredictable, and operates as fast as the network,” noted Alin Tomescu, head of cryptography at Aptos.


According to Tomescu, Aptos has processed half a million calls through the new randomness API, with the distributed key generation (DKG) lasting about 20 seconds.“Our randomness latency, which is the latency measured from the time a block is committed to the time the randomness for that block is available, was initially 160 milliseconds. But we were able to bring this down to 25 milliseconds using some optimizations.”# Blockchain# Research# zk-RollupAdd reaction

News Feed

Binance ends support for Bitcoin Ordinals
Ana Paula Pereira4 hours agoBinance ends support for Bitcoin OrdinalsBinance NFT marketplace will cease supporting trades and deposits of Bitcoin Ordinals on April 18.1479 Total views5 Total sharesListen to article 0:00N
Bitcoin and altcoins fail to rally even as US inflation cools down
Marcel Pechman5 hours agoBitcoin and altcoins fail to rally even as US inflation cools downFor years, analysts and traders have said cooling inflation would benefit the crypto market, yet prices are still down. Cointeleg
Prashant Jha8 hours agoCalifornia bill aims to cap crypto ATM withdrawals at $1K per day to combat scamsA new legislative investigation found some crypto ATMs charging a premium as high as 33%, while a few ATMs had limit
German Stock Exchange Boerse Stuttgart to Provide Crypto Custody Through Licensed Subsidiary
German Stock Exchange Boerse Stuttgart to Provide Crypto Custody Through Licensed Subsidiary Blocknox, a subsidiary of one of Europe’s largest stock exchanges, Boerse Stuttgart,
KPMG in Canada Makes First Direct Crypto Investment — Adds Bitcoin, Ether to Corporate Treasury
KPMG in Canada Makes First Direct Crypto Investment — Adds Bitcoin, Ether to Corporate Treasury KPMG in Canada has added bitcoin and ether to its corporate treasury in what the c
Brazilian Asset Manager Kinea Makes Exploratory Investment in Ethereum
Brazilian Asset Manager Kinea Makes Exploratory Investment in Ethereum One of the biggest asset managers in Brazil, Kinea, disclosed it made an exploratory investment in Ethereum.
Bitcoin Trades Below Global Prices In South Korea, Erasing Long-Standing ‘Kimchi Premium’ – Here’s Why
Este artículo también está disponible en español. Bitcoin (BTC) is trading slightly lower in South Korea compared to the global cryptocurrency markets due to a reverse
Metaplanet Bitcoin Reserves Grow With Fresh $61 Million Purchase
Este artículo también está disponible en español. Japan-based early-stage investment firm Metaplanet continues its Bitcoin (BTC) buying spree. The company announcedtoday
Savannah Fortis10 hours agoBiden administration issues executive order for new AI safety standardsBiden’s executive order establishes six new standards for AI safety and security and its intentions for ethical AI usage
Fractional NFT Markets See Significant Growth in 2021 as Market Cap Surpasses $200 Million
Fractional NFT Markets See Significant Growth in 2021 as Market Cap Surpasses $200 Million While the non-fungible token (NFT) economy has exploded in value, another sector of the N
Brian Quarmby6 hours agoFBI warns of phishing scams and social media account hijackersThe FBI warned that the account hijackers work to “create a sense of urgency” with their posts and urged people to vet any website
Dogecoin Crash? Analyst Predicts Drop To $0.12 Before Rebound
Reason to trust Strict editorial policy that focuses on accuracy, relevance, and impartiality Created by industry experts and meticulously reviewed The highest standards in reporting and pu