Applied Sciences (Jan 2024)

Binary-Tree-Fed Mixnet: An Efficient Symmetric Encryption Solution

  • Diego Antonio López-García,
  • Juan Pérez Torreglosa,
  • David Vera,
  • Manuel Sánchez-Raya

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/app14030966
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 14, no. 3
p. 966

Abstract

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Mixnets are an instrument to achieve anonymity. They are generally a sequence of servers that apply a cryptographic process and a permutation to a batch of user messages. Most use asymmetric cryptography, with the high computational cost that this entails. The main objective of this study is to reduce delay in mixnet nodes. In this sense, this paper presents a new scheme that is based only on symmetric cryptography. The novelty of this scheme is the use of binary graphs built by mixnet nodes. The root node collects user keys and labels without knowing their owners. After feeding each node by its graph, they can establish a random permutation and relate their keys to the incoming batch positions through labels. The differences with previous symmetric schemes are that users do not need long headers and nodes avoid the searching process. The outcomes are security and efficiency improvements. As far as we know, it is the fastest mixnet system. Therefore, it is appropriate for high-throughput applications like national polls (many users) or debates (many messages).

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