zkMesh: Sept 2020 Recap
Welcome to zkMesh, a monthly newsletter focused on decentralised privacy-preserving technologies, privacy protocol development and zero knowledge systems research.
It is put together by Mikerah (HashCloak) and Anna (Zero Knowledge Podcast).
We include links to the latest research, useful articles, videos, podcasts, tweets, tools, project updates and events. Expect a new edition at the beginning of every month and be sure to subscribe!
Here are our finds for the month of September:
Research
Multiset checks in PLONK and Plookup by Ariel Gabizon
Lunar: a Toolbox for More Efficient Universal and Updatable zkSNARKs and Commit-and-Prove Extensions by Matteo Campanelli and Antonio Faonio and Dario Fiore and Anaïs Querol and Hadrián Rodríguez
Provable Single Secret Leader Election - zk-s[nt]arks by Mary Maller
Efficient Post-Quantum SNARKs for RSIS and RLWE and their Applications to Privacy by Cecilia Boschini and Jan Camenisch and Max Ovsiankin and Nicholas Spooner
A Shuffle Argument Protocol Specification Work in Progress on EthResearch
ZCash Network Privacy Assessment from ZCashFoundation
Can a Public Blockchain Keep a Secret? by Fabrice Benhamouda, Craig Gentry, Sergey Gorbunov, Shai Halevi, Hugo Krawczyk, Chengyu Lin, Tal Rabin, and Leonid Reyzin
MuSig-DN: Schnorr Multi-Signatures with Verifiably Deterministic Nonces by Jonas Nick and Tim Ruffing and Yannick Seurin and Pieter Wuille
Radical Isogenies by Wouter Castryck and Thomas Decru and Frederik Vercauteren
Bitcoin--Monero Cross-chain Atomic Swap by Joël Gugger
Characterizing Deterministic-Prover Zero Knowledge by Nir Bitansky and Arka Rai Choudhuri
FHE-Based Bootstrapping of Designated-Prover NIZK by Zvika Brakerski and Sanjam Garg and Rotem Tsabary
Practical Lattice-Based Zero-Knowledge Proofs for Integer Relations by Vadim Lyubashevsky and Ngoc Khanh Nguyen and Gregor Seiler
Articles
ZKPs for Engineers: A look at the Dark Forest ZKPs by Yang Dong
Tech Startup Aleo Wants to Make Internet Data Privacy Easier - Coindesk
Coda Protocol Changes Name Over R3 Trademark Dispute - Decrypt
Gemini now supports 'shielded' Zcash withdrawals for added privacy - The Block
Israel’s QEDIT awarded $2 million funding in DARPA cryptography research program
Acceleration of ECDSA Verification with Endomorphism Mapping of secp256k1 - CoinEx
Polkadot/Kusama Privacy & ZKP Baseline Report from ZKValidator
It’s Past Time for Coinbase to Issue Transparency Reports from EFF
As DeFi Eyes Profits, One Stablecoin Won't Sacrifice Privacy - Decrypt
Privacy-Focused Enigma Files With SEC for ENG Token - Coindesk
Anti-Money Laundering Regulation of Privacy-Enabling Cryptocurrencies
Attacks and Vulnerabilities:
Videos/Podcast:
Keeping secrets - Technologies and Practices for On-Chain Privacy from Outlier Ventures
DEFCON28 2020 Ethereum Security Preventing DDoS VDF slides by Gokul Alex
How 2 L2 STARK? with Eli Ben-Sasson
Zero Knowledge Episode 145: Circom & Hermez with Jordi Baylina
Efficient Post-Quantum SNARKs for RSIS and RLWE and their Applications to Privacy with Cecilia Boschini, Jan Camenisch, Nicholas Spooner and Max Ovsiankin
Zero Knowledge Episode 147: Oasis Labs & Privacy with Vishwanath Raman
Proof-Carrying Data from Accumulation Schemes with Benedikt Bünz, Alessandro Chiesa, Pratyush Mishra and Nick Spooner
WabiSabi for Wasabi Wallet with nothingmuch with Seth Simmons and Justin Ehrenhofer
Blockchain Privacy in a TweetShell
Tools
Guides and Resources
Pairing-friendly curves by Aurore Guillevic
PLONK by Hand (Part 1: Setup) on Metastate
Build an Homomorphic Encryption Scheme from Scratch with Python by Ayoub Benaissa
Financial Privacy: Exchanges & Regulation Report by Karim Helmy & Matthew Batsinelas
Project Updates
Coda Protocol Relaunches as Mina, the World’s Lightest Blockchain
Zcash Network Privacy: An Assessment of Current State and Future Work
Gemini becomes first regulated institution to support shielded Zcash withdrawals
Events/Hackathons
zkSummit Nov 23-24, 2020 - SAVE THE DATE! - Apply HERE to speak or be notified when tickets open up!
Selected Areas in Cryptography (SAC) 2020 Oct 19-23, 2020 Accepted papers HERE
ACM CCS 2020 Nov 9-13, 2020 Accepted papers HERE
Jobs:
HashCloak is looking for their first research engineer. If you are interested, please send an email to careers@hashcloak.com with the subject line “Research Engineer - (name)” along with your resume and something interesting you have built or published.
Least Authority is looking to hire someone with zero-knowledge proof expertise to join the security consulting team. Interest in security research and improving the field is required. Work is remote & flexible - email jobs@leastauthority.com
Note: If you have an open job position and would like to have us include it in our next edition get in touch!
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Also if you have something you think should be included in the next edition, or something you think we should do differently with the format - Tweet at us!