Multi-Key Homomorphic Signatures Unforgeable under Insider Corruption

Homomorphic signatures (HS) allows the derivation of the signature of the message-function pair (m, g), where m = g(m1, . . . ,mK), given the signatures of each of the input messages mk signed under the same key. Multi-key HS (M-HS) introduced by Fiore et al. (ASIACRYPT’16) further enhances the utility by allowing evaluation of signatures under different keys. While the unforgeability of existing M-HS notions unrealistically assumes that all signers are honest, we consider the setting where an arbitrary number of signers can be corrupted, which is typical in natural applications (e.g., verifiable multi-party computation) of M-HS. Surprisingly, there is a huge gap between M-HS with and without unforgeability under corruption: While the latter can be constructed from standard lattice assumptions (ASIACRYPT’16), we show that the former must rely on non-falsifiable assumptions. Specifically, we propose a generic construction of M-HS with unforgeability under corruption from adaptive zero-knowledge succinct non-interactive arguments of knowledge (ZK-SNARK) (and other standard assumptions), and then show that such M-HS implies adaptive zero-knowledge succinct non-interactive arguments (ZK-SNARG). Our results leave open the pressing question of what level of authenticity can be guaranteed in the multi-key setting under standard assumptions.