Modern Cryptographic Techniques

Cryptography is the science of secure computation, enabling encryption and digital signatures. We focus on several modern areas of cryptography, including zero-knowledge (ZK) proofs, postquantum (PQ, secure against quantum computers) cryptography, and code-based cryptography. Each is a vital and widely studied area of cryptography that has undergone a scientific revolution over the last three years. The project's goal is to create sustainable Estonian expertise in all three areas. ZK proofs can be used to implement verifiable computation, which has already been widespread in private cryptocurrencies and can be applied to ZK machine learning and provably secure e-voting. All would be impossible without ZK proofs. To prepare against the impending arrival of quantum computers, we study PQ cryptography, concentrating on lattice-based and code-based techniques in PQ cryptography. The project team combines strong researchers and expertise from cryptography, coding theory, and mathematics.