Infinite length hash chains and their applications

Bicakci K., Baykal N.

11th IEEE International Workshop on Enabling Technologies - Infrastructure for Collaborative Enterprises (WET ICE 2002), Pennsylvania, United States Of America, 10 - 12 June 2002, pp.57-61 identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Conference Paper / Full Text
  • Doi Number: 10.1109/enabl.2002.1029989
  • City: Pennsylvania
  • Country: United States Of America
  • Page Numbers: pp.57-61
  • Keywords: authentication, digital signatures, hash functions, hash chains, electronic commerce, network security
  • Middle East Technical University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

Hash Chains are used extensively in various cryptography, applications such as one-time passwords, server-supported signatures and micropayments. In this paper, we present a method, called Infinite Length Hash Chains to improve the flexibility of this chaining idea by using public-key techniques. One of its distinguishing features is that communication and computation overhead of restarting of the system is avoided. For the owner of the chain it is possible to go in either way in the chain at any time without any restriction in the chain length, but others see no difference as the functionality it provides with respect to traditional hash chains. On the other hand the drawback here is the increased computation cost due to public-key operations. Part of our work would be considered as one additional step after traditional one-time passwords in the natural progression from fixed password schemes to challenge response identification protocols.