A Mutual Identification Protocol Based on Post-Quantum Cryptography in a Trustless Blockchain Environment

This article examines the problem of mutual identification and authentication of users in an unreliable blockchain-based environment. We propose a protocol based on post-quantum cryptography that allows for mutual identification and authentication in distributed registries. The protocol is based on ZKP technology, the basic properties of which have been proven using lemmas. The protocol also used post-quantum cryptography methods, which are considered to be secure for quantum computers. This article presents the results of an experimental evaluation of the protocol’s characteristics. For example, the average protocol execution time is 18 ms. This article also presents a model of the intruder with its capabilities and limitations, as well as the results of attack modeling, which confirm that obtaining secret information from transmitted messages is a complex computational task, even when using a quantum computer. Compromising the server will not lead to the disclosure of the secret, since it is transmitted as a signature created using lattice cryptography.