Consensus Protocol Signature Verification for Illegitimate Opinion Detection

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Solution Overview

Problem

In consensus protocols, illegitimate opinion values can be intentionally or accidentally provided by apparatuses, leading to inconsistent processing within a distributed autonomous system, which existing technologies fail to effectively detect and address.

Innovation Solution

A distributed autonomous system with agreement apparatuses equipped with communication, storage, signature generation, and verification parts, where opinion values are signed using secret and public key cryptography to ensure legitimacy, and verification processing identifies and specifies apparatuses performing illegitimate processing by comparing signatures and values.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a consensus protocol is implemented in a distributed autonomous system, then processing consistency across multiple apparatuses is achieved, but the system becomes vulnerable to illegitimate opinion values that can cause inconsistent processing

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprocessing consistencyVSAvoidillegitimate opinion values
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by having apparatuses sign their opinion values with their secret keys before transmitting them to other apparatuses. This pre-verification mechanism ensures that the authenticity of each opinion value can be confirmed before it is processed in the consensus protocol, preventing illegitimate opinion values from disrupting processing consistency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements feedback by having each apparatus verify the signatures of received opinion values from other apparatuses. This verification process provides feedback on the legitimacy of each opinion value, allowing the system to identify and exclude illegitimate values while maintaining processing consistency among legitimate participants.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Reliability

If signature verification is added to detect illegitimate processing, then system integrity is maintained, but device complexity increases due to additional verification components

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesystem integrityVSAvoidverification components
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses cryptographic signatures as an intermediary mechanism to verify the legitimacy of opinion values. Instead of requiring complex direct verification between apparatuses, the signature acts as a trusted intermediary that provides proof of authenticity, simplifying the verification process while maintaining system integrity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent employs public key cryptography where the public key serves as a copy or representation of the apparatus's identity that can be freely distributed and used for verification. This allows any apparatus to verify signatures without requiring direct communication with the originating apparatus, reducing verification complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #26Copying

Data Source

PatentEP3675087B1Agreement system, agreement apparatus, program, and recording medium
Publication Date: 2023.10.11 NIPPON TELEGRAPH & TELEPHONE CORP
  • EP3675087B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3675087B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3675087B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

An agreement apparatus P(i) (where i = 0, ..., n-1) which executes a consensus protocol generates an opinion value with a signature Xij = (xi, sig_i(xi)) including an opinion value xi indicating an opinion and a signature sig_i(xi) on the opinion value xi or information different from the opinion value with the signature Xij as an opinion value with a signature X'ij = (x'ij, e'ij) and outputs the opinion value with the signature X'ij to an agreement apparatus P(j) (where j = 0, ..., n-1, i ≠ j). The agreement apparatus P(j) accepts the opinion value with the signature X'ij and outputs the opinion value with the signature X'ij or information different from the opinion value with the signature X'ij to an agreement apparatus P(m) (where m = 0, ..., n-1, m ≠ i, m ≠ j) as an opinion value with a signature X"ij.