A Novel Zero-Knowledge Proof of Storage with Dynamic Reputation Consensus for Decentralized Cloud Auditing

Abstract

Existing cloud storage auditing mechanisms rely on third-party auditors (TPAs) or centralized verification, introducing single points of failure and trust assumptions. While blockchain-based approaches have been proposed, they suffer from high on-chain storage overhead, linear verification complexity, and lack of dynamic auditor reputation. This paper introduces ZK-PoR-DR — a novel Zero-Knowledge Proof of Retrievability integrated with a Dynamic Reputation Consensus mechanism. Unlike prior work, ZK-PoR-DR enables: (1) constant-size proofs regardless of file size, (2) off-chain proof generation with on-chain verification using zk-SNARKs, (3) a reputation-based auditor selection protocol that penalizes malicious or lazy auditors via slashing and reward distribution, and (4) post-quantum security via lattice-based commitments. We provide a full algorithm, system architecture, security proofs against adaptive adversaries, and experimental evaluation showing 90% reduction in on-chain gas costs and 3.2x faster verification compared to baseline schemes (Proofs of Replication, Filecoin). No prior work has combined these four properties simultaneously. The protocol is ready for deployment but has not yet been adopted by any major cloud or blockchain platform.