Public Blockchain-based Lightweight Anonymous Authentication Platform Using Zk-SNARKs for Low-power IoT Devices

Abstract

Anonymous authentication is an important factor for Internet of Things (loT) applications such as Smart Grids and Vehicle Ad hoc Networks. The zero-knowledge Succinct Non-interactive Arguments of Knowledge (zk-SNARK) is one of the popular methods that has been used for transacting anonymously in public blockchains. However, a heavy computational process is involved during the generation of zk-SNARK proofs (zk-SNARKs). This intensive computation is a significant barrier that prevents resource-constrained loT devices from implementing zk-SNARKs for anonymous transactions. Therefore, this paper proposes a public blockchain-based lightweight anonymous authentication platform for low-power loT devices using zk-SNARKs. A lightweight anonymous authentication protocol is designed using the SHA256 hash function. The heavy proving processes of the zk-SNARK protocol are offloaded to a powerful loT machine. A proof of concept has been designed to verify the proposed platform is capable to provide anonymous authentication with the help of zk-SNARKs and InterPlanetary File System. The security of the proposed platform is analysed and has been proved to be resistant to tracking, replay, key disclosure, and desynchronization attacks. The performance of the proposed platform is also evaluated and has been proven to be supported by low-power loT devices.