Low-Rank Adaptation (LoRA) is a widely adopted method for customizing large-scale language models. In distributed, untrusted training environments, an open source base model user may want to use LoRA weights created by an external contributor, leading to two requirements: (1) the base model user must confirm that the LoRA weights are effective when paired with the intended base model, and (2) the LoRA contributor must keep their proprietary weights private until compensation is assured. We present ZKLoRA, a zero-knowledge verification protocol that relies on succinct proofs and our novel Multi-Party Inference procedure to verify LoRA-base model compatibility without exposing LoRA weights. ZKLoRA produces deterministic correctness guarantees and validates each LoRA module in only 1-2 seconds on state-of-the-art large language models. This low-latency approach enables nearly real-time verification and promotes secure collaboration among geographically decentralized teams and contract-based training pipelines. The protocol ensures that the delivered LoRA module works as claimed, safeguarding the contributor's intellectual property while providing the base model user with verification of compatibility and lineage.
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Geophysical Methods and Applications
Robotics and Automated Systems
Target Tracking and Data Fusion in Sensor Networks
Identity-based cryptography (IBC), proposed by Adi Shamir, revolutionized public key authentication by eliminating the need for certificates, enabling a more efficient and scalable approach to cryptographic systems. Meanwhile, in \cite{Katsumata2024group}, Katsumata et al. were the first to present the blind signature protocol based on the hardness assumption of isogeny with provable security, which resembles the Schnorr blind signature. Building upon these foundational concepts, we propose an Identity-Based Blind Signature Scheme with an Honest Zero-Knowledge Verifier utilizing the CSIDH framework. This scheme combines blind signatures for privacy preservation with zero-knowledge proofs to ensure the verifier's honesty without revealing any additional information. Leveraging the quantum-resistant properties of CSIDH, a post-quantum secure scheme based on supersingular isogenies, our scheme offers strong protection against quantum adversaries while maintaining computational efficiency. We analyze the security of the introduced protocol in the standard cryptographic model and demonstrate its effectiveness in safeguarding privacy and verifier honesty. Furthermore, we present a performance evaluation, confirming the practical viability of this quantum-resistant cryptographic solution for privacy-preserving applications. This work advances the creation of secure, and scalable cryptographic systems for the post-quantum era.
Zero-knowledge proofs are mathematical cryptographic methods to demonstrate the validity of a claim while providing no further information beyond the claim itself. The possibility of using such proofs to process classified and other sensitive physical data has attracted attention, especially in the field of nuclear arms control. Here we demonstrate a non-electronic fast neutron differential radiography technique using superheated emulsion detectors that can confirm that two objects are identical without revealing their geometry or composition. Such a technique could form the basis of a verification system that could confirm the authenticity of nuclear weapons without sharing any secret design information. More broadly, by demonstrating a physical zero-knowledge proof that can compare physical properties of objects, this experiment opens the door to developing other such secure proof-systems for other applications.
Warhead verification systems proposed to date fundamentally rely on the use of information barriers to prevent the release of sensitive information. Measurements with information barriers significantly increase the complexity of inspection systems, make their certification and authentication difficult, and may reduce the overall confidence in the verifiability of future arms-control agreements. This article presents a concept for a new approach to nuclear warhead verification that minimizes the role of information barriers from the outset and envisions instead an inspection system that avoids the measurement of sensitive information, using a so-called zero-knowledge protocol. This is a protocol in which the data learned by one party (i.e., the inspector) allow him/her to verify that a statement is true (e.g., the inspected warhead is identical to an authenticated template), but does not reveal any additional information, e.g., does not leak any information that would help infer the design of the inspected warhead. There is a wide literature on zero knowledge proofs in the digital domain using cryptographic tools, and we draw on these ideas to achieve this in the physical domain. The proposed inspection system relies on active interrogation of a test object with 14-MeV neutrons, including both tomographic transmission measurements that are sensitive to warhead configuration, and scattering/fission measurements that are sensitive to material properties. The viability of the method is examined with MCNP Monte Carlo neutron transport calculations modeling the experimental setup.