IBM Secure Quiz
Answer Vault™
This applications stores a higly-classified answer to one of the Questions of the Open-House Quiz!
In order to access the secret, IBMers can pickup their credentials at the booth. To make sure that unauthorized entities with or without a quantum computer cannot forge credentials and steal the secret we use one of IBM's latest Quantum-Safe Digital Signature schemes to authenticate the credentials.
Your credential consists of a digitally signed message (your name) using one of the quantum-safe signature schemes SQIsign, Mayo, UOV or FAEST. These signature schemes are candidates for standardisation by NIST.
Each QR code sticker was generated by applying the chosen signing algorithm to your name, using the algorithm and our secret key.
The QR code encodes a URL with a signed message inside. The first digit encodes your choice of signature algorithm, while the rest of the URL encodes the signature and the message.
Signatures for the SQIsign, Mayo and UOV signature algorithms are small, and can fit in one QR code, but FAEST signatures are larger and require two QR codes.
The vault application verifies your signature using the public key for the signature algorithm you selected. Only if the signature is valid, we will open the vault and reveal the answer to the quiz question.
SQIsign is a signature scheme based on the mathematical properties of isogeny mappings between elliptic curves.
Of the four schemes, SQIsign relies on the most advanced mathematics. SQIsign offers both small public key and signature sizes.
Click here for the official project page.
Introduced in 2021, Mayo is a signature scheme based on the properties of multivariate quadratic equations over finite fields.
Of the four schemes, Mayo has the fastest verification time. The ideas behind its design are similar to UOV, but uses extra optimizations to reduce public key size.
Click here for the official project page.
UOV is a signature scheme based on the properties of multivariate quadratic equations over finite fields.
Of the four schemes, UOV has the smallest signatures and fastest signing time. The ideas behind its design are similar to Mayo, but it was introduced earlier, in 1997.
Click here for the official project page.
FAEST is a signature scheme which uses hash functions and takes inspiration from secure multiparty computation protocols.
Of the four schemes, FAEST has the smallest public key sizes. The basic design can use any hash function.
Click here for the official project page.