HashCloak Monthly #3: October-November Edition
What has been going on in terms of blockchain privacy in the months of October and November
The months of October and November have been really active for the field of blockchain privacy. From project announcements to attacks on privacy coins, it has been a very active past few months. In fact, we at HashCloak, have contributed to this ongoing activity in blockchain privacy and announced Meson, a mixnet for cryptocurrency transactions. As a result, we have combined both the months of October and November for this larger newsletter.
Let’s dive in!
Interesting Research
Collective Dynamics of Dark Web Marketplaces
A look into how dark web market closures affect dark web market users and the role cryptocurrencies, in particular, Bitcoin, play in facilitating the migration of users to different dark web markets.
SLONK - A simple universal SNARK
A simplification to the PLONK universal SNARK, proposed by Justin Drake, where the permutation argument is switched to a shift argument.
Linear-Sized Constant-Query IOPs for Delegating Computation
In this work, the authors provide an IOP construction with linear sized proofs and reasonably fast verification, regardless of the query complexity.
Zero-Knowledge Proofs for Set Membership: Efficient, Succinct, Modular
The authors provide a set membership construction using zkSNARKs and merkle trees. They achieve a faster proving time compared to previous work.
Interesting Articles
An explaination of Whirlpool’s anonymity sets
Chainanalysis in Action: DOJ announces the shutdown of a large child pornography website
Wasabi Wallet Dev Nopara37 on the role Wasabi Wallet plays within Bitcoin Privacy
Scrit: A Federated Chaumian Ecash Implementation
Tracking the PlusToken Whale: Attempted Bitcoin Mixing and its Effects on Wasabi Wallet
Overviews on Privacy in Blockchains
Eric Wall’s look on stablecoins and how they relate to privacy
Aztec Protocol’s The Hunting of the SNARK Series
An overview on Privacy-focused blockchains
Comparing General Purpose zkSNARKs
Blockchain Privacy in a TweetShell
Work in progress analysis of the Coinsecure Hack
A Short Review on the JoinMarket Software
Halo Clarifications by Sean Bowe
Can’t have censorship resistance without privacy
Privacy leaks are like security holes
Talks and Presentation Slides
ShareLock by Istvan Andras Seres at CESC2019
A look at hash function requirements for SNARK-friendly hash functions by Rebekah Mercer
Defining AIR constraints for zkSTARKs by Bobbin Threadbare
Hitchhiker’s guide to Zero Knowledge Proofs by Izaak Meckler
Groth16 is not dead by Georgios Konstantopoulos
Sapling Shielded Transactions in Zcash by Elena Nadolinski
Gas Efficient Privacy Protocol by Marek Olszewski
Zerochain: A Privacy Layer for Blockchains
Privacy-related Podcasts and Videos
An intuitive introduction to STARKs through frying eggs
Talks from the 4th Zero-Knowledge Summit in San Francisco
An overview of the field of cryptography from Dan Boneh on the Zero Knowledge Podcast
Attacks on Privacy
Attacking MimbleWimble’s privacy model using flaws at the network layer
On why Beam’s MimbleWimble implementation is safe from Ivan Bogatyy’s attack
Tutorials and Guides
A cypherpunk privacy reading list compiled by the Zcash Foundation
STARK101 Tutorial by STARKware Industries
Privacy-related Software
Sean Bowe’s BLS12-381 implementation in Rust
0x Project’s OpenZKP library for Zero Knowledge Proofs in Rust