Dan Boneh

Digital Library

ACM Fellows

USA - 2016

citation

For contributions to cryptography and computer security.

Press Release

ACM Prize in Computing

USA - 2014

citation

For ground-breaking contributions to the development of pairing-based cryptography and its application in identity-based encryption.

Dan Boneh's work was central to establishing the field of pairing-based cryptography where pairings are used to construct new cryptographic capabilities and improve the performance of existing ones. Boneh, in joint work with Matt Franklin, constructed a novel pairing-based method for identity-based encryption (IBE), whereby a user's public identity, such as an email address, can function as the user's public key. Since then, Boneh's contributions, together with those of others, have shown the power and versatility of pairings, which are now used as a mainstream tool in cryptography. The transfer of pairings from theory to practice has been rapid. Organizations now using pairings include healthcare, financial, and insurance institutions. Over a billion IBE-encrypted emails are sent each year.

More generally, Boneh has made significant contributions to a broad range of applications in cryptography and computer security, including: anti-phishing tools, compact digital signatures, password protection, fingerprinting of digital content, electronic voting, spam filtering, and side-channel attack analysis. Boneh has also made seminal contributions in a variety of other areas, such as DNA computing and learning theory.

ACM 2016 Fellows Recognized for Advances that Are Transforming Science and Society

ACM named 53 of its members as 2016 ACM Fellows for major contributions in areas including artificial intelligence, cryptography, computer architecture, high performance computing and programming languages. The achievements of the 2016 ACM Fellows are accelerating the digital revolution, and affect almost every aspect of how we live and work today.

"As nearly 100,000 computing professionals are members of our association, to be selected to join the top one percent is truly an honor,” explains ACM President Vicki L. Hanson. “Fellows are chosen by their peers and hail from leading universities, corporations and research labs throughout the world. Their inspiration, insights and dedication bring immeasurable benefits that improve lives and help drive the global economy."

Underscoring ACM’s global reach, 2016 Fellows hail from organizations in Australia, Austria, Canada, China, France, India, Israel, Italy, The Netherlands, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The 2016 Fellows have been cited for numerous contributions in areas including cloud computing, computer security, data science, Internet routing and security, large-scale distributed computing, mobile computing, spoken-language processing and theoretical computer science.

Dan Boneh receives 2014 ACM-Infosys Foundation Award in the Computing Sciences

Dan Boneh's work was central to establishing the field of pairing-based cryptography where pairings are used to construct new cryptographic capabilities and improve the performance of existing ones. Boneh, in joint work with Matt Franklin, constructed a novel pairing-based method for identity-based encryption (IBE), whereby a user's public identity, such as an email address, can function as the user's public key. Since then, Boneh's contributions, together with those of others, have shown the power and versatility of pairings, which are now used as a mainstream tool in cryptography. The transfer of pairings from theory to practice has been rapid. Organizations now using pairings include healthcare, financial, and insurance institutions. Over a billion IBE-encrypted emails are sent each year.

More generally, Boneh has made significant contributions to a broad range of applications in cryptography and computer security, including: anti-phishing tools, compact digital signatures, password protection, fingerprinting of digital content, electronic voting, spam filtering, and side-channel attack analysis. Boneh has also made seminal contributions in a variety of other areas, such as DNA computing and learning theory.

Boneh is recognized "For ground-breaking development of pairing-based cryptography and its application in identity-based encryption."

Press Release

Important pairings-based crypto papers

  1. D. Boneh and M. K. Franklin. "Identity-based encryption from the Weil pairing". In J. Kilian, editor, CRYPTO 2001, volume 2139 of LNCS, pages 213–229. Springer, Aug. 2001.

    DOI: 10.1007/3-540-44647-8_13

    Citations: 5907 (Google Scholar)

    Abstract: We propose a fully functional identity-based encryption scheme (IBE). The scheme has chosen ciphertext security in the random oracle model assuming an elliptic curve variant of the computational Diffie-Hellman problem. Our system is based on the Weil pairing. We give precise definitions for secure identity based encryption schemes and give several applications for such systems.

  2. D. Boneh and M. K. Franklin. "Identity based encryption from the Weil pairing". SIAM Journal on Computing, 32(3):586–615, 2003.

    DOI: 10.1137/S0097539701398521

    Citations: 1906 (Google Scholar)

    Abstract: We propose a fully functional identity-based encryption (IBE) scheme. The scheme has chosen ciphertext security in the random oracle model assuming a variant of the computational Diffie--Hellman problem. Our system is based on bilinear maps between groups. The Weil pairing on elliptic curves is an example of such a map. We give precise definitions for secure IBE schemes and give several applications for such systems.

  3. D. Boneh, B. Lynn, and H. Shacham. "Short signatures from the Weil pairing". In C. Boyd, editor, ASIACRYPT 2001, volume 2248 of LNCS, pages 514–532. Springer, Dec. 2001.

    DOI: 10.1007/3-540-45682-1_30

    Citations: 2190 (Google Scholar)

    Abstract: We introduce a short signature scheme based on the Computational Diffie-Hellman assumption on certain elliptic and hyper-elliptic curves. The signature length is half the size of a DSA signature for a similar level of security. Our short signature scheme is designed for systems where signatures are typed in by a human or signatures are sent over a low-bandwidth channel.

  4. D. Boneh, B. Lynn, and H. Shacham. "Short signatures from the Weil pairing". Journal of Cryptology, 17(4):297–319, Sept. 2004.

    DOI: 10.1007/s00145-004-0314-9

    Citations: 725 (Google Scholar)

    Abstract: We introduce a short signature scheme based on the Computational Diffie–Hellman assumption on certain elliptic and hyperelliptic curves. For standard security parameters, the signature length is about half that of a DSA signature with a similar level of security. Our short signature scheme is designed for systems where signatures are typed in by a human or are sent over a low-bandwidth channel. We survey a number of properties of our signature scheme such as signature aggregation and batch verification.

  5. D. Boneh and X. Boyen. "Efficient selective-ID secure identity based encryption without random oracles". In C. Cachin and J. Camenisch, editors, EUROCRYPT 2004, volume 3027 of LNCS, pages 223–238. Springer, May 2004.

    DOI: 10.1007/978-3-540-24676-3_14

    Citations: 1257 (Google Scholar)

    Abstract: We construct two efficient Identity Based Encryption (IBE) systems that are selective identity secure without the random oracle model. Selective identity secure IBE is a slightly weaker security model than the standard security model for IBE. In this model the adversary must commit ahead of time to the identity that it intends to attack, whereas in the standard model the adversary is allowed to choose this identity adaptively. Our first secure IBE system extends to give a selective identity Hierarchical IBE secure without random oracles.

  6. D. Boneh and X. Boyen. "Short signatures without random oracles". In C. Cachin and J. Camenisch,editors, EUROCRYPT 2004, volume 3027 of LNCS, pages 56–73. Springer, May 2004.

    DOI: 10.1007/978-3-540-24676-3_4

    Citations: 940 (Google Scholar)

    Abstract: We describe a short signature scheme which is existentially unforgeable under a chosen message attack without using random oracles. The security of our scheme depends on a new complexity assumption we call the Strong Diffie-Hellman assumption. This assumption has similar properties to the Strong RSA assumption, hence the name. Strong RSA was previously used to construct signature schemes without random oracles. However, signatures generated by our scheme are much shorter and simpler than signatures from schemes based on Strong RSA. Furthermore, our scheme provides a limited form of message recovery.

  7. D. Boneh and X. Boyen. "Short signatures without random oracles and the SDH assumption in bilineargroups". Journal of Cryptology, 21(2):149–177, Apr. 2008.

    DOI: 10.1007/s00145-007-9005-7

    Citations: 296 (Google Scholar)

    Abstract: We describe a short signature scheme that is strongly existentially unforgeable under an adaptive chosen message attack in the standard security model. Our construction works in groups equipped with an efficient bilinear map, or, more generally, an algorithm for the Decision Diffie-Hellman problem. The security of our scheme depends on a new intractability assumption we call Strong Diffie-Hellman (SDH), by analogy to the Strong RSA assumption with which it shares many properties. Signature generation in our system is fast and the resulting signatures are as short as DSA signatures for comparable security. We give a tight reduction proving that our scheme is secure in any group in which the SDH assumption holds, without relying on the random oracle model.

  8. D. Boneh, C. Gentry, B. Lynn, and H. Shacham. "Aggregate and verifiably encrypted signatures frombilinear maps". In E. Biham, editor, EUROCRYPT 2003, volume 2656 of LNCS, pages 416–432. Springer, May 2003.

    DOI: 10.1007/3-540-39200-9_26

    Citations: 1140  (Google Scholar)

    Abstract: An aggregate signature scheme is a digital signature that supports aggregation: Given n signatures on n distinct messages from n distinct users, it is possible to aggregate all these signatures into a single short signature. This single signature (and the n original messages) will convince the verifier that the n users did indeed sign the n original messages (i.e., user i signed message M i for i = 1,..., n). In this paper we introduce the concept of an aggregate signature, present security models for such signatures, and give several applications for aggregate signatures. We construct an efficient aggregate signature from a recent short signature scheme based on bilinear maps due to Boneh, Lynn, and Shacham. Aggregate signatures are useful for reducing the size of certificate chains (by aggregating all signatures in the chain) and for reducing message size in secure routing protocols such as SBGP. We also show that aggregate signatures give rise to verifiably encrypted signatures. Such signatures enable the verifier to test that a given ciphertext C is the encryption of a signature on a given message M. Verifiably encrypted signatures are used in contract-signing protocols. Finally, we show that similar ideas can be used to extend the short signature scheme to give simple ring signatures.

  9. D. Boneh, X. Boyen, and H. Shacham. "Short group signatures". In M. Franklin, editor, CRYPTO 2004,volume 3152 of LNCS, pages 41–55. Springer, Aug. 2004.

    DOI: 10.1007/978-3-540-28628-8_3

    Citations: 1275  (Google Scholar)

    Abstract: We construct a short group signature scheme. Signatures in our scheme are approximately the size of a standard RSA signature with the same security. Security of our group signature is based on the Strong Diffie-Hellman assumption and a new assumption in bilinear groups called the Decision Linear assumption. We prove security of our system, in the random oracle model, using a variant of the security definition for group signatures recently given by Bellare, Micciancio, and Warinschi.