Here we highlight the standout research papers recently introduced or updated in the Cryptology ePrint Archive (https://eprint.iacr.org/).

‍Verifying Jolt zkVM Lookup Semantics by Carl Kwan, Quang Dao and Justin Thaler: https://eprint.iacr.org/2024/1841

This paper is about advancing the formal verification of Jolt zkVM, focusing on its lookup semantics for efficient program execution. Leveraging ACL2 theorem proving, they ensured correctness across Jolt's 32-bit RISC-V instructions and discovered code optimizations, improving performance without sacrificing security. This effort highlights the importance of rigorous validation in the design of zkVMs, creating robust and privacy cryptographic proof systems.

Field-Agnostic SNARKs from Expand-Accumulate Codes by Alexander R. Block, Zhiyong Fang, Jonathan Katz, Justin Thaler, Hendrik Waldner and Yupeng Zhang: https://eprint.iacr.org/2024/1871

This paper unveiled a new framework for field-agnostic SNARKs utilizing Expand Accumulate codes, overcoming field-specific constraints of prior methods. This innovation achieves constant rate and distance across finite fields, enabling faster proof generation with reduced size. Empirical tests show significant performance gains, including rapid proof generation for ECDSA verification. This advances cryptographic efficiency and flexibility, making it particularly relevant for blockchain apps and privacy-preserving protocols requiring scalable proof systems.

Zero-Knowledge Location Privacy via Accurate Floating-Point SNARKs by Jens Ernstberger, Chengru Zhang, Luca Ciprian, Philipp Jovanovic and Sebastian Steinhorst: https://eprint.iacr.org/2024/1842

The paper introduces us to Zero-Knowledge Location Privacy, an approach that allows users to confirm their presence in certain regions without revealing their exact location. Leveraging IEEE 754-compliant floating-point SNARK circuits, ZKLP ensures robust accuracy and privacy. This system supports privacy-preserving peer-to-peer proximity testing, verifying proximity to hundreds of peers per second with minimal computational overhead. By addressing limitations of previous cryptographic and obfuscation methods, ZKLP sets new benchmarks for location privacy in digital services reliant on geospatial data.

Hybrid Zero-Knowledge from Garbled Circuits by Masayuki Abe, Miguel Ambrona and Miyako Ohkubo: https://eprint.iacr.org/2024/1835

This study presents a novel framework for hybrid ZKPs that utilize garbled circuits to bridge algebraic commitments with Boolean relations. The proposed system enhances privacy and efficiency by integrating cross-domain commitments and supports complex predicates like weighted thresholds. This advance offers robust solutions for privacy-focused cryptographic apps, addressing challenges in multi-domain proof compositions.

ZK-SNARKs for Ballot Validity: A Feasibility Study by Nicolas Huber, Ralf Kuesters, Julian Liedtke and Daniel Rausch: https://eprint.iacr.org/2024/1902

This paper states that researchers explored the use of ZK-SNARKs to verify ballots in e-voting systems using Exponential ElGamal encryption. They tested Groth16 SNARKs for various voting methods and found them efficient, even for complex ballot types. This study shows that SNARK-based proofs can support secure and flexible e-voting, making elections more private and scalable.

Orion's Ascent: Accelerating Hash-Based Zero Knowledge Proof on Hardware Platforms by Florian Hirner, Florian Krieger, Constantin Piber and Sujoy Sinha Roy: https://eprint.iacr.org/2024/1918

The paper proposes "Orion’s Ascent”, a project focused on accelerating ZKPs on hardware platforms. The study addresses inefficiencies in Orion’s hash-based ZKP system, particularly in the polynomial commitment phase. By introducing hardware-friendly optimizations for expander graphs, Merkle Tree generation, and on-the-fly graph creation, the team achieved dramatic speed improvements. Using FPGA hardware, their approach increased performance by over 2000× for key operations compared to CPU implementations.

Practical Zero-Knowledge PIOP for Public Key and Ciphertext Generation in (Multi-Group) Homomorphic Encryption by Intak Hwang, Hyeonbum Lee, Jinyeong Seo and Yongsoo Song: https://eprint.iacr.org/2024/1879

This discusses the development of an efficient ZK polynomial interactive oracle proof system for multi-group homomorphic encryption. This system ensures the integrity of public keys and ciphertexts while significantly improving performance - reducing proof sizes by 5.5× and verification times by 343× compared to previous methods.

Ceno: Non-uniform, Segment and Parallel Zero-knowledge Virtual Machine by Tianyi Liu, Zhenfei Zhang, Yuncong Zhang, Wenqing Hu and

Ye Zhang: https://eprint.iacr.org/2024/387

Ceno (Circuit-like Efficient Non-uniform zk-rOllup) introduces an innovative zkVM framework using non-uniform, segment-based, and parallel techniques for efficient ZKPs. The system splits program execution into segments and processes them in parallel, reducing complexity and cost. With two designs, Ceno Basic and Ceno Pro, this approach optimizes computation by leveraging dynamic circuits and a tailored GKR protocol, offering significant improvements in scalability and performance for privacy-preserving apps.