1 files changed, 59 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/template/news/2022-02.html.j2 b/template/news/2022-02.html.j2
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..a4068dbd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/template/news/2022-02.html.j2
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+{% extends "common/news.j2" %}
+{% block body_content %}
+<h1>2022-2: Adding Schnorr's Blind Signatures to Taler</h1>
+<p>
+Gian Demarmels and Lucien Heuzeveldt have finished their
+<a href="/papers/cs-thesis.pdf">Bachelor's thesis</a>
+which adds a second blind signature scheme to GNU Taler.
+</p>
+<h2>Introduction video</h2>
+<p>
+  <video id="video" poster="/images/logo-2021.svg" autobuffer="" height="360" width="640" controls="controls">
+    <source src="/videos/cs-movie.mp4" type="video/mp4" \>
+  </video>
+</p>
+<h2>Abstract</h2>
+<p>
+The goal of this thesis is to improve Taler’s performance and provide cipher agility by
+adding support for Schnorr’s blind signatures. To achieve this goal, the current state in
+research for Schnorr signatures needs to be analyzed. After choosing a signature scheme,
+it has to be integrated into the Taler protocols. Besides implementing the redesigned
+protocols in Taler, an implementation of the cryptographic routines is needed.
+The paper <a href="https://eprint.iacr.org/2019/877.pdf">”Blind Schnorr
+Signatures and Signed ElGamal Encryption in the Algebraic Group
+Model”</a> from 2019 (updated in 2021) introducing Clause Blind Schnorr Signatures
+is used as theoretical basis for our improvements. The paper explains why simple Blind
+Schnorr Signatures are broken and how the Clause Schnorr Blind Signature scheme is secured
+against this attack.
+</p>
+<p>
+Compared to the currently used RSA Blind Signatures, the new scheme has an additional
+request, two blinding factors instead of one and many calculations are done twice to
+prevent attacks.
+</p>
+<p>
+The Taler protocols were redesigned to support the Clause Blind Schnorr Signature scheme,
+including slight alterations to ensure abort-idempotency, and then further specified.
+Before starting with the implementation of the redesigned protocols, the cryptographic
+routines for Clause Blind Schnorr Signatures were implemented as part of the thesis.
+All of the implemented code is tested and benchmarks are added for the cryptographic
+routines.
+</p>
+<p>
+Multiple results were achieved during this thesis: The redesigned protocols Taler
+protocols with support for Clause Blind Schnorr Signatures, the implementation of the
+cryptographic routines, the implementation of Talers core protocols and a detailed comparison
+between RSA Blind Signatures and Clause Blind Schnorr Signatures. Overall, the Clause
+Blind Schnorr Signatures are significantly faster, require less disk space, and bandwidth
+and provide cipher agility for Taler.
+</p>
+<h2>Supplemental material</h2>
+<p>
+<ul>
+  <li><a href="/pdf/cs-slides.pdf">Defense presentation slides</a></li>
+  <li><a href="/pdf/cs-poster.pdf">Defense poster</a></li>
+  <li><a href="/papers/cs-thesis.pdf">Bachelor's thesis</a></li>
+</ul>
+</p>
+
+{% endblock body_content %}