An Efficient Solution for the Collusion Problem of Deco

Abstract

DECO is one of the state-of-The-Art TLS evidence protocols that enables privacy-preserving verification without necessitating server-side modifications. It allows applications to extract verifiable data from websites. However, DECO is vulnerable to collusion attacks, where the prover and verifier may secretly conspire, even if DECO itself remains secure. This vulnerability limits DECO's ability to transfer data to smart contracts. To address the collusion issue, decentralized oracle networks have been integrated with DECO, involving multiple executions for the same attestation and relying on majority consensus to determine the correct outcome. While this approach mitigates collusion risk, it is inefficient. In this paper, we address the collusion vulnerability in DECO by proposing an enhanced approach that expands the verifier's role to a set of n verifiers within a single DECO execution, utilizing a Distributed Verifiable Random Function (DVRF). This method requires the prover to obtain consensus from all n verifiers, thereby increasing the difficulty of collusion and enhancing the security of the system. Furthermore, the proposed solution is more efficient than executing n separate DECO protocols and provides verifiable features that facilitate integration with slashing and reward mechanisms, thereby improving its applicability in decentralized systems. © 2024 IEEE.