Secure Multiparty Computation (MPC) allows computation on encrypted data in a network of independent servers.
Each cryptographic protocols has different properties emphasizing either efficiency, security or robustness MPC systems. Tailoring the MPC protocols to the applications ensures the optimal result.
The core properties of a MPC system is defined by the security model for the solution:
- Active security guarantees that every and even a malicious party must follow protocol and cannot learn anything apart from the intended output.
- Passive security is faster without the error detection that check for a malicious party – which in passive mode can learn more than intended.
- Model of trust can either be self trust (where a party only need to trust itself) or honest majority (a party must trust that a majority of the parties are honest). Honest majority allows fault tolerance since each party already trusts more than one party.
- Basic operations is the basic computation operations and either basic boolean operations or arithmetic operations, boolean are faster for matching, arithmetic is preferred for statistical analysis.
- Technology is the basic cryptographic technology, secret sharing is the most common one.
- Fault tolerance is a feature that allows the MPC system to continue to operate if a party intentionally or unintentionally fails to operate.
The Partisia team covers the complete “supply chain” in developing SMC systems including:
- Designing the MPC protocols
- Mathematically proving the security properties
- Implementing the protocols
- Tailoring the implementation to the application in question
The table shows three of the most relevant MPC protocols.
| SPDZ | MACE | SEPIOR | |
| Computing parties | Configurable 2 or more | Configurable 3 or more | Configurable 3 or more |
| Model of trust | Self trust | Honest majority | Honest majority |
| Passive/active security | Active | Active | Active |
| Basic operations | Arithmetic | Boolean | Tailored key management operations |
| Technology | Secret sharing | Secret sharing | Secret sharing |
| Fault tolerance | No | Yes | Yes |
| Examples of use | Statistics | Matching | Key management |
SPDZ: Open source project together with framework FRESCO. Partisia have implementation with proprietary extensions.
MACE: Multiparty Agile Computation Engine (MACE) is a generic MPC protocol originally designed for off-exchange matching. MACE is an efficient and highly configurable MPC protocol developed by Partisia. Read more >>
SEPIOR: The Sepior MPC protocol is designed for Key Management as-a-Service (KMaaS) developed and patented by the Partisia spinout Sepior.com.
NB: The protocol Virtual Ideal Functionality Framework (VIFF) was the first MPC protocol to be used in commercial solution such as the Power Procurement solution. Read more >>
