Formal-Methods Analysis of Cryptographic Protocols

We use the Cryptographic Shapes Analyzer (CPSA) to analyze protocols for structural weaknesses in the Dolev-Yao adversarial model.

Current Projects:

We carry out case studies of several instructive examples of how cryptographic protocols fail.

We perform formal-methods analysis of the OPAQUE protocol, which is the best-of-breed PAKE protocols.

We study the importance of cryptographic binding in protocols, including a case study of the FIDO authentication protocol. Lead by PhD student Enis Golaszewski.

We have developed a virtual protocol analysis lab featuring CPSA and two other protocol analysis tools. We are developing CPSA-based learning modules for teaching protocol analysis, and Enis Golaszewski runs sessions open to interested students based on these modules. Learn more

The objective of our project is twofold: To employ formal-method analysis to verify that C2PA specification can indeed provide the provenance guarantees it is intended to provide; and to provide solutions to remediate any vulnerabilities that we find during our analysis. To achieve that objective, we are developing a formal model of the C2PA specification and will use that model to assess whether the C2PA specification is indeed able to provide a mechanism for the producers and custodians of any given content to assert, in a verifiable manner, that any information that has been disclosed about the creation of a given content, and actions taken since its creation, are indeed authentic. Learn more