Secure E-Auctions: A Blockchain-Based Cluster Consensus Identity-Based Identification Scheme
Apurva K. Vangujar, Alia Umrani, Ji‐Jian Chin, Paolo Palmieri · 2024
Electronic Auctions (e-auctions) must be secure and reliable in the fast-changing digital world. This paper proposes a Blockchain-Based Cluster Consensus Identity-Based Identification (BCCIBI) scheme to enhance e-auction security and privacy. To establish a secure e-auction environment, the BCCIBI scheme utilises advanced cryptographic primitives such as ElGamal encryption, the Boneh-Lynn-Shacham (BLS) signature scheme, Identity-Based Identification (IBI), Zero-Knowledge (ZK) proof, Commitment scheme, and Non-Interactive ZK proof. In the BCCIBI scheme, bids are secure due to the homomorphic properties of ElGamal encryption, which ensure confidentiality and integrity. The BCCIBI scheme, grounded in the Computational Diffie-Hellman assumption, accelerates multiple bid and bidder verifications by IBI, a crucial operation for clustered blockchains ensuring authentication. Meanwhile, ZK proof authenticates bidders anonymously, safeguarding bidder privacy. Our unique scheme assigns pseudo-identities to participants to provide anonymity and ensure unlinkability. The BCCIBI scheme is resilient against cryptographic attacks in an efficient clustered blockchain scenario using smart contracts, addressing blockchain performance issues. The BCCIBI e-auction scheme is based on timestamps to provide aliveness and records on the blockchain. This paper scrutinises the BCCIBI scheme’s technical foundations and practical implications, laying the groundwork for more secure and transparent e-auction systems. The BCCIBI system advances safe e-auctions by employing a multi-faceted cryptographic technique.