PIP-23: Sign and verify message by public and private key account

Abstract

The purpose of this proposal is to introduce a standardized method for signing and verifying messages using public and private key pairs associated with Pactus accounts.

Motivation

Digital signatures play a crucial role in ensuring the authenticity and integrity of messages exchanged within the Pactus network. Currently, Pactus provides the capability to sign transactions, but lacks a standardized approach for signing arbitrary messages. By implementing a consistent method for signing and verifying messages using public and private key pairs, we can enhance the security and interoperability of Pactus-based applications. This proposal aims to address this gap by introducing a simple yet powerful mechanism for signing and verifying messages, thereby enabling a wide range of use cases such as secure communication, authentication, and data integrity verification on the Pactus blockchain.

Specification

The proposed method for signing and verifying messages shall follow the following steps:

1. Sign Message:
   • Input: Message as string, Private key associated with Pactus account
   • Output: Signature as bytes
   • Procedure: Use the private key to generate a cryptographic signature for the input message.
2. Verify Signature:
   • Input: Message as string, Signature as bytes, Public key associated with Pactus account
   • Output: Boolean indicating the validity of the signature
   • Procedure: Use the public key to verify the authenticity of the signature for the input message.

Example

• Create signature:

function(message string, private_key []bytes) []bytes

• Verify sigature:

function(message string, signature []bytes, public_key string) bool

Backward Compatibility

This proposal introduces a new feature to the Pactus blockchain and does not impact existing functionalities or data structures within the network. Existing applications and systems operating on the Pactus blockchain can seamlessly adopt the proposed message signing and verification mechanism without requiring any modifications.

Security

The security of this proposal hinges on the strength and reliability of the cryptographic algorithms employed for signing and verifying messages. It is imperative to utilize well-established cryptographic standards and libraries to mitigate the risk of signature forgery and unauthorized access. Furthermore, stringent measures should be implemented to safeguard private keys and prevent unauthorized disclosure, as the compromise of a private key could lead to unauthorized message signing and potential security vulnerabilities within the Pactus blockchain network.

Copyright

Copyright and related rights waived via CC0.