XMSS: eXtended Merkle Signature Scheme

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Publisher: IETF
Doc Type: Informational
Pages: 74
Abstract: This note describes the eXtended Merkle Signature Scheme (XMSS), a hash-based digital signature system that is based on existing descriptions in scientific literature. This note specifies Winternitz One-Time Signature Plus (WOTS+), a one-time signature scheme; XMSS, a single-tree scheme; and XMSS^MT, a multi-tree variant of XMSS. Both XMSS and XMSS^MT use WOTS+ as a main building block. XMSS provides cryptographic digital signatures without relying on the conjectured hardness of mathematical problems. Instead, it is proven that it only relies on the properties of cryptographic hash functions. XMSS provides strong security guarantees and is even secure when the collision resistance of the underlying hash function is broken. It is suitable for compact implementations, is relatively simple to implement, and naturally resists side-channel attacks. Unlike most other signature systems, hash-based signatures can so far withstand known attacks using quantum computers.
Publication Date: 2018-05-01
Status Note: Informational
DOI: 10.17487/RFC8391
ISSN: 2070-1721
Link: https://doi.org/10.17487/RFC8391
Author(s): Andreas Huelsing
Denis Butin
Stefan-Lukas Gazdag
Joost Rijneveld
Aziz Mohaisen
Keyword(s): Digital Signature, Cryptography, Post-quantum Cryptography, Hash-based Signatures, Merkle Signatures, Merkle Tree, Hash Function, Winternitz, Winternitz One-time Signature Scheme, W-OTS, W-OTS+, XMSS-MT, Multi-tree XMSS

Latest version of IETF RFC 8391

Document Versions — IETF RFC 8391

▶ IETF RFC 8391 (2018-05-01)

THIS DOC [ACTIVE] [LATEST VERSION]

Normative Reference(s)

NIST FIPS 180-4 [Active]
NIST.FIPS.202 — FIPS202 EXTERNAL
IETF RFC 2119 [Active*]
RFC4506 — RFC4506 EXTERNAL
RFC8126 — RFC8126 EXTERNAL
RFC8174 — RFC8174 EXTERNAL

Bibliographic Reference(s)

10.1007-978-3-540-88403-3_5 — BDS08 EXTERNAL
10.1007-978-3-540-88702-7_3 — BDS09 EXTERNAL
10.1007-978-3-642-25405-5_8 — BDH11 EXTERNAL
10.1007-978-3-642-38553-7_10 — Huelsing13 EXTERNAL
10.1007-978-3-642-40588-4_14 — HRB13 EXTERNAL
10.1007-978-3-662-46800-5_15 — BHH15 EXTERNAL
10.1007-978-3-662-49384-7_15 — HRS16 EXTERNAL
10.26083-tuprints-00003651 — Huelsing13a EXTERNAL
10.48550-arXiv.1409.4081 — KMN14 EXTERNAL
IETF.draft-mcgrew-hash-sigs-11 — MCF18 EXTERNAL
ISBN.9780835713849 — Merkle83 EXTERNAL

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Referenced By

IETF RFC 9231 [Active*]