On Algorithms for Searching a Consistent Set of Shares in a Threshold Scheme and the Related Covering Problem

Raylin Tsot1, Ying Miao2, Eiji Okamotolt3
1raylin@cipher.risk.tsukuba.ac.jp
2miao@risk.tsukuba.ac.jp
3okamoto@risk.tsukuba.ac.jp

Abstract

In the Shamir \( (k,n) \) threshold scheme, if one or more of the \( n \) shares are fake, then the secret may not be reconstructed correctly by some sets of \( k \) shares. Supposing that at most \( t \) of the \( n \) shares are fake, Rees et al. (1999) described two algorithms to determine consistent sets of shares so that the secret can be reconstructed correctly from \( k \) shares in any of these consistent sets. In their algorithms, no honest participant can be absent and at least \( n – t \) shares should be pooled during the secret reconstruction phase. In this paper, we propose a modified algorithm for this problem so that the number of participants taking part in the secret reconstruction can be reduced to \( k + 2t \) and the shares need to be pooled can be reduced to, in the best case, \( k + t \), and less than or equal to \( k + 2t \) in the others. Its performance is evaluated. A construction for \( t \)-coverings, which play key roles in these algorithms, is also provided.

Keywords: algorithm; consistent set; covering; threshold scheme.