Authentication System Based on Zero-Knowledge Proof Employing the Rabin Cryptosystem and a Secret Sharing Schema

Passwords play a significant role in the authentication process for web applications. These applications are widely employed to deliver a diverse range of crucial services, making their security a top priority. Due to their regular usage and essential nature, passwords are very vulnerable to theft or unauthorized access through the process of guesswork. This paper presents a groundbreaking authentication system aimed at tackling the security issues commonly linked to traditional password-based authentication in web applications. The system leverages a combination of zero-knowledge proof (ZKP), the Rabin cryptosystem, and a secret sharing schema to bolster security and safeguard user privacy. During the registration phase, user passwords are fragmented into shares, distributed across multiple databases, and subsequently reassembled during authentication as an additional layer of security. ZKP facilitates password verification without the need to transmit sensitive information, while the Rabin cryptosystem adds an additional layer of complexity to key generation. The proposed approach offers heightened security and mitigates the risk of data breaches. NIST testing has confirmed the randomness of the generated keys, while time testing has demonstrated their efficient performance. The results underscore the system's effectiveness in delivering secure and efficient web application authentication while ensuring the protection of user data.