Blockchain-Powered Satellite Contributes to Ethereum Scaling
Zach Anderson Apr 05, 2023 08:15
Cryptosat, a blockchain-powered satellite orbiting Earth, has contributed entropy to the Ethereum KZG ceremony from space. The satellite's Verifiable Random Beacon service generated the entropy, which was signed by the satellite itself and can be verified using the public key of Crypto2. This contribution will strengthen the security of the next version of Ethereum, which is scheduled for an upgrade on April 12.
The Ethereum KZG ceremony is receiving a contributor from outer space as Cryptosat, a blockchain-powered satellite orbiting Earth, has contributed entropy to the Ethereum scaling effort. The satellite's Verifiable Random Beacon service generated the entropy, which was signed by the satellite itself and can be verified using the public key of Crypto2.
The Ethereum Foundation requested that users from all over the world contribute randomness to the KZG ceremony to strengthen the security of the next version of Ethereum. The KZG ceremony aims to provide a cryptographic foundation for Ethereum scaling.
The contribution from Cryptosat's space satellite will be viewable in real-time via a dashboard monitoring the satellite's trajectory and latest status. According to the announcement from Cryptosat, the satellite orbits Earth every 90 minutes following a remote course 550 km above ground, which makes it difficult for outside actors to gain access during the KZG contribution.
Cryptosat has a Verifiable Random Beacon service, which generates entropy for its contribution. Beacons from this service are signed by the satellite itself and can be verified using the public key of Crypto2, which was also generated in space. The commitment of entropy from Cryptostat's space satellite will be valuable for strengthening the security of the next version of Ethereum.
Cryptosat is one of the thousands of contributors to the KZG ceremony. The company's satellite, Crypto2, was launched into space on January 3 aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9. It was the successor to the first satellite launch of Crypto1 back in May. According to Cryptosat, the second satellite has 30 times the computing power of the first one.
Cryptosat's contribution to the KZG ceremony is part of the company's efforts to make outer space a "new battleground in the quest for bulletproof cryptography." The commitment of entropy from Cryptostat's space satellite will provide an added layer of security to the next version of Ethereum, which is scheduled for an upgrade on April 12.
Generating the parameters for the Ethereum KZG ceremony in a completely physically isolated environment has a lot of merit, according to Michalevsky, a security researcher at Cornell Tech. If leaked, the "toxic waste" could compromise "the integrity of the cryptographic scheme" on which the next version of Ethereum is based.
In conclusion, the contribution of entropy from Cryptosat's space satellite to the Ethereum KZG ceremony will strengthen the security of the next version of Ethereum, which is scheduled for an upgrade on April 12. The satellite's Verifiable Random Beacon service generated the entropy, which was signed by the satellite itself and can be verified using the public key of Crypto2. This contribution is part of Cryptosat's efforts to make outer space a new battleground in the quest for bulletproof cryptography.
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