A novel approach to privacy and traceability using attribute-based signature in decentralized identifier

Abstract

This paper proposes a novel scheme that enhances privacy and ensures accountability by mitigating signature-based correlation risks in decentralized identifiers (DIDs). Existing DIDs often rely on traditional digital signatures, making them vulnerable to attacks that link user identities across transactions. Our proposed scheme leverages attribute-based signatures (ABS) to provide anonymous authentication, preventing such correlation and protecting user privacy. To deter the abuse of anonymity, it incorporates a traceability mechanism, enabling authorized entities to trace a user’s DID when necessary. The scheme’s security, including anonymity and traceability, is formally proven under the random oracle model.