| The increasing use of electronic channels for business has raised questions of how to verify the identity of the sender. Some answers may be found in the combination of number theory and zero-knowledge proofs. Large prime numbers, quadratic residues, and RSA cryptography unite to form a foundation for both interactive and noninteractive zero-knowledge proof systems. The mathematics are elementary, the cryptography is exciting, and the ability to prove something by giving away no information is fascinating. The two thousand year old history of number theory supports the cryptographic advances of the last three decades. |
