Peer-to-Peer file sharing is an efficient, scalable method of distributing digital content. However, current protocols provide little privacy as users’ activities can easily be determined through traffic monitoring. OblivP2P is a novel protocol addressing this issue by combining techniques of private information retrieval with seed homomorphic encryption to effectively construct a distributed oblivious RAM. However, its threat model is limited and assumes a trusted central server. We aim to generalize the system by relaxing this assumption while also improving resilience to other kinds of threats. Moreover, while scalable, the current system has high performance overheads which might be reduced by switching to more efficient cryptographic primitives or exploring alternate constructions.

I am participating in SuperUROP because I wish to gain experience working on novel problems in security and privacy while learning more about cryptography and oblivious communication systems. I hope to apply the skills developed through my background in theoretical computer science as well as my applied cryptography experience from taking 6.857 to this project.