Accountable Encryption
Accountable encryption ensures that key leaks can be traced to a specific responsible party by embedding user-specific ciphertext marks with watermarking or fingerprinting techniques.
Purpose
It provides attribution in key-leakage incidents and deters insiders from leaking keys or ciphertexts.
Mechanism
Each user receives a fingerprinted key variant or a watermarked ciphertext; any leaked key or ciphertext carries that fingerprint and is traced back to its owner. It complements traitor tracing.
Use cases
- Key-leakage attribution
- Insider-threat deterrence
- Digital rights management