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But while its concrete definition \u2014 and indisputable arrival \u2014 remain pending, one for-sure consensus is that this next iteration of the World Wide Web will effectively eliminate the password. No more coming up with unique passwords<\/a> containing a confusing mix of upper and lowercase letters, numbers and special characters.\u00a0<\/p>\n
So, then, how will we access it? And how will we know that that access is secure?\u00a0<\/p>\n
The key, according to experts, is next-level authentication methods enabled by zero-knowledge encryption and proofs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\u201cZero-knowledge encryption is a fundamental technology for realizing the potential of Web3,\u201d said Alex Pruden, CEO of privacy platform provider Aleo<\/a>. \u201cThis is the most important new technology that no one is paying attention to. From identity to machine learning<\/a>, from commerce to gaming, (zero knowledge) will change the way we interact online.\u201d<\/p>\n
But what is zero-knowledge encryption?<\/h2>\n
With zero-knowledge encryption, data is secured with unique user keys. Admins and developers do not know them or have access to them, meaning that no one but the user can access their encrypted files, Pruden explained.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This is enabled through zero-knowledge proofs<\/a>, which can \u201cverifiably prove\u201d that a statement is true without disclosing the underlying information. Unlike more familiar forms of encryption \u2014 such as end-to-end models used in private messaging apps, by which only users and senders can view information \u2014 zero-knowledge cryptography allows for information to be \u201cprivate and usable at the same time,\u201d said Pruden.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He offered what he described as a \u201ctrivial example\u201d of the concept: You can prove that you know the solution to a sudoku puzzle without revealing just how you know it.\u00a0Or, you can simply give a \u201cyes\u201d or \u201cno\u201d answer to the question of whether you are over age 18 \u2014 without having to reveal your actual age or birthday.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This allows for a \u201cmore granular set of use cases\u201d than traditional encryption, said Pruden; it can answer the question, \u201cHow can I prove a fact about something without revealing the something?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith a zero-knowledge proof, you can verify that you\u2019re a trusted individual without exposing any information about yourself,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Pruden ultimately called the method \u201cextremely well suited\u201d to identity verification in Web3<\/a>, because it protects individuals and the various systems that organizations must keep secure.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And\u2026what exactly is Web3?<\/h2>\n
While the Web3 framework is still a work in progress, its premise was coined by Gavin Wood, cofounder of Ethereum<\/a>. It is what is known as \u201cread-write-own,\u201d according to the decentralized open-source<\/a> blockchain, \u201cembraces decentralization and is being built, operated and owned by its users.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gartner similarly identifies Web3 as \u201ca new stack of technologies built on blockchain protocols that support the development of decentralized web applications and enable users to control their own identity, content and data.\u201d<\/p>\n
These include privacy-preserving protocols, decentralized governance and decentralized application platforms, explained Avivah Litan, Gartner distinguished research VP.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese innovations will eventually support a decentralized web that will integrate with the current Web 2.0 we use every day,\u201d she writes.<\/p>\n
Ultimately, Web3 supports user ownership of data and algorithms through decentralized identity (DCI) constructs, tokenization and self-hosted wallets, she explained. DCI uses decentralized computing, which leverages zero-knowledge proofs and \u201cleast privilege.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
This means that users \u201ccan assert aspects of their identity\u201d without sharing data. \u201cThis will increase the focus on and awareness of privacy,\u201d Litan writes, \u201cwith users having control and making conscious decisions about which identity attributes are being shared with service providers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Several disruptive benefits<\/h2>\n
And, in the long term, a \u201cportable and reusable\u201d DCI that enables privacy and security \u201cwill be a required building block of the transition away from Web2 toward Web3 and to enable interoperability across emerging metaverse<\/a> environments,\u201d writes Litan.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ultimately, Gartner predicts that by 2027, social media platforms will shift from a \u201ccustomer as product\u201d to a \u201cplatform as customer\u201d model of decentralized identity.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe current paradigm of users having to prove their identity repeatedly across online services is not efficient, scalable or secure,\u201d Gartner stated in its report on top predictions for IT organizations and users in 2023 and beyond.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Web3<\/a> enables new decentralized identity standards with \u201cseveral disruptive benefits,\u201d according to Gartner, including giving users more control over what data they share, ultimately removing the need for repeated identity proofing across services and supporting common authentication services.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Zero-knowledge encryption in Web3<\/h2>\n
Pruden pointed to pervasive database hacks that compromise login information, financial information and other personally identifiable information (PII).<\/p>\n
It\u2019s these \u201choneypots\u201d of valuable data that decentralized identity aims to eliminate, he said. Transforming this existing model, logins can simply require zero-knowledge proofs that verify credentials; and payments can be completed without handing over credit card or other sensitive banking or financial data.<\/p>\n
In the end, the user maintains ownership of their credentials and only provides proofs when they need to authenticate themselves for a given service, Pruden said.<\/p>\n
This is also a better model for organizations, he pointed out, because they no longer have the potential liability of maintaining and securing \u201cuser secrets.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
And, by incorporating zero-knowledge encryption into the infrastructural level of the decentralized internet, any applications will be able to incorporate privacy into their functions.<\/p>\n
In the same way that transparent layer security (TLS) encryption enables web commerce, \u201cthis is a key unlock,\u201d said Pruden.<\/p>\n
Zero knowledge does this for Web3, he said, \u201cbut also makes it possible for Web2 and Web3 to interoperate seamlessly.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\n Taryn Plumb<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Check out all the on-demand sessions from the Intelligent Security Summit here. But while its concrete definition \u2014 and indisputable arrival \u2014 remain pending, one for-sure consensus is that this next iteration of the World Wide Web will effectively eliminate the password. No more coming up with unique passwords containing a confusing mix of upper<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":608973,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4397,29452,46],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-608972","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-access","8":"category-controls","9":"category-technology"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/608972","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=608972"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/608972\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/608973"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=608972"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=608972"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=608972"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

Event<\/h3>\n\nIntelligent Security Summit On-Demand<\/span><\/p>\nLearn the critical role of AI & ML in cybersecurity and industry specific case studies. Watch on-demand sessions today.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n