Distributed key generation

<p>Distributed key generation (DKG) is a cryptographic process in which multiple parties contribute to the calculation of a shared public and private key set.  Unlike most <a href="/facts/Public_key_infrastructure/7fwMLxF4">public key encryption</a> models, distributed key generation does not rely on <a href="/facts/Trusted_third_party/VdPm949G">Trusted Third Parties</a>.  Instead, the participation of a <a href="/facts/Threshold_cryptosystem/4KKvNxW8">threshold</a> of honest parties determines whether a key pair can be computed successfully.  Distributed key generation prevents single parties from having access to a private key.  The involvement of many parties requires Distributed key generation to ensure secrecy in the presence of <a href="/facts/Adversary_(cryptography)/X211CFfE">malicious</a> contributions to the key calculation.
</p><p>Distributed key generation is commonly used to decrypt shared <a href="/facts/Ciphertext/luNTs4sY">ciphertexts</a> or create group <a href="/facts/Digital_signature/tY7e2pnW">digital signatures</a>.
</p>

Distributed key generation open-in-new

Distributed key generation