DD Podcast Cryptography - Beyond Cryptographic Routing (english)

This audio podcast about the book “Beyond Cryptographic Routing - Era of Exponential Encryption” [ISBN: 9783748169376] describes the Echo protocol, a decentralized network protocol that differs from traditional routing systems and is intended to usher in a new era of encryption. The echo protocol is based on the concept of “flooding”, where messages are sent to all connected nodes, eliminating the need for routing in the traditional form. This makes metadata analysis more difficult and thus provides greater anonymity and security. The paper examines the advantages of the Echo protocol compared to existing mix networks such as Tor and I2P, particularly in terms of protection against quantum computing attacks. It also examines the impact of the “Era of Exponential Encryption” on various areas such as society, law, politics and the economy and makes recommendations for the further development and dissemination of the Echo protocol. Reference: Beyond Cryptographic Routing: The Echo Protocol in the new Era of Exponential Encryption (EEE), by Mele Gasakis & Max Schmidt, 2018. How does the Echo protocol differ from classic mix networks such as Tor and I2P? ## **The Echo protocol compared to mix networks such as Tor and I2P** The Echo protocol is fundamentally different from classic mix networks such as Tor and I2P. While mix networks aim to disguise a user's IP address by routing data packets through various intermediate nodes (proxies), the Echo protocol takes a different approach. Here are the main differences: * **Encryption:** In the Echo protocol, all data packets are **encrypted**. Tor and I2P also use encryption, but this is primarily to protect the data as it travels through the network and not necessarily to protect the identity of the user. * Routing:** Unlike mix networks, which use routing tables to direct data packets along a defined path, the Echo protocol does not use routing information. Instead, each node in the network forwards a data packet to **all** its connected nodes. This concept is known as **flooding**. **Graph theory:** The way data packets are routed through the network differs in terms of graph theory. In mix networks such as Tor, a data packet follows a **linear** path through the network. In the Echo network, on the other hand, a data packet is distributed **exponentially** to all connected nodes, making it much more difficult to analyze the data flow and identify the sender and receiver. * Metadata analysis:** Due to the flooding character of the echo protocol, metadata analysis, i.e. the analysis of information about who is communicating with whom, is greatly hindered. Since each data packet is sent to all connected nodes, it is difficult for an attacker to determine who the actual recipient of a message is. * Quantum computing:** The Echo protocol offers greater security than networks based solely on the RSA algorithm by supporting algorithms such as NTRU and McEliece, which are considered more resistant to quantum computing attacks. **To summarize, the Echo protocol offers greater anonymity and security than classic mixed networks such as Tor and I2P due to its lack of routing information, the encryption of all data packets and the flooding character.**