Type: Key management technology
Lockness aims to establish a new open source ecosystem focused on key management and digital signature protocols, including technologies like Multi-Party Computation (MPC), Threshold Signature Schemes (TSS), Hardware Security Modules (HSM) and other state-of-the-art protocols in public key cryptography and cryptographic modules.
The Lockness project is the first under the Linux Foundation to bring together high-quality, publicly available technology for key management. Our goal is to reduce the number of random protocols used by companies in sensitive, highly regulated industries. Instead, we aim to standardize and promote peer-reviewed, vetted, and battle-tested solutions under trustworthy product management procedures to ensure reliable maintenance, along with expert legal teams to guarantee codebase compliance.
New technologies are reshaping critical systems like transport layer security (TLS) for secure web browsing, code signing for software integrity or the infrastructure behind digital wallets and blockchains. Lockness aims to be a key player in centralizing and promoting the most reliable methods, research, and tools to help the industry align on how to advance the cryptographic frameworks for companies in finance and other sensitive sectors.
Lockness offers workshops that cover the latest advancements in public key cryptography, cryptographic hardware modules, secure enclaves or encryption technologies such as FHE and AES. These sessions help researchers and engineers enhance system security. At Lockness, you can organize and attend workshops, use audited open source libraries, contribute or submit your own work, share knowledge, and stay updated on the newest innovations in a trusted environment.
To get involved with the Lockness project, visit the Lockness Github repository and the Lockness channels on LF Decentralized Trust’s Discord server.
Here are some application examples:
Finance & Banking:
- Secure Payment Transactions: HSMs protect keys for digital payments.
- Data Encryption: AES secures financial records and transactions.
- Authentication Systems: Public key cryptography supports multi-factor authentication.
- Private Computations: MPC enables secure financial data processing without sharing raw data.
- Confidential Banking: TEEs and secure enclaves protect sensitive operations in banking apps.
Blockchain & Digital Assets:
- Cryptocurrency Wallets: Public key cryptography protects private keys.
- Multi-Signature Wallets: HSMs and TSS manage wallets requiring multiple signatures.
- Onchain Security: MPC secures decentralized finance transactions and governance.
- Confidential Contracts: TEEs and FHE protect sensitive smart contract data on blockchain.
Enterprise & Cloud Security:
- Encrypted Data Storage: Public key cryptography secures cloud-stored data.
- Secure Collaboration: Encryption ensures safe document sharing and communication.
- Distributed Key Management: MPC distributes control of keys among stakeholders.
- Confidential Computing: FHE enables encrypted data analytics in the cloud.
- Software Update Verification: HSMs and TSS ensure secure updates for enterprise software.
Government & Defense:
- Classified Data Protection: FIPS-certified modules secure sensitive government data.
- Encrypted Communications: Public key cryptography protects defense communication channels.
- Identity Management: PKI systems enable secure authentication for government personnel.
- Secure Voting: MPC ensures confidentiality and integrity in digital voting systems.
Healthcare:
- Medical Data Privacy: AES and public key encryption protect patient records.
- Telemedicine Security: Encrypted communications safeguard virtual consultations.
- Secure IoT Devices: Public key cryptography and TEE secure medical devices from breaches.
- Confidential Research: FHE allows private data analysis for medical research.
Telecommunications & IoT:
- Device Authentication: Public key cryptography secures IoT connections.
- Encrypted Communications: Protect messaging and VoIP with encryption.
- Secure Firmware Updates: HSMs and TSS verify IoT software updates.
- IoT Data Privacy: MPC ensures secure data processing between IoT devices.
Technology & Software Development:
- Code Signing: Public key cryptography verifies software authenticity.
- Secure APIs: Encryption protects API communications.
- Secure Software Distribution: TSS and HSMs enable verified software releases.
- Distributed Authentication: MPC ensures secure authentication across multiple servers.
