Zero-Knowledge Proofs & Key Isolation

Cipher: Zero-Knowledge Cryptographic Handshake System

Cipher integrates a cryptographic handshake system rooted in zero-knowledge proof principles to secure key derivation without requiring either party to transmit sensitive information. This approach ensures that users can validate shared secrets — and derive encryption keys — without ever exposing or exchanging them.

Zero-Knowledge AES Derivation

The AES overlay in Cipher is deterministically derived via a cascade hashing mechanism combining two components:

• The structured channel passphrase, hashed locally

• The shared ECDH secret, created by cross-referencing the sender’s and recipient’s public-private key pairs

The output of this hashing cascade becomes the AES key, which is never stored, never transmitted, and never exists in memory beyond active session runtime. The process guarantees that both parties can derive the exact same AES key without directly sharing it or any private credential.

Key Isolation by Layer

Cipher’s polymorphic substitution cascade introduces a unique model of key isolation:

• Stateless: no session or token management required

• Local: all keys are derived and used locally

• Ephemeral: all session data is purged on reset, refresh, or closure

Each substitution layer operates independently, encrypted and decrypted without reference to any global secret or master key. This ensures that key compromise in one context cannot propagate to others. Each channel, each user, each message — all remain cryptographically distinct and irreducible.