Dr Man Ho Allen Au is an associate professor at the Department of Computer Science of HKU. Before joining HKU, he was an associate professor in the Department of Computing of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University during which he helps established the PolyU-MonashU-Collinstar Capital Joint Laboratory on Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Technologies, the first university-industry joint research laboratory on blockchain in Hong Kong and served as its founding co-director. Dr Au’s research interests include information security, cryptography, blockchain technology, and their applications. He has published over 170 refereed papers in top journals and conferences, including CRYPTO, ASIACRYPT, ACM CCS, ACM SIGMOD, NDSS, IEEE TIFS, TC, TKDE, etc. He is a recipient of the 2009 PET runner-up award for outstanding research in privacy-enhancing technologies.
Dr Au’s research has generated significant social and economic impact. His digital signature technology has been used in the Hyperledger Fabric project, the most popular blockchain infrastructure supported by big industry players like IBM, Intel, and SAP. He is a general co-chair of ACM ASIACCS 2021 and an expert member of the ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 27 working group 2 – Cryptography and security mechanisms.
Title: History and Recent Advances in Blockchain-Enabled Cryptocurrencies
Abstract:
Created in 2008, Bitcoin has led to renewed interest in digital currencies. In this talk, the speaker will introduce blockchain, the core technology behind Bitcoin and many other cryptocurrencies. We will review the latest development in the area and talk about technical challenges in security, privacy, and efficiency. Then, we will discuss how various techniques in cryptography help address these challenges and discuss attacks that circumvent various cryptographic protection mechanisms. Topics covered include statistical attacks, ring signatures, and zero-knowledge proofs. We will also discuss how technology can help in regulating cryptocurrencies. Finally, we will conclude the talk with insights developed from our experience.
