Parasite Inside Verification Key Free -

We present a novel class of vulnerabilities in zero-knowledge proof systems where a maliciously crafted verification key contains an embedded "parasite" — a hidden relation that allows an adversary to generate valid proofs for false statements. Unlike traditional backdoors, our attack requires no separate secret key or external parameter ("key free"). We demonstrate the attack on a simplified zk-SNARK and discuss mitigations.

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  • Consistency checks vs. reference implementations: compare outputs across independent verifiers and implementations.
  • Fuzzing parsers and format validators: find malformed-VK parsing behaviors.
  • Canonical serialization & canonical validation: ensure all participants load exact same bytes and verify signatures or checksums.
  • Cross-checks with proofs: generate known-valid proofs from independent key material and ensure verification success rates match expectations.
  • Formal verification of verifier code: ensure verifier logic cannot be hijacked by VK structure.