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What are the uses of shared cipher texts and signatures?

is flag

In Distributed Key Generation(DKG), why is there a need to actually create a master secret which can then derive into a single public and private keypair(for signatures) and a secret key(encryption)?

I would like experts here to explain to me (explain in a layman's way) because it seems to me that having a master secret to both encrypt/decrypt and signs messages are not that recommended in terms of security?

SAI Peregrinus avatar
si flag
What's DKG? I'm not aware of any secure system where it's meaningful to use the same key for encrypting as for signing. Encrypting almost always uses a symmetric (shared secret) key, signing always (by definition) uses (the private key of) an asymmetric key pair. Those usually have very different structure, e.g. trying to use an AES-256 key for RSASSA-PSS signing is about as practical as trying to use a herring to cut down the largest tree in a forest!
Hern avatar
is flag
@SAIPeregrinus sorry for not telling what DKG is but i stumble across the articles that DKG was used primarily in blockchain. Maybe DKG has changed as time progresses, my question lies in the sharing or creating a master secret. What's the exact purpose to create a master secret that all nodes has access to? The master secret can either be use in encryption or signing purposes (master signature keypair/ master symmetric key).
Hern avatar
is flag
Because in my humble opinion.., i just feels like everyone group together to create a master secret in a network like blockchain seems to be against "trustless". It brings questions like .... can we trust all the nodes to not sign the messages without proper permissions and if all nodes can encrypt/decrypt using one master secret isn't it literally the same as any centralized key management system or cloud encryption?
picotard avatar
in flag
The master secret can never actually be derived by one party in DKG. The shares are used in a distributed way to perform signatures.
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