AmericanFortress has published research proposing a new zero-knowledge framework to prove that multiple blockchain addresses share a common cryptographic origin. This new approach aims to establish links between different public values without ever revealing the underlying wallet secrets.
Addressing the 'Same Source' limitation in ZK-POSP
The existing ZK-POSP (Zero Knowledge Proofs of Seed Provenance) method has long been able to demonstrate that a single public key was correctly generated from hidden material. However,as the AmericanFortress paper points out, it lacked the ability to establish a relationship between multiple public values. this limitation meant that while a user could prove they owned a key, they could not easily prove they owned both Key A and Key B if those keys were used on different chains or branches, without risking the exposure of the master seed.
To solve this, the new framework introduces three distinct methods for linking values. A joint proof can be used when a relationship requires immediate verification. For scenarios requiring later linkage, randomized commitments allow separately generated proofs to be connected at a subsequent stage . Finally, the paper proposes deterministic, hash-derived tags to provide a form of persistent public linkability.
Linking Bitcoin's secp256k1 to Solana via shared secrets
One of the most significant breakthroughs involves cross-chain interoperability. The framework proposes a way to bridge different cryptographic schemes, such as Bitcoin's secp256k1 and Solana's Ed25519. According to the research, a verifier could confirm that a Bitcoin source address and a Solana destination address originate from the same hidden seed before a transaction is finalized.
This capability could extend to various institutional use cases, including privacy-preserving address verification, institutional custody, and wallet recovery. It also offers a solution for key rotation, allowing relationships between old and newly derived values to be established without exposing the underlying key material.
Reducing proof generation from 30 minutes to 6.65 seconds
Performance has historically been a major hurdle for zero-knowledge systems. Earlier work involving ZK-POSP reportedly required over 30 minutes for proof generation. according to the AmericanFortress research,this new implementation slashes that time significantly. The paper's benchmarks report approximately 3.1 seconds for a pruned derivation proof and 6.65 seconds for a full-path proof. In a two-chain birdge scenario, the total time to generate two full-path proofs is roughly 13.3 seconds.
Verification is even more efficient, with individual pruned proofs taking roughly 253 milliseconds and full-path proofs taking 475 milliseconds. The report notes, however, that these performance figures are benchmarks for this specific research implementation rather than universal measurements for all blockchain environments.
The uncertainty of selective disclosure for exchange compliance
The research outlines potential compliance applications, such as using persistent provenance tags to help exchanges recognize deposits from previously verified wallets. However, several questions remain unaddressed in the paper. it is unclear how these performance benchmarks will translate to broader , more complex, and highly congested blockchain environments. Additionally, the paper does not clarify if the proposed selective-disclosure mechanisms will meet the stringent, evolving requirements of global financial regulators regarding AML and KYC standards.
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