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This step will enable Polys to operate faster, process large-scale voting, and provide more tailored capabilities for customers. The new framework also allows the implementation of more sophisticated end-to-end verifiability as well as stronger anonymization and encryption algorithms.

The immutable and decentralized nature of blockchain makes it a perfect technology for orchestrating joint decision-making online. It guarantees that nobody can covertly tamper with votes. However, the speed of transactions of many blockchain frameworks is limited. In particular, one Polys use-case Ethereum can handle about 100-200 transactions per second, while Visa can process about 45,000. The low productivity of a distributed ledger can be a barrier for large-scale projects.

To overcome this limitation, Polys migrated from a private blockchain network based on the Ethereum protocol to Exonum. This open-source, enterprise-grade framework, developed by Bitfury, uses its custom consensus algorithm, which enables faster operations. As Exonum supports Rust programming language, the logic of Polys’ smart contracts can be executed without a virtual machine. This also benefits platform productivity, so it can process up to 5,000 transactions per second with a latency of 0.5 seconds.

The increased performance allows Polys to implement stronger elliptic-curve cryptography to encrypt a voter’s choice. By default, the key for decryption is stored by the voting organizer, but Polys can provide an option where it is shared between several organizations using verifiable secret sharing or distributed key generation mechanisms. The updated architecture also allows for quick development and implementation of encryption schemes that a customer needs, for example, to comply with a regulator’s requirements.

Polys can also provide anonymization through a blind signature scheme. This means the voting system verifies that a vote was sent by a person who is authorized to participate in the election. However, it cannot link the ballot to an exact voter or reveal his or her choice. The blind signature approach provides a more reliable method of anonymization, which is guaranteed by mathematical algorithms and does not rely on the responsibility of any third party. The signing service is hosted alongside Polys’ existing services by default. By request, it can be hosted in a customer’s environment or the system can support a multi-signature scheme that involves several organizations.

Exonum includes a light client that allowed Polys to create cryptographic evidence that bulletins are stored in the blockchain. This function is used for end-to-end verification and ensures that an election process is performed without vote rigging.

In addition to security enhancements, with the recent update, Polys can respond to specific customer needs faster. As the chosen framework is highly customizable and allows easy updating of the logic of smart contracts, Polys developers can quickly add new features if requested.

“With the shift to a new framework and modular approach to the platform, Polys can support various customer voting scenarios, while ensuring the security of the process. Our architecture allows us to quickly implement cryptography methods as a customer requires it, integrate any voter authentication mechanism, and easily introduce custom ballots, such as one for a referendum with several questions,” comments Alexander Sazonov, Head of Product, Polys.

More information about the Polys update is available in a whitepaper.

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Polys switches to Exonum blockchain framework to increase productivity and enhance voting security

Polys, a blockchain-based voting tool from the Kaspersky Innovation Hub, has migrated to the Exonum blockchain framework.
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