Digital Signature
MAYO
Multivariate Quadratic Signatures (MAYO)
non-FIPSmultivariate1 parameter setsQNSP tier: default+provider: liboqs
Multivariate quadratic signature scheme in the NIST PQC additional-signatures track. Short signatures and small public keys; trades signing speed against parameter size.
Mechanism
How it works
MAYO is based on the hardness of solving systems of multivariate quadratic polynomial equations (MQ problem). Uses the Whipping technique to amplify a weak underlying signature into a secure construction.
Parameter Sets
1 variants shipped
Each variant trades security category against key, ciphertext, or signature size. QNSP exposes all variants via the @cuilabs/liboqs-native binding; tenant crypto-policy determines which are allowed.
| Variant | NIST Level | Public Key | Secret Key | Signature | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MAYO-1 / MAYO-2 / MAYO-3 / MAYO-5 | L5 | 1,168 B | 24 B | 321 B |
NIST ACVP
Conformance evidence
QNSP runs the official NIST ACVP test vectors against every shipped algorithm. Live evidence + SHA-3-256 tamper digest at /verify/conformance.
@noble/post-quantum
non-addressablePure-JavaScript reference; cross-verification secondary on Maximum + Government tiers.
@cuilabs/liboqs-native
non-addressableNative-C primary production engine. Runs across every QNSP backend service.
Use Cases
When to use it
- Compact signatures with small public key
- Research and migration analysis
Trade-offs
What you give up, what you get
- Compact across all parameters
- Newer security analysis than lattice-based — fewer cryptanalysis-years
References