OTAK-NES: A Blockchain Security Architecture for Non-Exposure of Long-Term Authorization Keys

Eliminating public signature exposure of an account when sending a transaction to the network, in order to shift the threat model from the entire account and all assets under its control to the specific transaction and the specific asset being transferred — using the OTAK-NES security architecture — is now available to the community.

Preventing threats based on the exposure of private-key signatures of an account when sending a transaction to the network, and reducing the risk of exposing the assets held by those keys, is now implementable on blockchain networks based on the OTAK-NES architecture.

Protection of transactions during on‑network validation can be achieved through different approaches:

1. Post‑Quantum Signatures: This model increases computational hardness, but it cannot, by itself, shift the threat model from the entire account to a specific transaction.

2. OTAK‑NES Architecture: In addition to shifting the threat model from the level of all assets under control to the level of the specific asset being transferred, OTAK‑NES takes an important step in advancing blockchain security. Beyond this, the architecture contributes to reducing the risk of public signature exposure on the blockchain in several other important ways, including but not limited to:

. Using one‑time Child Keys derived from Access Keys, so that every operational signature is performed with an operational key that is independent of the account's long‑term authorization keys.
. Ensuring that a compromised Child Key does not, by itself, expose the Access Key or any other Child Key.
. Preventing reuse of Child Keys and reducing the risk of replay attacks through mandatory sequential Child Key indexing.
. Preventing nonce reuse issues at the level of each operational key, by using each Child Key exactly once.
. Limiting the impact of any potential exposure from the entire account level to a single key and a specific transaction, so that the exposure of one operational key does not, by itself, compromise the private key with access to the entire account's assets.

This architecture, designed with long‑term blockchain security objectives in mind, is now ready to enter the formal review and acceptance process as a Pull Request, following the completion of the revision period and subject to positive feedback from security experts. We always welcome technical feedback, comments, and suggestions.

The issue contains a proposal for the OTAK-NES blockchain security architecture but names no files, tests, or implementation entry points. Start by reviewing the architecture description and the existing formal review and acceptance process for TRON Improvement Proposals. Completion criteria are not defined beyond submitting the architecture for review and receiving positive security feedback.