Verifiable random function

Silvio Micali, Michael Rabin and Salil Vadhan originally developed the concept of verifiable random functions. Verifiable random functions are public key-versions of keyed cryptographic hashes. This means that anyone with a public key can verify the correctness of any hash that was created by holders of secret keys and their computed hashes. The ability to publicly verify the correctness of hash calculations without a way to discover the secret key makes verifiable random functions useful for preventing dictionary attacks on data structures that are hash based. Verifiable random functions are used in applications requiring key transparency, Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC) , and cryptocurrencies.