Universal Composability is Secure Compilation

Summary

Universal composability is a framework for the specification and analysis of cryptographic protocols with a strong compositionality guarantee: UC protocols are secure even when composed with other protocols. Secure compilation tells whether compiled programs are as secure as their source-level counterparts, no matter what target-level code they interact with. These two disciplines are studied in isolation, but we believe there is a deeper connection between them with benefits from both worlds to reap. This paper outlines the connection between universal composability and robust compilation, the latest of secure compilation theories. We show how to read the universal composability theorem in terms of a robust compilation theorem and vice-versa. This, in turn, shows which elements of one theory corresponds to which element in the other theory. We believe this is the first step towards understanding how can secure compilation theories be used in universal composability settings and vice-versa.