Enhancing Group Communication Security with Zero-Knowledge Authentication, Ephemeral ECDH, and Intent-Aware Encryption

In this paper, we propose a secure group messaging framework that integrates modern cryptographic primitives to ensure confidentiality, integrity, forward secrecy, and controlled message usage within group communication environments. Our system leverages Zero-Knowledge Proof-based authentication, ephemeral Elliptic Curve Diffie-Hellman (ECDH) key exchange for session key derivation, and AES-GCM for authenticated en- cryption. Furthermore, we introduce an intent-aware encryption layer, allowing message senders to specify access policies and intended usage for each message. The system ensures that even in the event of key compromise, past communications remain secure, and misuse of sensitive data can be programmatically restricted. Performance evaluations and security analyses demonstrate the protocol’s robustness and practical feasibility for secure group messaging applications.