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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.

VariantNIST LevelPublic KeySecret KeySignatureNote
MAYO-1 / MAYO-2 / MAYO-3 / MAYO-5L51,168 B24 B321 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-addressable
Pure-JavaScript reference; cross-verification secondary on Maximum + Government tiers.
@cuilabs/liboqs-native
non-addressable
Native-C primary production engine. Runs across every QNSP backend service.
View live ACVP evidence →

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

FAQ

MAYO — frequently asked questions

Concise, source-of-truth answers to the questions buyers and engineers ask most about this algorithm.

What is MAYO?

MAYO (Multivariate Quadratic Signatures (MAYO)) is a multivariate post-quantum digital signature scheme. It is designed to resist attacks from both classical and quantum computers, and QNSP ships 1 of its parameter sets.

Is MAYO NIST-standardized?

MAYO is not a finalized NIST FIPS standard. QNSP ships it as a non-FIPS post-quantum option, typically to add an independent cryptographic assumption (multivariate) alongside the FIPS-standardized ML-KEM and ML-DSA for defence-in-depth.

What is MAYO used for?

On QNSP, MAYO is used for Compact signatures with small public key; Research and migration analysis. It is available from the default crypto-policy tier upward via the liboqs provider.

References

Primary sources