The term “honest-but-curious” describes an imaginary adversary in secure multi-party computation. (MPC). Assuming some kind of secure protocol, this adversary performs its actions correctly, but tries to find out as much information as possible. This may include collaborating with other parties to gain more information.[1]
This model is useful in designing secure protocols. I also find the term an apt description of what we do when we’re at our best: Honest, cooperative, and relentlessly curious about the world and each other.
I am in no way an expert in MPC. My knowledge of it comes from my last six months at Amazon Web Services. If you’re interested, I recommend starting with the PDF linked below.
[1] David Evans, Vladimir Kolesnikov and Mike Rosulek, A Pragmatic Introduction to Secure Multi-Party Computation. 2022. https://securecomputation.org/docs/pragmaticmpc.pdf. Accessed 15 Sep. 2024.