The Exact Memory-Rate Tradeoff for Three-User Secure Coded Caching

Abstract

We determine the exact zero-error memory-rate tradeoff for secure coded caching with three users and any number $N\ge2$ of independent files. Each user recovers its requested file, while its cache and the broadcast jointly reveal no information about the complete tuple of unrequested files. For $N\ge4$, two converse inequalities establish the optimality of the known achievable points and the memory-sharing segments between them. For $N=3$, two additional bounds identify a new corner at $(M,R)=(3/2,2)$, where memory and rate are measured in file units. An explicit linear code over $\mathbb{F}_3$ attains this corner and reduces the rate by one quarter of a file relative to memory sharing between the known points. The converse links the information held by cache pairs and triples to delivery under repeated and distinct requests. Its equality conditions guide the construction: users cancel the keys to recover their requested files, while uniform masking protects the complete tuple of unrequested files.