Fast Algebraic Attacks and Decomposition of Symmetric Boolean Functions

Algebraic and fast algebraic attacks are power tools to analyze stream ciphers. A class of symmetric Boolean functions with maximum algebraic immunity were found vulnerable to fast algebraic attacks at EUROCRYPT'06. Recently, the notion of AAR (algebraic attack resistant) functions was introduced as a unified measure of protection against both classical algebraic and fast algebraic attacks. In this correspondence, we first give a decomposition of symmetric Boolean functions, then we show that almost all symmetric Boolean functions, including these functions with good algebraic immunity, behave badly against fast algebraic attacks, and we also prove that no symmetric Boolean functions are AAR functions. Besides, we improve the relations between algebraic degree and algebraic immunity of symmetric Boolean functions.Comment: 13 pages, submitted to IEEE Transactions on Information Theor

Algorithm 959: VBF: A Library of C plus plus Classes for Vector Boolean Functions in Cryptography

VBF is a collection of C++ classes designed for analyzing vector Boolean functions (functions that map a Boolean vector to another Boolean vector) from a cryptographic perspective. This implementation uses the NTL library from Victor Shoup, adding new modules that call NTL functions and complement the existing ones, making it better suited to cryptography. The class representing a vector Boolean function can be initialized by several alternative types of data structures such as Truth Table, Trace Representation, and Algebraic Normal Form (ANF), among others. The most relevant cryptographic criteria for both block and stream ciphers as well as for hash functions can be evaluated with VBF: it obtains the nonlinearity, linearity distance, algebraic degree, linear structures, and frequency distribution of the absolute values of the Walsh Spectrum or the Autocorrelation Spectrum, among others. In addition, operations such as equality testing, composition, inversion, sum, direct sum, bricklayering (parallel application of vector Boolean functions as employed in Rijndael cipher), and adding coordinate functions of two vector Boolean functions are presented. Finally, three real applications of the library are described: the first one analyzes the KASUMI block cipher, the second one analyzes the Mini-AES cipher, and the third one finds Boolean functions with very high nonlinearity, a key property for robustness against linear attacks

A C++ Class for Analyzing Vector Boolean Functions from a Cryptographic Perspective

In this paper, a C++ class for analising Vector Boolean Functions from a cryptographic perspective is presented. This implementation uses the NTL library from Victor Shoup, replacing some of the general purpose modules of this library by some more specialized and better suited to cryptography, and adding new modules that complement the existing ones. With this class, we can obtain the classical representation of Vector Boolean Function such as its Truth Table and Algebraic Normal Form (ANF). It is possible to calculate mathematical structures such as the Walsh Spectrum, Linear Profile, Differential Profile and Autocorrelation Spectrum. Cryptographic criteria such as nonlinearity, linearity distance, order of correlation immunity, bal-ancedness, algebraic degree and propagation criterion can be obtained with this class. It permits to find out some interesting cryptologic parameters such as linear structures, linear potential, differential potential and the maximum possible nonlinearity or linearity distance of a Vector Boolean Function with the same dimensions. Finally, operations such as to identify if two Vector Boolean Functions are equal, their sum, direct sum, composition, bricklayering, adding coordinate functions and obtaining the polynomial representation over GF(2n) of a Vector Boolean Function given the irreducible polynomial and its Truth Table are presented