8 research outputs found
Unification modulo a partial theory of exponentiation
Modular exponentiation is a common mathematical operation in modern
cryptography. This, along with modular multiplication at the base and exponent
levels (to different moduli) plays an important role in a large number of key
agreement protocols. In our earlier work, we gave many decidability as well as
undecidability results for multiple equational theories, involving various
properties of modular exponentiation. Here, we consider a partial subtheory
focussing only on exponentiation and multiplication operators. Two main results
are proved. The first result is positive, namely, that the unification problem
for the above theory (in which no additional property is assumed of the
multiplication operators) is decidable. The second result is negative: if we
assume that the two multiplication operators belong to two different abelian
groups, then the unification problem becomes undecidable.Comment: In Proceedings UNIF 2010, arXiv:1012.455
Hierarchical Combination of Intruder Theories
Abstract. Recently automated deduction tools have proved to be very effective for detecting attacks on cryptographic protocols. These analysis can be improved, for finding more subtle weaknesses, by a more accurate modelling of operators employed by protocols. Several works have shown how to handle a single algebraic operator (associated with a fixed intruder theory) or how to combine several operators satisfying disjoint theories. However several interesting equational theories, such as exponentiation with an abelian group law for exponents remain out of the scope of these techniques. This has motivated us to introduce a new notion of hierarchical combination for intruder theories and to show decidability results for the deduction problem in these theories. Under a simple hypothesis, we were able to simplify this deduction problem. This simplification is then applied to prove the decidability of constraint systems w.r.t. an intruder relying on exponentiation theory.
An E-unification algorithm for analyzing protocols that use modular exponentiation
Modular multiplication and exponentiation are common operations in modern cryptography. Uni cation problems with respect to some equational theories that these operations satisfy are investigated. Two dierent but related equational theories are analyzed. A uni cation algorithm is given for one of the theories which relies on solving syzygies over multivariate integral polynomials with noncommuting indeterminates. For the other theory, in which the distributivity property of exponentiation over multiplication is assumed, the uni ability problem is shown to be undecidable by adapting a construction developed by one of the authors to reduce Hilbert's 10th problem to the solvability problem for linear equations over semi-rings. A new algorithm for computing strong Gr\u7fobner bases of right ideals over the polynomial semiring Z<X 1 ; : : : ; Xn> is proposed; unlike earlier algorithms proposed by Baader as well as by Madlener and Reinert which work only for right admissible term orderings with the boundedness property, this algorithm works for any right admissible term ordering. The algorithms for some of these uni cation problems are expected to be integrated into Research supported in part by the NSF grant nos. CCR-0098114 and CDA-9503064, the ONR grant no. N00014-01-1-0429, and a grant from the Computer Science Research Institute at Sandia National Labs