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

Recent Results on Balanced Symmetric Boolean Functions

In this paper we prove all balanced symmetric Boolean functions of fixed degree are trivial when the number of variables grows large enough. We also present the nonexistence of trivial balanced elementary symmetric Boolean functions except for $n=l\cdot2^{t+1}-1$ and $d=2^t$, where $t$ and $l$ are any positive integers, which shows Cusick\u27s conjecture for balanced elementary symmetric Boolean functions is exactly the conjecture that all balanced elementary symmetric Boolean functions are trivial balanced. In additional, we obtain an integer $n_0$, which depends only on $d$, that Cusick\u27s conjecture holds for any $n>n_0$

Fast algebraic immunity of Boolean functions and LCD codes

Nowadays, the resistance against algebraic attacks and fast algebraic attacks are considered as an important cryptographic property for Boolean functions used in stream ciphers. Both attacks are very powerful analysis concepts and can be applied to symmetric cryptographic algorithms used in stream ciphers. The notion of algebraic immunity has received wide attention since it is a powerful tool to measure the resistance of a Boolean function to standard algebraic attacks. Nevertheless, an algebraic tool to handle the resistance to fast algebraic attacks is not clearly identified in the literature. In the current paper, we propose a new parameter to measure the resistance of a Boolean function to fast algebraic attack. We also introduce the notion of fast immunity profile and show that it informs both on the resistance to standard and fast algebraic attacks. Further, we evaluate our parameter for two secondary constructions of Boolean functions. Moreover, A coding-theory approach to the characterization of perfect algebraic immune functions is presented. Via this characterization, infinite families of binary linear complementary dual codes (or LCD codes for short) are obtained from perfect algebraic immune functions. The binary LCD codes presented in this paper have applications in armoring implementations against so-called side-channel attacks (SCA) and fault non-invasive attacks, in addition to their applications in communication and data storage systems

On the (Fast) Algebraic Immunity of Boolean Power Functions

The (fast) algebraic immunity, including (standard) algebraic immunity and the resistance against fast algebraic attacks, has been considered as an important cryptographic property for Boolean functions used in stream ciphers. This paper is on the determination of the (fast) algebraic immunity of a special class of Boolean functions, called Boolean power functions. An n-variable Boolean power function f can be represented as a monomial trace function over finite field GF(2^n). To determine the (fast) algebraic immunity of Boolean power functions one may need the arithmetic in GF(2^n), which may be not computationally efficient compared with the operations over GF(2). We provide two sufficient conditions for Boolean power functions such that their immunities can determined only by the computations in GF(2). We show that Niho functions and a number of odd variables Kasami functions can satisfy the conditions