1,060 research outputs found
Improving the efficiency of the LDPC code-based McEliece cryptosystem through irregular codes
We consider the framework of the McEliece cryptosystem based on LDPC codes,
which is a promising post-quantum alternative to classical public key
cryptosystems. The use of LDPC codes in this context allows to achieve good
security levels with very compact keys, which is an important advantage over
the classical McEliece cryptosystem based on Goppa codes. However, only regular
LDPC codes have been considered up to now, while some further improvement can
be achieved by using irregular LDPC codes, which are known to achieve better
error correction performance than regular LDPC codes. This is shown in this
paper, for the first time at our knowledge. The possible use of irregular
transformation matrices is also investigated, which further increases the
efficiency of the system, especially in regard to the public key size.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, presented at ISCC 201
Analysis of common attacks in LDPCC-based public-key cryptosystems
We analyze the security and reliability of a recently proposed class of
public-key cryptosystems against attacks by unauthorized parties who have
acquired partial knowledge of one or more of the private key components and/or
of the plaintext. Phase diagrams are presented, showing critical partial
knowledge levels required for unauthorized decryptionComment: 14 pages, 6 figure
Using LDGM Codes and Sparse Syndromes to Achieve Digital Signatures
In this paper, we address the problem of achieving efficient code-based
digital signatures with small public keys. The solution we propose exploits
sparse syndromes and randomly designed low-density generator matrix codes.
Based on our evaluations, the proposed scheme is able to outperform existing
solutions, permitting to achieve considerable security levels with very small
public keys.Comment: 16 pages. The final publication is available at springerlink.co
Security and complexity of the McEliece cryptosystem based on QC-LDPC codes
In the context of public key cryptography, the McEliece cryptosystem
represents a very smart solution based on the hardness of the decoding problem,
which is believed to be able to resist the advent of quantum computers. Despite
this, the original McEliece cryptosystem, based on Goppa codes, has encountered
limited interest in practical applications, partly because of some constraints
imposed by this very special class of codes. We have recently introduced a
variant of the McEliece cryptosystem including low-density parity-check codes,
that are state-of-the-art codes, now used in many telecommunication standards
and applications. In this paper, we discuss the possible use of a bit-flipping
decoder in this context, which gives a significant advantage in terms of
complexity. We also provide theoretical arguments and practical tools for
estimating the trade-off between security and complexity, in such a way to give
a simple procedure for the system design.Comment: 22 pages, 1 figure. This paper is a preprint of a paper accepted by
IET Information Security and is subject to Institution of Engineering and
Technology Copyright. When the final version is published, the copy of record
will be available at IET Digital Librar
Assessing security of some group based cryptosystems
One of the possible generalizations of the discrete logarithm problem to
arbitrary groups is the so-called conjugacy search problem (sometimes
erroneously called just the conjugacy problem): given two elements a, b of a
group G and the information that a^x=b for some x \in G, find at least one
particular element x like that. Here a^x stands for xax^{-1}. The computational
difficulty of this problem in some particular groups has been used in several
group based cryptosystems. Recently, a few preprints have been in circulation
that suggested various "neighbourhood search" type heuristic attacks on the
conjugacy search problem. The goal of the present survey is to stress a
(probably well known) fact that these heuristic attacks alone are not a threat
to the security of a cryptosystem, and, more importantly, to suggest a more
credible approach to assessing security of group based cryptosystems. Such an
approach should be necessarily based on the concept of the average case
complexity (or expected running time) of an algorithm.
These arguments support the following conclusion: although it is generally
feasible to base the security of a cryptosystem on the difficulty of the
conjugacy search problem, the group G itself (the "platform") has to be chosen
very carefully. In particular, experimental as well as theoretical evidence
collected so far makes it appear likely that braid groups are not a good choice
for the platform. We also reflect on possible replacements.Comment: 10 page
Protograph-based Quasi-Cyclic MDPC Codes for McEliece Cryptosystems
In this paper, ensembles of quasi-cyclic moderate-density parity-check (MDPC)
codes based on protographs are introduced and analyzed in the context of a
McEliece-like cryptosystem. The proposed ensembles significantly improve the
error correction capability of the regular MDPC code ensembles that are
currently considered for post-quantum cryptosystems without increasing the
public key size. The proposed ensembles are analyzed in the asymptotic setting
via density evolution, both under the sum-product algorithm and a
low-complexity (error-and-erasure) message passing algorithm. The asymptotic
analysis is complemented at finite block lengths by Monte Carlo simulations.
The enhanced error correction capability remarkably improves the scheme
robustness with respect to (known) decoding attacks.Comment: 5 page
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