62 research outputs found
Exhaustive Search for Small Dimension Recursive MDS Diffusion Layers for Block Ciphers and Hash Functions
This article presents a new algorithm to find MDS matrices that are well
suited for use as a diffusion layer in lightweight block ciphers. Using an
recursive construction, it is possible to obtain matrices with a very compact
description. Classical field multiplications can also be replaced by simple
F2-linear transformations (combinations of XORs and shifts) which are much
lighter. Using this algorithm, it was possible to design a 16x16 matrix on a
5-bit alphabet, yielding an efficient 80-bit diffusion layer with maximal
branch number.Comment: Published at ISIT 201
On the Construction of Near-MDS Matrices
The optimal branch number of MDS matrices makes them a preferred choice for
designing diffusion layers in many block ciphers and hash functions. However,
in lightweight cryptography, Near-MDS (NMDS) matrices with sub-optimal branch
numbers offer a better balance between security and efficiency as a diffusion
layer, compared to MDS matrices. In this paper, we study NMDS matrices,
exploring their construction in both recursive and nonrecursive settings. We
provide several theoretical results and explore the hardware efficiency of the
construction of NMDS matrices. Additionally, we make comparisons between the
results of NMDS and MDS matrices whenever possible. For the recursive approach,
we study the DLS matrices and provide some theoretical results on their use.
Some of the results are used to restrict the search space of the DLS matrices.
We also show that over a field of characteristic 2, any sparse matrix of order
with fixed XOR value of 1 cannot be an NMDS when raised to a power of
. Following that, we use the generalized DLS (GDLS) matrices to
provide some lightweight recursive NMDS matrices of several orders that perform
better than the existing matrices in terms of hardware cost or the number of
iterations. For the nonrecursive construction of NMDS matrices, we study
various structures, such as circulant and left-circulant matrices, and their
generalizations: Toeplitz and Hankel matrices. In addition, we prove that
Toeplitz matrices of order cannot be simultaneously NMDS and involutory
over a field of characteristic 2. Finally, we use GDLS matrices to provide some
lightweight NMDS matrices that can be computed in one clock cycle. The proposed
nonrecursive NMDS matrices of orders 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 can be implemented with
24, 50, 65, 96, and 108 XORs over , respectively
Block Ciphers - Focus On The Linear Layer (feat. PRIDE): Full Version
The linear layer is a core component in any substitution-permutation network block cipher. Its design significantly influences both the security and the efficiency of the resulting block cipher. Surprisingly, not many general constructions are known that allow to choose trade-offs between security and efficiency. Especially, when compared to Sboxes, it seems that the linear layer is crucially understudied. In this paper, we propose a general methodology to construct good, sometimes optimal, linear layers allowing for a large variety of trade-offs. We give several instances of our construction and on top underline its value by presenting a new block cipher. PRIDE is optimized for 8-bit micro-controllers and significantly outperforms all academic solutions both in terms of code size and cycle count
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