On products and powers of linear codes under componentwise multiplication

In this text we develop the formalism of products and powers of linear codes under componentwise multiplication. As an expanded version of the author's talk at AGCT-14, focus is put mostly on basic properties and descriptive statements that could otherwise probably not fit in a regular research paper. On the other hand, more advanced results and applications are only quickly mentioned with references to the literature. We also point out a few open problems. Our presentation alternates between two points of view, which the theory intertwines in an essential way: that of combinatorial coding, and that of algebraic geometry. In appendices that can be read independently, we investigate topics in multilinear algebra over finite fields, notably we establish a criterion for a symmetric multilinear map to admit a symmetric algorithm, or equivalently, for a symmetric tensor to decompose as a sum of elementary symmetric tensors.Comment: 75 pages; expanded version of a talk at AGCT-14 (Luminy), to appear in vol. 637 of Contemporary Math., AMS, Apr. 2015; v3: minor typos corrected in the final "open questions" sectio

Algebraic Tori in Cryptography

Communicating bits over a network is expensive. Therefore, cryptosystems that transmit as little data as possible are valuable. This thesis studies several cryptosystems that require significantly less bandwidth than conventional analogues. The systems we study, called torus-based cryptosystems, were analyzed by Karl Rubin and Alice Silverberg in 2003 [RS03]. They interpreted the XTR [LV00] and LUC [SL93] cryptosystems in terms of quotients of algebraic tori and birational parameterizations, and they also presented CEILIDH, a new torus-based cryptosystem. This thesis introduces the geometry of algebraic tori, uses it to explain the XTR, LUC, and CEILIDH cryptosystems, and presents torus-based extensions of van Dijk, Woodruff, et al. [vDW04, vDGP+05] that require even less bandwidth. In addition, a new algorithm of Granger and Vercauteren [GV05] that attacks the security of torus-based cryptosystems is presented. Finally, we list some open research problems

Index calculus for abelian varieties of small dimension and the elliptic curve discrete logarithm problem

International audienceWe propose an index calculus algorithm for the discrete logarithm problem on general abelian varieties of small dimension. The main difference with the previous approaches is that we do not make use of any embedding into the Jacobian of a well-suited curve. We apply this algorithm to the Weil restriction of elliptic curves and hyperelliptic curves over small degree extension fields. In particular, our attack can solve an elliptic curve discrete logarithm problem defined over GF(q^3) in heuristic asymptotic running time O~(q^(4/3)); and an elliptic problem over GF(q^4) or a genus 2 problem over GF(q^2) in heuristic asymptotic running time O~(q^(3/2))

On multi-exponentiation in cryptography

We describe and analyze new combinations of multi-exponentiation algorithms with representations of the exponents. We deal mainly but not exclusively with the case where the inversion of group elements is fast: These methods are most attractive with exponents in the range from 80 to 256 bits, and can also be used for computing single exponentiations in groups which admit an automorphism satisfying a monic equation of small degree over the integers. The choice of suitable exponent representations allows us to match or improve the running time of the best multi-exponentiation techniques in the aforementioned range, while keeping the memory requirements as small as possible. Hence some of the methods presented here are particularly attractive for deployment in memory constrained environments such as smart cards. By construction, such methods provide good resistance against side channel attacks. We also describe some applications of these algorithms

Constructing suitable ordinary pairing-friendly curves: A case of elliptic curves and genus two hyperelliptic curves

One of the challenges in the designing of pairing-based cryptographic protocols is to construct suitable pairing-friendly curves: Curves which would provide e�cient implementation without compromising the security of the protocols. These curves have small embedding degree and large prime order subgroup. Random curves are likely to have large embedding degree and hence are not practical for implementation of pairing-based protocols. In this thesis we review some mathematical background on elliptic and hyperelliptic curves in relation to the construction of pairing-friendly hyper-elliptic curves. We also present the notion of pairing-friendly curves. Furthermore, we construct new pairing-friendly elliptic curves and Jacobians of genus two hyperelliptic curves which would facilitate an efficient implementation in pairing-based protocols. We aim for curves that have smaller values than ever before reported for di�erent embedding degrees. We also discuss optimisation of computing pairing in Tate pairing and its variants. Here we show how to e�ciently multiply a point in a subgroup de�ned on a twist curve by a large cofactor. Our approach uses the theory of addition chains. We also show a new method for implementation of the computation of the hard part of the �nal exponentiation in the calculation of the Tate pairing and its varian

An optimal representation for the trace zero subgroup

We give an optimal-size representation for the elements of the trace zero subgroup of the Picard group of an elliptic or hyperelliptic curve of any genus, with respect to a field extension of any prime degree. The representation is via the coefficients of a rational function, and it is compatible with scalar multiplication of points. We provide efficient compression and decompression algorithms, and complement them with implementation results. We discuss in detail the practically relevant cases of small genus and extension degree, and compare with the other known compression methods

Constructing pairing-friendly hyperelliptic curves using Weil restriction

A pairing-friendly curve is a curve over a finite field whose Jacobian has small embedding degree with respect to a large prime-order subgroup. In this paper we construct pairing-friendly genus 2 curves over finite fields $\mathbb{F}_q$ whose Jacobians are ordinary and simple, but not absolutely simple. We show that constructing such curves is equivalent to constructing elliptic curves over $\mathbb{F}_q$ that become pairing-friendly over a finite extension of $\mathbb{F}_q$. Our main proof technique is Weil restriction of elliptic curves. We describe adaptations of the Cocks-Pinch and Brezing-Weng methods that produce genus 2 curves with the desired properties. Our examples include a parametric family of genus 2 curves whose Jacobians have the smallest recorded $\rho$-value for simple, non-supersingular abelian surfaces

On Small Degree Extension Fields in Cryptology

This thesis studies the implications of using public key cryptographic primitives that are based in, or map to, the multiplicative group of finite fields with small extension degree. A central observation is that the multiplicative group of extension fields essentially decomposes as a product of algebraic tori, whose properties allow for improved communication efficiency. Part I of this thesis is concerned with the constructive implications of this idea. Firstly, algorithms are developed for the efficient implementation of torus-based cryptosystems and their performance compared with previous work. It is then shown how to apply these methods to operations required in low characteristic pairing-based cryptography. Finally, practical schemes for high-dimensional tori are discussed. Highly optimised implementations and benchmark timings are provided for each of these systems. Part II addresses the security of the schemes presented in Part I, i.e., the hardness of the discrete logarithm problem. Firstly, an heuristic analysis of the effectiveness of the Function Field Sieve in small characteristic is given. Next presented is an implementation of this algorithm for characteristic three fields used in pairing-based cryptography. Finally, a new index calculus algorithm for solving the discrete logarithm problem on algebraic tori is described and analysed

Explicit endomorphisms and correspondences

In this work, we investigate methods for computing explicitly with homomorphisms (and particularly endomorphisms) of Jacobian varieties of algebraic curves. Our principal tool is the theory of correspondences, in which homomorphisms of Jacobians are represented by divisors on products of curves. We give families of hyperelliptic curves of genus three, five, six, seven, ten and fifteen whose Jacobians have explicit isogenies (given in terms of correspondences) to other hyperelliptic Jacobians. We describe several families of hyperelliptic curves whose Jacobians have complex or real multiplication; we use correspondences to make the complex and real multiplication explicit, in the form of efficiently computable maps on ideal class representatives. These explicit endomorphisms may be used for efficient integer multiplication on hyperelliptic Jacobians, extending Gallant--Lambert--Vanstone fast multiplication techniques from elliptic curves to higher dimensional Jacobians. We then describe Richelot isogenies for curves of genus two; in contrast to classical treatments of these isogenies, we consider all the Richelot isogenies from a given Jacobian simultaneously. The inter-relationship of Richelot isogenies may be used to deduce information about the endomorphism ring structure of Jacobian surfaces; we conclude with a brief exploration of these techniques