A note on conjugacy search and racks

We show that for every effective left conjugacy closed left quasigroup, there is an induced rack that retains the conjugation structure of the left translations. This means that cryptographic protocols relying on conjugacy search can be secure only if conjugacy search of left translations is infeasible in the induced rack. We note that, in fact, protocols based on conjugacy search could be simply implemented using a rack. We give an exposition of the Anshel-Anshel-Goldfeld protocol in such a case.Comment: 6 page

Key agreement based on homomorphisms of algebraic structures

We give a generalization of the Diffie-Hellman key agreement scheme that is based on the hardness of computing homomorphic images from an algebra to another. We formulate computational and decision versions of the homomorphic image problem and devise a key agreement protocol that is secure in the Canetti-Krawczyk model under the decision homomorphic image assumption. We also give an instantiation of the protocol using an additively homomorphic symmetric encryption scheme of Armknecht and Sadeghi. We prove that the instantiation is secure under the assumption that the encryption scheme is IND-CPA secure

Autonomy and Intelligence in the Computing Continuum: Challenges, Enablers, and Future Directions for Orchestration

Future AI applications require performance, reliability and privacy that the existing, cloud-dependant system architectures cannot provide. In this article, we study orchestration in the device-edge-cloud continuum, and focus on AI for edge, that is, the AI methods used in resource orchestration. We claim that to support the constantly growing requirements of intelligent applications in the device-edge-cloud computing continuum, resource orchestration needs to embrace edge AI and emphasize local autonomy and intelligence. To justify the claim, we provide a general definition for continuum orchestration, and look at how current and emerging orchestration paradigms are suitable for the computing continuum. We describe certain major emerging research themes that may affect future orchestration, and provide an early vision of an orchestration paradigm that embraces those research themes. Finally, we survey current key edge AI methods and look at how they may contribute into fulfilling the vision of future continuum orchestration.Comment: 50 pages, 8 figures (Revised content in all sections, added figures and new section

Provably Secure Covert Communication on Blockchain

Blockchain is a public open ledger that provides data integrity in a distributed manner. It is the underlying technology of cryptocurrencies and an increasing number of related applications, such as smart contracts. The open nature of blockchain together with strong integrity guarantees on the stored data makes it a compelling platform for covert communication. In this paper, we suggest a method of securely embedding covert messages into a blockchain. We formulate a simplified ideal blockchain model based on existing implementations and devise a protocol that enables two parties to covertly communicate through the blockchain following that model. We also formulate a rigorous definition for the security and covertness of such a protocol based on computational indistinguishability. Finally, we show that our method satisfies this definition in the random oracle model for the underlying cryptographic hash function

Algebraic methods for cryptographic key exhange

Abstract Cryptographic key exchange is an integral part of modern cryptography. Such schemes allow two parties to derive a common secret key over a public channel without a priori shared information. One of the most successful key agreement schemes is the one suggested by Diffie and Hellman in their seminal work on public key cryptography. In this thesis, we give an algebraic generalization of the Diffie-Hellman scheme called AGDH utilizing its implicit algebraic properties. The generalization is based on the problem of computing homomorphic images from an algebra to another. Appropriately, we call this problem the homomorphic image problem (HIP). We also devise an authenticated key exchange protocol that is secure in the Canetti-Krawczyk model assuming the infeasibility of the decision HIP (DHIP). For the secure instantiation of the scheme, we consider symmetric encryption schemes that are homomorphic over an algebraic operation. We derive a condition for the encryption scheme to be homomorphic key agreement capable. We show that whenever this condition is satisfied, the induced DHIP is computationally infeasible based on the security of the encryption scheme. To show that there are such schemes, we give a description of one such that the infeasibility of the DHIP follows from a weaker version of the McEliece generator matrix pseudorandomness assumption and the learning parity with noise (LPN) problem. We also study algebraic methods for generating suitable structures for the devised scheme. Since the platform structure requires a large set of homomorphisms, we consider classes of algebras for which this is the case. In particular, we concentrate on a class of algebras satisfying the left distributivity (LD) property. We formulate a non-associative generalization of the conjugacy search problem (CSP) called partial CSP (PCSP) for left conjugacy closed left quasigroups. We show that the feasibility of the HIP on LD left quasigroups depends on the PCSP. Application of this problem leads to a non-associative variant of the Anshel-Anshel-Goldfeld key agreement scheme. We also formulate different versions of the PCSP and show several relative hardness results related to them. Finally, we study more closely the PCSP for a class of conjugacy closed loops of order p2, where p is a prime. We show that the hardness of the PCSP depends on the number of generators for the conjugator and on that of conjugacy equation pairs. Based on the weakest variant of the PCSP, we devise a symmetric blind decryption scheme on these loops and show that it satisfies perfect secrecy against passive adversaries.Tiivistelmä Kryptografiset avaintenvaihtomenetelmät ovat eräs modernin kryptografian tärkeimmistä osista. Näiden menetelmien avulla pystytään sopimaan ilman aiempaa tiedonvaihtoa yhteisestä salaisesta avaimesta käyttämällä julkista kanavaa. Diffie-Hellman -avaintenvaihto on yksi parhaiten tunnetuista ja eniten käytetyistä menetelmistä. Tässä työssä tarkastellaan kyseisen menetelmän yleistämistä perustuen sen algebrallisiin ominaisuuksiin. Johdettu yleistys perustuu vaikeuteen löytää annetun alkion homomorfinen kuva, jota työssä kutsutaan homomorfisen kuvan ongelmaksi (HIP). Lisäksi suunnitellaan autentikoitu avaintenvaihtoprotokolla, joka on turvallinen Canetti-Krawczyk -mallissa olettaen että homomorfisen kuvan ongelman päätösversio (DHIP) on laskennallisesti vaikea. Menetelmän turvallista toteuttamista varten tarkastellaan symmetrisen avaimen salausmenetelmiä, jotka ovat homomorfisia joidenkin algebrallisten operaatioiden yli. Työssä johdetaan symmetrisen avaimen salainten ominaisuus, kyvykkyys homomorfiseen avaintenvaihtoon, joka takaa että aikaansaatu DHIP on laskennallisesti vaikea. Lisäksi rakennetaan symmetrinen menetelmä, joka toteuttaa kyseisen ehdon. Menetelmän turvallisuus perustuu tavallista heikompaan oletukseen McEliece-generaattorimatriisin pseudosatunnaisuudesta sekä pariteetin oppimisongelman häiriölliseen versioon (LPN). Työssä tarkastellaan lisäksi menetelmiä soveltuvien algebrallisten rakenteiden generointiin. Koska menetelmä vaatii suuren joukon homomorfismeja, tarkastellaan rakenteita, joille tämä ehto pätee. Erityisesti keskitytään ns. vasemmalta distributiivisiin (LD) rakenteisiin. Työssä määritellään epäassosiatiivinen yleistys konjugointiongelman hakuversiolle (CSP) konjugoinnin suhteen suljettuille vasemmille kvasiryhmille. Tätä yleistystä kutsutaan osittaiseksi CSP:ksi (PCSP). Työssä osoitetaan, että vasemmalta distributiivisissa vasemmissa kvasiryhmissä homomorfisen kuvan ongelman vaikeus liittyy läheisesti PCSP:hen. Lisäksi tätä ongelmaa sovelletaan määrittämään epäassosiatiivinen variantti Anshel-Anshel-Goldfeld -avaintenvaihtomenetelmästä. Lisäksi tarkastellaan PCSP:n erilaisia versioita ja niiden suhteellista laskennallista kompleksisuutta. PCSP:tä tarkastellaan tarkemmin konjugoinnin suhteen suljetuissa luupeissa, joiden kertaluku on p2, missä p on alkuluku. Työssä osoitetaan, että PCSP:n vaikeus riippuu konjugoijan generaattoreiden sekä konjugaatioyhtälöiden lukumäärästä. Käyttämällä hyväksi näitä tuloksia ja erityisesti PCSP:n helpointa versiota, laaditaan symmetrisen avaimen salausmenetelmä, joka tukee ns. sokeaa salauksenpurkua. Lisäksi osoitetaan, että menetelmä takaa täydellisen salassapidon passiivisia hyökkäyksiä vastaan

Post-quantum cryptography in 6G

Abstract The quantum computing paradigm is fundamentally different from the classical one. There are computational problems we are not able to solve on a contemporary computer, but which we can efficiently solve on a quantum one. One of these problems is the discrete logarithm problem (DLP) which is the basis of modern asymmetric cryptography. Once large-scale quantum computing becomes a reality, these cryptographic primitives need to be replaced with quantum-secure ones. While we are still in the early stages of quantum computing, steps have been taken to prepare for the shift to cryptography that is secure in the post-quantum world. According to the current knowledge, contemporary symmetric cryptography remains secure for the most part even after the advent of quantum computing. Asymmetric primitives based on integer factorization and the DLP need to be replaced. In this chapter, we take a look at the post-quantum secure alternatives for key establishment, public-key encryption and digital signatures. We also discuss their properties and the effect on the performance of the future 6G networks