# All Questions

1answer
1k views

### What is “Implicit Authentication”?

What is “Implicit Authentication” in the context of authentication methods? I searched the Web but could not find any article that describes this. If anyone can describe it, that would be a great ...
2answers
393 views

### How does Clifford Cocks 'Non-Secret Encryption' work?

I have read Clifford Cocks "A Note on 'Non-secret Encryption'" and thought I would try to implement this, but I don't seem to be able to get it to work. I'm obviously missing something. From the ...
2answers
142 views

### Does there exist a proof-of-retrievability scheme that is publicly-verifiable, limited-use, and does not use homomorphic encryption?

I find myself wanting to test out a practical implementation of a proof-of-retrievability scheme, simply out of curiosity. These schemes seem to be divided into two variations, publicly-verified and ...
2answers
141 views

### How can I solve congruence modulo N?

I am trying to solve congruences of the form $$J_A \cdot a^e\equiv 1 \pmod n$$ where $n=pq$ for $p,q$ prime and $\gcd(e,\varphi(n))=\gcd(J_A,n)=1$ Solve for $a\in \mathbb{Z}$, in terms of $n,J_A$ ...
6answers
3k views

### Types of Cryptography for a 4-8 bit microcontroller

This is more of a research question. I was wondering what types of crypto algorithms would work best on a small 4-8 bit micro controller. I recently read a paper called Security Considerations for ...
3answers
464 views

### How to submit a new method of encryption?

I came up with a truly new method of applying modulo-2-addition encryption function in stream ciphers which is inspired by a mechanism used to prove a mathematical theorem. How can I determine whether ...
1answer
218 views

### Keccak padding implementation, and bit ordering

I am trying to implement Keccak in Java for my school work. And I am getting stuck in two places: On the summary page the padding is shown as P = M || 0x01 || 0x00 || … || 0x00 P = P xor ...
1answer
80 views

### A replay attack question

Which of the following protocols is susceptible to replay attack :- 1) A -----> B username, password 2) A -----> B username, h(timestamp,password) 3) A -----> B username timestamp, ...
2answers
282 views

### Can a salt for a password hash be public?

For my understanding salts in password hashes are used to prevent the precompuation of plaintext$\to$hashvalues (rainbow tables). I know from different threads, it is not necessary to keep the salt ...
2answers
874 views

### Webcam random number generator

I have a question about random number generators. I have read from a real random number generator, based on a webcam ("randcam"). My problem is, that I do not really understand how the generation of ...
1answer
79 views

### Usability of padding scheme in blinded RSA signature?

In Wikipedia's article on Blind signature, in the section Dangers of blind signing which describes RSA blinding attack one reads the following This attack works because in this blind signature ...
1answer
125 views

### Storing the activation status of a product and expire details Android [closed]

In my Android application, it's required to store the activation status of the software and keep track of the activation expire date. What is the best way to store this information? Is it safe to ...
2answers
647 views

### Knowing pre-encryption data, can we find the private key CryptoLocker used?

One of our users seems to have been hit by CryptoLocker. As a result, he has a hard drive full of encrypted files. The ransom-ware claims to have used public key encryption on the files. If we know ...
2answers
1k views

### Replay attack in ECB mode

How do replay attacks work in ECB mode? I found this in Wikipedia: "ECB mode can also make protocols without integrity protection even more susceptible to replay attacks, since each block gets ...
3answers
2k views

### What is the most secure hand cipher?

By "hand cipher", I mean a symmetric cipher for which encryption and decryption can can both be performed with a pencil on graph paper, consuming about 10-20 seconds per character by a proficient ...
1answer
315 views

### Can you explain Bleichenbacher's CCA attack on PKCS#1 v1.5?

I've studied that the Bleichenbacher's CCA attack on PKCS#1 v1.5. is a base to many versions of attacks in the area. I'm trying to understand that attack, but every explanation I saw starts with the ...
1answer
247 views

### openSSL ECDH private key size

When you are using a named curve like P-256 in openSSL, is there any standard key size for ECDH private key keys? If you look at the ec_key.c file in the openSSL ...
1answer
191 views

### How to calculate entropy of a combined key

I know how to calculate the entropy of a key that relates to its selection process. For example if the key space is $1000$, entropy of a randomly chosen key is $1000$. Suppose now you have two keys ...
1answer
64 views

### function of crypt called “ICE” [closed]

Using exeinfo, I have identified a function of crypt called ICE. What is it? How can I find ...
0answers
32 views

### In Merkle Damgard Constructoin, why do we add another block with value of number of blocks? [duplicate]

I'm trying to understand how can we find collisions, in simpler Merkle-Damgard constructions. consider my question as, what are the collisions for these cases of Merkle-Damgard constructions: we pad ...
1answer
249 views

### Formal definition of “explicit” algorithm?

A long time ago, I read that the definition of "cryptographic hash function" is "collision-resistant one-way function". (A similar definition shows up in the FIPS standards for SHA-1 etc.) But this ...
1answer
273 views

### How does the secret key in an HMAC prevent modification of the HMAC?

Just as a preface: I'm not implementing a HMAC - I just want to understand it, as it is part of of my Computer Science course. When using Hash-based message authentication codes, I understand that ...
1answer
169 views

### Is $q(n)=1/n$ a negligible function?

By definition - $q(n)$ is a negligible function if for every positive integer $c>0$ there exist an integer $N_c$ such that for all $x>N_c$ : $q(n)<1/x^c$ So for the function $1/x$, if we ...
1answer
300 views

### What's wrong with my security model - or how can it be attacked?

I'm working on a little personal project where security is very important, and I've thought for a while about the best way to do this. Now I am looking for a little outside help on good practices. The ...
1answer
125 views

### Is this really the correct way to do an IND-CPA test?

In a description of IND-CPA (indistinguishability under the chosen plaintext attack), I have been reading the following, simple test: The adversary can generate as many messages as he wants. Then, ...
4answers
789 views

### About Cryptography in a Character Language

Suppose I had a message in Chinese (or another non-phonetic language) and I wanted to encipher it. Some of the simplest encryptions in English are substitution ciphers, but such ciphers don't seem ...
2answers
256 views

### What are requirements for this grille?

I'm trying to program a Cardan grille, but I can't find requirements for grille. In my case, grille is square matrix A with $N$ x $N$ size, and elements are $0$ or $1$ (where $1$ means that it is ...
1answer
247 views

### What is total key space in transposition algorithms

How we can measure key space in transposition algorithms? Should we specify the method, like rail fence?
1answer
655 views

### Is it possible to crack a blowfish 256 bits encrypted file? [closed]

I have a file of my own that I have encrypted using Coder-Abi. Now, I can just remember part of this password. So, would it be possible (much easier) for me to crack it knowing only part of it? I can ...
2answers
542 views

### A timestamping authority (digital notary)

Does there currently exist a free online service that accepts a file, hashes it, takes an authoritatively chosen timestamp (from one or more time services), signs these and sends this signed message ...
1answer
233 views

### Can you help me understand hash-preserving encryption?

I have rather simplistic understanding of cryptography, so I have to beg a pardon in advance if the question has internal contradictions. Imagine data $A$ with a hash $hashA$. This data is encrypted ...
2answers
223 views

### unique one-way hash

For a 10-digits numeric domain (swedish social security numbers), is there a hash function with the following properties? no two numbers result in the same hash it is not possible to deduce the ...
1answer
380 views

### What could “look for the constants that you might find in RC6” mean?

In this presentation at the 30c3 (long but extremely interesting and well-documented), Jacob Appelbaum gave this verbal advice (circa 43'30"): look for the constants that you might find in RC6 ...
1answer
199 views

### Verification of identity by certification authority

I have question about how a user's identity is verified by a Certification Authority. As I understand it, the process works as follows: User generates his private key and (with the help of private ...
2answers
249 views

### Hash function based on block cipher (and proof of security in the PRP model)

Do there exist proofs of security for primitives like hash functions (based on a block cipher) in the PRP model. I often see proofs in the random oracle model (for hash function based on compression ...
2answers
117 views

### Why do PKI schemes need security proofs? [closed]

When it comes to designing new PKI-based key-exchange protocols, why are security proofs needed? Without them, can we show a protocol's security? Does there exist a PKI-based key-exchange protocol ...
2answers
208 views

### Why nobody considers counter re-keying as a standard Block Cipher Mode?

One of the simplest possible cipher modes is setting each successive key as a function F of the previous one. ...
1answer
88 views

### A confusion about HMQV?

As the full version of HMQV is very long, I will give a graph of it below \begin{array}{@{}l@{}c@{}l@{}} \hat{A} && \hat{B} \\ (a,A=g^a)&&(b,B=g^b) \\ x\in_R[1,q-1],\quad X=g^x ...
1answer
110 views

### Difference between implicit signature and explicit signature

In most of time, what I see is explicit signatures such as ElGamal, it's rare to see the implicit signatures. So I wonder why it's rare to be seen? what aspect is it mainly used? what's the ...
2answers
326 views

### Where is my private key stored when I communicate to a website that uses SSL/TLS?

If I communicate with a website that uses SSL/TLS, my browser will generate a private key. Would the browser store that key on the hard disk or would store just it in the RAM?
2answers
633 views

### Why xor is a linear operation but ordinary adding is not

I'm new in cryptography and try to read some articles in this field. Many of these articles talk about non-linear S-boxes, and nothing more on what they mean by their non-linearity. I have a simple ...
0answers
201 views

### Random Number Generation with a Entropy pool versus Seed

To give a little background I'm currently implementing a crypto library in JavaScript. I have started porting across Linux's random number generator because its both publicly scrutinized, it is ...
2answers
313 views

### Can an RSA public key be generated without ever knowing the factors? [duplicate]

Context: http://blog.cryptographyengineering.com/2013/12/a-few-more-notes-on-nsa-random-number.html Assume I wanted to use RSA as the basis for a hash function or DRBG. Also assume that my construct ...
2answers
250 views

### Are hash trees an alternative, quantum-resistant signature scheme which can replace RSA?

Can hash trees provide quantum resistant signatures to replace RSA for signing securely? What is the key size and how many times can we use same key?
1answer
147 views

### Is there proof to the relation between the gap Diffie-Hellman problem and the the Cha-Cheon signature scheme?

I am trying to prove that: "If the gap Diffie-Hellman problem is easy, then the Cha-Cheon signature scheme will be broken." Can you help me to prove it? Is there any proof to the relation between ...
2answers
933 views

### What characters does AES output?

From what I understand after testing the Crypto-JS file here: http://crypto-js.googlecode.com/svn/tags/3.1.2/build/rollups/aes.js AES creates encrypted strings that contained letters, both ...
1answer
232 views

### RSA exhibits symmetrical properties — is it possible to form a cryptanalytic attack?

This question is broken into two sections really: Symmetry in RSA I have been analyzing raw RSA and I have noticed some interesting symmetrical properties of the algorithm. Assume that $M$ is a ...
0answers
70 views

### How do you distribute secret shares without knowing who to first distribute them to?

Figure 1 on page 1249 of the “Multiparty Computation Secure Against Continual Memory Leakage” paper shows $m$ committees are elected in step 1 and then later in step 3 are each given a secret share. ...
3answers
603 views

### Salts, how does the script know what the salt is?

I am new to PHP programming and trying to grasp the idea of hashing and encryption for protecting passwords, credit card details and such. I've done a lot of reading about MD5 which I think I ...
2answers
229 views

### Should I bother implementing DH + AES, or leave it to a library like Crypto++

I'm making a C++ back end for an application that'll heavily rely on AES-256 and DH. Should I trust third party libraries, or spend (lots of) time to learn about cryptographic implementation and write ...

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