# All Questions

254 views

### What is the original SKID3 protocol?

While searching for a mutual authentication protocol I often stumbled upon SKID3. However I encountered different variations of it. The basic structure is the following: (1) A --> B: rA (2) B --> ...
117 views

### Is Cramer-Shoup backdoorable?

We recently had the question whether it's possible to have multiple private keys with one public key for the cramer-shoup cryptosystem. There it was stated that finding such "secondary" private keys ...
65 views

### DSA: Authentication and assurance of authorized parties

When dealing with Asymmetric cryptographic algorithms, usually the sender of the critical data asks the listener for a Public Key for encrypting the data and sending them. This is while the private ...
722 views

### How to build an electro-mechanical public key cipher machine?

It is generally assumed that asymmetric encryption schemes were invented in 1973 at GCHQ in Britain and, independently, in 1976 at the MIT. Imagine, if the abstract idea of having a public key and a ...
64 views

### What is ε in differential privacy?

In ε-differential privacy, what does the ε refer to? Is it privacy value or the notation used? Can anyone provide an example of differential privacy?
699 views

### In SSL and TLS, why is there a separate Change Cipher Spec Protocol rather than including a change_cipher_spec message in the Handshake Protocol?

In SSL and TLS, why is there a separate Change Cipher Spec Protocol rather than including a change_cipher_spec message in the Handshake Protocol?
179 views

### Why is the definition of Special-honest verifier zero-knowledge probabilistic?

Let $P$ be a prover willing to prove to a verifier $V$ that he knows a witness $w$ satisfying $(x,w) \in R$ for some relation $R$ and some common input $x$. As found in the literature, $P$ can use a ...
25 views

### How to reconstruct hash value to the original format? [duplicate]

I would like to know how I can reconstruct a hash value such as 558f68181d2b0c9d57d41ce7aa36b71d9 to its original format (734). I have used a code in matlab, which provided me with an hash output, ...
52 views

### MDC-2 recommended IV values?

I'm currently reading Menezes' "Handbook of Applied Cryptography", and in it, when describing the MDC-2 cryptographic hash function, has the following line: Choose the 64-bit non-secret constants ...
89 views

### AES storing the length within the encrypted data versus storing it outside

I need to strip off padding after decrypting AES(CBC)-encrypted data (I have control over encryption and data transmission), so have looked at adding the length of the original data to the payload ...
68 views

### RSA signature attack check on lowest 16 bytes - Implementation

I am referring to solution given in this question I need help to implement Poncho hint in this comment: As the first question i have an RSA signature of 1024 bit applied on an hash (MD5) of the ...
1k views

### Why do crypto libs use table lookups when they're vulnerable to timing attacks?

AESEngine.java, from BouncyCastle, uses table lookups as does aes_x86core.c, in OpenSSL. But per Cache-timing attacks on AES table lookups like what OpenSSL and BouncyCastle are doing are vulnerable ...
434 views

### Is signing a hash instead of the full data considered secure?

I reference object in some of my code in hashes. The signature is itself is another object separate from the one I am signing (for obvious reason). I consider simpler to simply sign the reference to ...
52 views

### FFX Encryption over alphabet of arbitrary radix

I understand how standard numeric FPE using a halved string in cycled Feistel networks is constructed and operates. I then read the paper regarding FFX encryption which should allow for any non-binary ...
62 views

### Can string lookups be vulnerable to timing attacks like array lookups are?

Per “Can non-assembly crypto libraries truly be secure against timing attacks?”, array lookups are vulnerable to timing attacks. Like, if you do cresult[map[i]] and ...
86 views

### RSA problem - how to find $d$ [duplicate]

For example, let $p = 3$ and $q= 11$, choose $e = 3$. What computation I have to apply in order to find the corresponding $d$? I know it's 7, but I want to know the exact process to be applied to find ...
10k views

### Definition of Textbook RSA

What is the definition of Textbook RSA? What are some of the properties of textbook RSA? How does it differ from other RSAs?
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### One time pad ciphers in emails

In order to achieve very high security for privacy, would it be cryptographically secure to use one time pad ciphers in emails? The distribution of the keyword would pose no problems since I would ...
247 views

### Customizable Crypto Algorithms in Hardware

Several companies offer customized cryptographic algorithms, for example Crypto AG (www.crypto.ch/en/company): The individually created customer algorithms are unknown to anyone else and are not ...
212 views

### Is Checksum to file back decoding possible?

So, I was having this weird thought. If the checksums(MD5 or SHA...) are unique to any file and are modified if any part of the file is edited, why cant the checksums be decoded back to get the ...
244 views

### Can non-assembly crypto libraries truly be secure against timing attacks?

http://cr.yp.to/antiforgery/cachetiming-20050414.pdf states the following: So what went wrong? Answer: NIST failed to recognize that table lookups do not take constant time. “Table lookup: not ...
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### RSA Encryption: What happens if n is a factor of the message M? [duplicate]

From what I have learned about RSA encryption, the message M and the modulo n must be coprime because Euler's theorem only holds for coprime numbers? for example, what happens if I choose p = 3, q = ...
50 views

### Key exchange resilience to DoS attack

I am designing a user registration protocol for a system where I control both clients and servers. The aim is to establish a symmetric key for subsequent authentication, while minimizing the work ...
84 views

### ssh-keygen DH Primality Testing

I'm pretty familiar with using ssh-keygen to create groups that go in the /etc/ssh/moduli file for the Diffie-Hellman Group Exchange in openssh. Reading over the man page, it says "By default, each ...
129 views

### Why not put MAC in fixed position and cover padding for MAC-then-encrypt?

The biggest problem with using MtE with a mode where it's known to be secure (CBC) is with the padding, where you can't retrieve the authentication until you know where it is by looking at the padding ...
267 views

### Is the GOST block cipher broken?

Is the GOST cipher broken or known to be weak and insecure? Please try to simplify your answer since I am a programmer and not a cryptographer and please consider this web page and tell me if the ...
57 views

### Signature Verification: High level

I'm trying to understand how certificate signing and verification works conceptually. I know the classic example with asymmetric cryptography- the sender encrypts data with public key of receiver, ...
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What is the advantage of AEAD ciphers? Why is the TLS working group pushing for them? I thought modern cipher suites require SHA256 for authentication. What advantage is there to including Poly1305? ...
79 views

### Is modular Barrett reduction usable for Ed25519?

I currently try to implement Ed25519 following this draft. I have implemented every field operation except the reduction by the group order $q$ (in chapter 5). I looked for a reduction algorithm and ...
55 views

### Is constructing IND-CCA2 public key encryption schemes particularly easy with the KEM/DEM approach?

After the introduction of McBits, I was interested what security notions are neccessary for IND-CCA2 security of integrated encryption schemes (IES, following the key encapsulation mechanism / data ...
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### How is the MAC or HMAC secret shared with the other party for verification?

I've seen people everywhere say to use a MAC or HMAC with block ciphers. I think I understand the basics, but I'm still not sure how the HMAC secret is distributed so the other party can verify that ...
67 views

### Encryption algorithms larger than 256 Bit for “big data” encryption?

I'm somewhat new to encryption. When looking at encryption programs for big data, I frequently see a maximum of 256 bits. Why do we generally restrict our (symmetric) keys to 256 bits? Can more ...
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### Are there any paper/human strong crypto systems? [duplicate]

Are there any paper/human executed crypto systems that have reasonable strength? I am aware of a few candidates so far Solitare from Cryptonomicon https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solitaire_(cipher) ...
328 views

### What are the practical implications of ciphertext distinguishability?

Commonly there are four ways to "break" a secrecy-focused cryptosystem: Recover the secret key Recover the message Distinguish an encryption from random noise Distinguish the encryption of two ...
151 views

### How AES treat string input to encrypt data and what will happen if the cipher key is less than that expected?

The official docs of AES have several example of how hexadecimal or byte input can be encrypted. I have some problem about the input text and cipher key. My question is: How can encrypt string input ...
53 views

### ElGamal in $Z^*_{p^n}$

If $p$ is an odd prime and $n$ natural,it is known that the group $Z^*_{p^n}$ is cyclic.Explain why the selection-choice of the group $Z^*_{{3^{1000}}}$ for the construction of a cryptosystem ElGamal ...
86 views

### Can we solve the Hidden Number Problem in $GF(2^n)$?

Is it possible to solve the Hidden Number Problem in extension fields? In particular in $GF(2^n)$? Let's suppose an attacker knows some least/most significant bits of $r_i = a_i \times k$ in a given ...
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### Present an attack for the combination of OTP and textbook RSA

Let $N=p \times q$ where $p$ and $q$ are two primes. Compute $\Phi (N) = (p-1)(q-1)$. Choose $e$ s.t. $1 < e < \Phi(N)$ and $gcd(e,\Phi(N))=1$. Compute $d = e^{-1}(mod \ \Phi(N))$. ...
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### Let $F$ be a PRF, is the following $G(x)=F_{0…0}(x)∥F_{0…1}(x)|| … ||F_{1…1}(x)$ a PRG?

$F$ is a PRF with $n$ bit key, input, and output length. I know the answer is "NO it isn't!", but I can't understand why. Is that because on any input $x$, the keys for every $F$ in the concatenation ...
133 views

### Attack on Double Encryption Scheme

In this protocol: A → B : { <[A, {K}pk(B)]> }pk(B) B → A : { <[B, {K}pk(A)]> }pk(A) I'd like to determine why this is insecure. How can the attacker learn the key K if A and B are both ...
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### Cryptanalysis on two time pad ciphers? [duplicate]

One time pad ciphers are unbreakable if the message is encrypted correctly and if only used once. However if used more than once, it becomes decipherable. How come? Also, would it be smart to use one ...
280 views

### Is $G$ a secure PRG?

Is the following function a secure PRG? Given $F$ is a secure PRG and $k$ is choosen random from key space $K$. $$G(x) = F(k,x) \oplus F(k,x \oplus 1^s)$$ My solution is $x \oplus 1^s = x'$ ...
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### Prove that certain amount of data was stored

I'm looking for a way to prove that a certain amount of data was stored, through some easily verifiable piece of information. Similarly to how proof-of-work can prove through a hash that a certain ...
116 views

### Knowing that $G(s)$ is a PRG, is the following construction $G'(s) = G(s||0)$ a PRG?

I know there already is a very similar question. However, I can't understand why $G'(s)$ is not a PRG. If $G(s)$ is a PRG, then why $G(s||0)$ can't also be a PRG? How can the distribution over ...
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### ElGamal signatures systems

Let $p$ prime number $q/p-1$ prime and $g\in (Z/pZ)^*$ element of order $q$.Also $a\in \{1,...,q-1\}$ the private key and $y\equiv g^a\pmod p$ the correspoding public key.For each of the following ...
2k views

### Why should I use Authenticated Encryption instead of just encryption?

There are various different modes of operation for block cipher use, some of which provide "encryption" and some of which provide authenticated encryption. Why should I use an authenticated ...