# All Questions

94 views

### How difficult is it to check if a group element is in a sub group?

I am just curious. We have a group $G$ and its subgroup $H$ with a generator element $h \in H$. How difficult is it to check for $x \in G$ that $x \in \langle h \rangle$? Is there a better way than ...
299 views

### How are Elliptic Curve Cryptography and Pairing Based Cryptography related?

I have been doing a project that uses the PBC library developed by Ben Lynn. But I am still not clear on how PBC is related to ECC. I know that this is a site for complex crypto QA, but I did not know ...
793 views

### Master keys for decrypting?

I'm not a Cryptography expert, but i've seen this topic sometimes on the Web: Master decrypt keys. Most of the people said that "Master decrypt key" does not exist. This makes sense if you developed ...
286 views

### Is semantic security important in a hybrid cryptosystem?

RSA doesn't provide semantic security when used unmodified, and neither does the commonly used PKCS#1 v.1.5 padding scheme for encryption. Is this a problem for hybrid cryptosystems at all? My ...
829 views

### What are rounds in the context of ciphers?

Another recent question on security margin included in its answer the discussion of how many rounds are broken so far. What is the definition of a round?
607 views

### Using Chi-Square for Vigenère Cipher

I am writing a program which will use Chi-Square to determine which is the correct keyword for a ciphertext via Vigenère cipher. I came across a website that describes the Chi-Square statistics in a ...
166 views

### GGM PRG construction: Why do we need to change keys all the time with underlying PRG

When constructing a PRF that has n bit input using the GGM PRG, why do we always have to recursively run the PRG using its previous output as a seed key n times. Instead, why don't we run the PRG n ...
300 views

### Finding a collision for a hash function

I'm trying to find a collision for the following (modified) Merkle–Damgård hash function. Suppose we already have a hash function $h : \mathbb{Z}_2^{2·n} \to \mathbb{Z}_2^n$ for fixed length bit ...
421 views

### Why is RSA usually limited to messages up to 1 block

I'm wondering why RSA encryption usually is only used for messages that fit into one block. For larger messages hybrid encryption in combination with symmetric ciphers like AES seem to be the solution ...
2k views

### Why does WPA-PSK not use Diffie-Hellman key exchange?

Is there a reason, why in pre-shared key mode, Wi-Fi session key is not secured with something like Diffie-Hellman but instead is derived from PSK key and some information exchanged in clear during ...
401 views

### Simple homomorphic crypto for 32-bit integers

I'm looking for a simple way to perform homomorphic crypto on 32-bit integers. My only requirement is that I can add and subtract from the plaintext value without actually decrypting it. The crypto ...
376 views

### Break double encryption

Let $E_k$ : {0,1}$^l$ be a block cipher encryption function with block-size $l$ and key-length $n$. In class, we saw that a double encryption with two independent keys $E{}'_{k_1k_2}(x)$ = ...
145 views

### High Power Computing for Crypto Research

Obviously, much of cryptography requires the assumption that adversaries have bounded computing power. So, I was wondering, are there any fields in cryptographic research for which high power ...
135 views

### What's the strategy for future directions in cryptography? Bigger numbers/faster searching, or new methods, say, of factoring?

I'm taking a course in cryptography, and I would value any comments. This is not too technical a question, but more about directions or strategy in cryptography. My question is, is public key ...
2k views

### ANSI X9.31 standards for generating random numbers

The NIST-Recommended Random Number Generator Based on ANSI X9.31 Appendix A.2.4 Using the 3-Key Triple DES and AES Algorithms has 3DES being used three times for each 64-bit block of random data ...
149 views

### Public keys and their protocols

I'm having difficulties understanding exactly what this protocol means: $S \to D : \{N_S , S\}K_D$ $D \to S : \{N_S , N_D \}K_S$ $S \to D : \{N_D \}K_D$ "where $S$ represents the supervisor’s ...
266 views

### What is an oracle adversary?

I'm trying to figure out block ciphers and this is the first time I've encountered the term "oracle adversary". It appears in the context of defining a PRP and a PRF. Can someone please explain what ...
128 views

### Can you use the same key to provide a signature and a MAC?

Apologies if this is a stupid question, but I'd be grateful if someone could provide an answer. I'm assuming that you need to use different keys to provide these functions, is that correct?
353 views

### Increase number of rounds for SPN and Feistel ciphers

Read a post on Schneiers blog (and again 2011) about increasing the number of rounds for AES from to "AES-128 at 16 rounds, AES-192 at 20 rounds, and AES-256 at 28 rounds" to raise the security. ...
678 views

### Avalanche noise RNG for one-time pad use

I came across this little HRNG widget and was really intrigued as I have been looking for a decent but afordable source for truly random bits to use in a one-time pad. The question is, would a HRNG ...
375 views

### Hash collision resistance requirements for Lamport signatures

According to the original paper, Lamport one-time signature scheme uses two one-way functions: $F$ and $G$. The former one, $F$, is used to create a public key by hashing elements of the private key ...
329 views

### Proving correctness of pseudorandom generator construction given existing pseudorandom generator

Say if I have a given pseudorandom generator G which takes a k-bit input and outputs a 3k-bit number. How should I show that a specific construction using this pseudorandom generator is valid? For ...
174 views

### How could block encryption in counter mode be secure from viewpoint of entropy?

A good block cipher e.g. AES running in counter mode is commonly considered to be secure. Assuming a perfectly random key, one could in this case from $128$ bits generate up to $2^{128}·128$ bits for ...
3k views

### How to decrypt AES in CBC

i am having problems understanding how CBC works! I know that it is a chain and the IV is XORed with the PT but then what? I mean we encrypt it with key k and the result is the CT which we use for the ...
583 views

### Can I make a cipher (ex: Vigenère) harder to break?

The Vigenère cipher can relatively easy be broken when the key size is small compared to the size of the message. One first finds the length of the key, and then uses frequency analysis to actually ...
194 views

### Practical implementations of Multiparty computations [closed]

Are there any practical implementations and or software platforms to prototype applications based on MPC ?
360 views

### Generating a cryptographically secure, many-time use, symmetric encryption key

I need to generate a 256 bit encryption key described by the adjectives in the title. Currently I intend to create the key using this RNG. Is this a secure manner of creating the key, given that it ...
276 views

### Conforming Randomness To An Alphabet

Imagine that we're trying to create a function to generate a random string conforming to a user-supplied alphabet. That way, users can generate random strings with given characters. Something like: ...
159 views

### Format of NONCE in Initialization Vector (IV)

When we talk about a Number used ONCE (NONCE) in Initialization Vector (IV), is it required to use numbers only? Is is possible to use letters or special characters?
652 views

### Replay attack prevention under strict conditions

Say I have a request-response protocol and the task to make it immune to replay attacks. The requirements are as follows: The defense mechanism cannot rely on the clocks of the parties. The defense ...
324 views

### How to properly add ECDSA private keys?

I'm currently working on an application that requires me to add two ECDSA private keys in order to make a new private key. The result has to have the property, that its corresponding public key is the ...
252 views

### Algorithm Design for only Mutual Information Sharing

Bob and Alice each have a bit string they want to keep private. They each want to know what the bitwise AND of their two strings would be without telling the other or anyone else listening to their ...
235 views

### Can A PRNG Be Used To Generate Multiple Private Keys for ECDSA?

Suppose Alice seeds a cryptographically strong Pseudo Random Number Generator with a truly random number, and keeps it secret. Alice then uses the output of the PRNG to generate several 256-bit ...
878 views

### How does Output Feedback mode use the initialization vector?

How can I process Initialization Vector inside the Block Cipher Encryption box (using for example AES) together with the Key? Will I encrypt the Initialization Vector like a block of plaintext? So ...
530 views

### RSA finding the inverse of the public exponent

I have a very basic doubt in RSA key generation and its usage. In RSA key generation you choose two large prime numbers of a very large order. Then you multiply them.(eq $p \cdot q = N$) Now, ...
160 views

### Signature scheme with two private keys, neither derivable from the other

Is there any scheme, ideally one widely used or at least widely available, where you can treat both the signing and verifying keys as secret? Basically, the functionality I'm looking for is this: ...
220 views

### Is there a cumulative commitment scheme?

For a certain application I need a commitment scheme where each user could make a commitment, and a single verification operation could verify all the commitments simultaneously, faster than single ...
1k views

### Dictionary attack on pass-phrases on common algorithms

I don't yet perfectly understand the difference between brute-force and dictionary attack since this differentiates one attacking the key and another attacking password: apparently attacking passwords ...
63 views

### Ideas for non duplicate cryptographically secure numbers

My Boss asked me this today. I am not a math major. He needs to generate 50 billion non-sequential non-duplicate (no collisions) cryptographically secure random numbers. I work in GO. Any ideas?
48 views

### Block Ciphers - Standardize plain text

I need to use AES-128 to encrypt a plain text about 720 bits. Is it correct to say that – in this case – the plain text will be divided in 5 blocks of 128, the result will be equal 640 bits, and the ...
65 views

### what are the advatanges and disavantages of the digital signature algorithms for JWT?

I am using a Java JWT library jose4j. There is a list of digital signatures algorithms which can be used. HMAC using SHA-2 RSASSA-PKCS1-V1_5 Digital Signatures with with SHA-2 Elliptic Curve Digital ...
63 views

### Hash length extension attack - SHA256 to 512 - impossible, correct?

Just want to be sure about something before I sign off on a method we're about to put into place. We have a secret, to which a user-defined key is appended. The user can see the SHA256 hash of the ...
64 views

### Inversion Free Direct Conversion between Twisted Edwards (X,Y,Z) and Montgomery (X,Z)

The Wikipedia page for Montgomery curves shows how to convert points on a twisted Edwards curve to and from points on an equivalent Montgomery curve. However, their description and the original ...
45 views

### On composition of encryption schemes

If we composed (as in function composition) multiple CPA-secure encryption schemes would the result also be CPA-secure?
46 views

### How to securely store data? / How to securely encrypt a file? [closed]

How do I safely encrypt a file? or formulated differentely: How do I safely store the data of my application in a file? Note: Using established tools isn't an option for this. The tasks need to be ...
76 views

### How do we guarantee plaintext is coprime in RSA?

The specifications for RSA state: $P^{\phi(N)} \equiv 1 ~mod~N$ if and only if $P$ and $N$ are coprime. Here $P$ is the plaintext and $N$ is the product of two suitable primes $x_1, x_2$. My question ...
169 views

### ECC vs RSA: how to compare key sizes?

I know and I have understood the details of RSA, elliptic curve cryptography, (EC)DH and (EC)DSA. I keep reading everywhere that (if we don't consider non-deterministic computers) "ECC can achieve ...
69 views

### How to calculate if probability is negligible or not

If i have probability $Q = 2C(A\times B)$ where $A$ and $B$ are unknown probabilities and $C$ is a non-negligible probability, what can i speculate about probability $Q$ and how can i calculate bounds ...
Goldreich and Ostrovsky show that any ORAM algorithm must have bandwidth cost $\Omega(logN)$, where $N$ is the total number of blocks outsourced. This is in Theorem C of this paper. But they didn't ...