All Questions

190 views

How to best obtain bit sequences from throwing normal dice?

Throwing normal dice, one can get sequences of digits in [0,5]. Which is the best procedure in practice to transform such sequences into bit sequences desired?
278 views

RSA primes vs. largest known primes

In the context of a new largest (mersenne) prime number being found this week - The largest known prime number is now 2^57,885,161 − 1, and it took 5 years to find ...
209 views

Does a trace of SSL packets provide a proof of data authenticity?

I'm wondering if it would make sense to record a whole HTTPS session, publish its encryption keys and present it to third parties as a proof that this particular data was sent by a given server ...
639 views

Security of simple xor and s-box cipher?

What weaknesses (or strengths) do block ciphers based on only key xor and s-box have when operating in CBC mode? A cipher's internal primitive might be a simple as this: $C = S[M \oplus k]$, where ...
287 views

Does MD5 generate 128 independent bits?

I heard that there are 128 stochastically independent bits in an MD5 output. Is that true? If so, are there any citations or proofs for that?
239 views

How to forge Schnorr signatures if you can guess the challenge

Underlying the Schnorr signature is an identification protocol: let $G$ be a cyclic group where discrete log is "hard" and choose $g$ as a generator of $G$. Now have Alice pick a random (secret) ...
361 views

Why is OCB-AES mode not becoming a standard for authenticated encryption?

The OCB mode of authenticated encryption (used for example with AES) is the fastest way to provide authenticity and confidentiality without having to strive into questions like: Encrypt then MAC, MAC ...
1k views

My application can authenticate via openid and oauth (facebook, twitter, etc) and also with its own authentication system. I previously switched hashing from MD5 to SHA1 and during migration I had to ...
217 views

Finding roots in $\mathbb{Z}_p$

Is there an efficient way (algorihtm) to compute the solutions of the congruence $x^n\equiv a \pmod p$? $n\in \mathbb{N}$ $a\in\mathbb{Z}_p$ $p$ is a large prime number Note that: By efficient I ...
308 views

creating a small number from a cryptographically secure random string

i'm trying to figure out the best way to generate a cryptographically secure random number between 0 and 200 from a cryptographically random string of bytes (ie. read from /dev/urandom or some such) ...
2k views

HMAC vs MAC functions

I've read definitions of MAC and HMAC, but can't say I've completely grasped the differences. What are principle differences? When to use one and when the other?(Typical Use Cases)
207 views

Is there a hash algorithm that is slow to calculate but relatively fast to check?

Or more generally, is there a function or algorithm that is slow to calculate/execute, has a reliable execution time, and has a result that can be tested much more quickly than the calculation took?
652 views

How to calculate an IV when I have a shared private key?

I'm working with a server/client system that has securely negotiated a private key. I need to encrypt/decrypt messages passing in both directions which are typically between 100 bytes to 100 KB. I'm ...
591 views

Is it possible to validate a Public Key in RSA?

If I have a 1024-bit number, and someone is telling me that it is in fact a valid RSA public key, is there any way I can quickly validate that it is indeed so (without cracking RSA)? (I suppose I am ...
334 views

Is it possible to create an easy to use encryption/decryption method that will never be comprimised?

In the comments of the question "Why programming languages don't provide simple encryption methods?" the following statement was made: A well thought out, tested and understood standard that has ...
216 views

Encrypting a key with the same key

I am new to crypto and trying to understand why it would be insecure to use AES to encrypt a key with the same key. Basically, something like this: encrypt(key, key) What happens when both key and ...
491 views

I have just advanced to the last grade of high school (in Denmark). In this year, we all get to do one big project, where we can build/invent/create whatever we want to "solve a problem". As I study ...
939 views

In the SHA hash algorithm, why is the message always padded?

In the SHA hash algorithm the message is always padded, even if initially the correct length without padding; the padding is of the form "1" followed by the necessary number of 0s. Why is it ...
245 views

Why does a broken hash function undermine an HMAC?

For instance, what makes MD4 a bad choice for an HMAC? In this case I am asking about MD4 because its less than ideal. I know that a preimage attack can be used to undermine the system, but why? ...
236 views

In storing passwords in a database should I use a per-application salt in addition to a per-secret salt?

Assuming that the salts are sufficiently long (16 random chars) is there any advantage in using a per-application salt in addition to a per-secret salt when storing hashed passwords in a database? ...
860 views

How to attack a classical cipher using known partial plaintext?

I have a ciphertext generated by a classical cipher. I do not know what was cipher used to generate it. I do however have the beginning of the plaintext. What are the cryptanalysis approaches for ...
299 views

“Weaknesses” in SHA-256d?

According to this answer, "SHA-256d" was proposed in one of the Ferguson/Schneier books like so: SHA-256d(x) = SHA-256(SHA-256(x)) Apparently, the motivation for ...
185 views

Word-based stream ciphers vs “regular” stream ciphers?

Could somebody explain what is the difference between "word-based" stream ciphers and the regular ones? Those last ones use pseudo-random sequences XOR'd bit by bit with the message, as far as I know. ...
2k views

Rijndael vs. Serpent vs. Twofish: General comparison

Can anyone explain (or give a link to document about) why Rijndaal won the AES, especially comparing it to other finalists (Serpent and Twofish)? What criteria were used to make decision? Or is there ...
382 views

Where can i get the info to implement AES?

I know there are 100's of AES programs and websites out there but I can't seem to find a site that give me the detail I think I would/should need to write my own java program. I was to write AES form ...
173 views

Changing algorithms during encryption

Inspired by "Guarding against cryptanalytic breakthroughs: combining multiple hash functions", I am curious if there is a cryptographic reason to use only one algorithm during encryption. For ...
436 views

Converting a stream cipher into a block cipher

The well-known Counter-Mode (CTR) mode of operation for a block cipher essentially converts any block cipher into a stream cipher. Is there a way to do the reverse? In other words, given a "good" ...
378 views

Threshold Secret sharing - How to create a shared secret from pre existing secret parts?

In usual $(t, n)$ secret sharing schemes, a secret $S$ is split into $n$ parts so that any $t$ out of $n$ parts reconstruct the original secret. So, suppose that there is a group of $n$ participants ...
1k views

Cracking Pre-Paid Cards

Is it possible to deduce the original function that used to generate those pre-paid cards number that are used for charging your mobile phone credits? For Example, If I've collected about 1000 of ...
491 views

Why is CAMELLIA suddenly so widely used?

When nowadays I point my browser to https sites, the cipher that is on most occasions used is Camellia. My browsers (Chrome and Firefox) seem to prefer it, even when AES is available. Is that not ...
265 views

What do $0^n$ and $1^n$ mean in cryptography?

EDIT : I added more context. Let $f$ = {$f_k$} be a pseudo random function family. Let $G(x)$ be a pseudo-random generator such that: $G(x)$ = $f_x$($0^k$)$f_x$($1^k$) where k=$|x|$ . I don't ...
347 views

How to authenticate over open channel?

I am making an arduino project to open my garage door. I want to make it so users with the passphrase can open the door. Due to computational restrictions it is unlikely encryption is possible. ...
1k views

Use of salt to hash a password

In a few implementations of hashed passwords, I have seen that the length of the random salt is chosen to be, say, 10 or "some constant". Is there any specific reason why the salt is chosen to have a ...
113 views

Including a “purpose” designation in a digital signature

A signature of some data can mean many different things, such as: This is a message I sent, this is a certificate I validated,... So I was surprised that common signing schemes don't include a ...
91 views

How does one measure the decrease in security, if any, of RC4 when mapping to a specific range of values?

For a project using RC4, the output is to be mapped to values of 0 to 35. Thus, only 36 unique output values representing the letters A to Z and 0 to 9. To avoid bias, the RC4 byte output (with a ...
228 views

How to enhance randomness of AES?

I'm using PHP to encrypt a string and Java to decrypt it on a remote server. To perform the encryption, I'm using the strategy that can be found here. My problem is that the strings I encrypt are ...
551 views

Understanding CRC

There are zillions of articles describing CRC. What can I ready to understand more deeply what's really going on? Both from an algebraic perspective and a bit-manipulation perspective, I'd like to ...
348 views

Would RSA-encrypting a private key for itself constitute a vulnerability?

I'm planning to encrypt some individual files for storage, using the GnuPG implementation of RSA. If I happened to encrypt the private key corresponding to the public key used for encrypting -- either ...
1k views

What alphanumeric string length can be used to guarantee no hash collisions from CRC-64?

If I'm hashing alphanumeric strings (chars in the set 0-9, a-...
148 views

What are the benefits of lattice based cryptography?

Previously we visited the benefits of elliptic curves for cryptography. Lattice based cryptography is starting to become quite popular in academia. The primary benefit of lattice based crypto is the ...
168 views

Stretching passwords for encrypting small files

I would like to know how to store a sensitive file; a credential of sorts. I want to password-protect it, obviously. It would be appropriate - in my application - to prompt the user for the password ...
216 views

Why does SRP-6a use k = H(N, g) instead of the k = 3 in SRP-6?

I've been reading up on the Secure Remote Pasword protocol (SRP). There are a couple different versions of the protocol (the original published version being designated SRP-3, with two subsequent ...
385 views

How can disk encryption systems (like Truecrypt) resist frequency analysis when they allow random access?

I don't understand how disk encryption (e.g. TrueCrypt) is supposed to resist frequency analysis. If blocks can be randomly accessed (which they can), doesn't that mean that frequency-domain ...
302 views

Practical necessity of semantic security under chosen plain text attack (CPA) in CBC mode

I was not able to understand why we practically need a CPA security in Cipher Block Chaining. (which insist on having a random IV), let say if the encryption is not CPA secure i.e , the adversary can ...
741 views

What are advantages of using a HMAC over RSA with SHA-1 hashes?

I am currently studying for an exam and this was a previous question: Give one advantage of using HMACs over using RSA to sign SHA-1 hashes. My thoughts are that it has something to do with the ...
1k views

Avalanche effect in DES

I couldn't understand the avalanche effect in DES. Could someone explain how avalanche effect happens in DES
691 views

Strength of multiple hash iterations?

Is it correct that increasing the iteration possibly decreases the cipher strength but increases the amount of time it would take to find the original hash values if using brute-force on a given hash? ...
1k views

What place do prime numbers have in cryptography?

My understanding of hashing and encryption is rather limited. I certainly do not understand the mathematical formulas at play in these algorithms. With that said, what part do prime numbers play in ...