# All Questions

3answers
59 views

### Frequency tables for HTML page source

Are there online resources with an ASCII character frequency table for HTML? There's tons of them for english, but I can't seem to find one for page source. I know that this is something that's ...
1answer
104 views

### Eavesdropping experiment with private key

I am extremely new to cryptography, still trying to learn basics. I got stuck in the following example of an eavesdropping experiment with a private key. \begin{array} {|r|r r r|r|} \hline C & ...
2answers
95 views

### 3DES over Galois Counter Mode (GCM) for authenticated encryption

Is it possible to use DES or 3DES over Galois Counter Mode (GCM) to provide authenticated encryption? I haven't seen any implementation yet.
1answer
142 views

### Why is a Feistel network bijective?

EDIT: Fixed for clarity of intention I was reading "The FFX Mode of Operation for Format-Preserving Encryption" when I came across Figure 1 (see below). It's obvious why it's reversible (top-down ...
1answer
90 views

### Is it OK to substitute a PRF for a random oracle?

Random oracles don't exist, but aren't PRFs essentially indistinguishable from them? So why can't we substitute pseudorandom functions wherever we use random oracles? And if we can do this, why is ...
1answer
118 views

### security in format preserving encryption

In format preserving encryption an attacker knows the format and data type of the plain text. The format of the plain text and cipher text are same. usually cipher text are unreadable form. then how ...
1answer
88 views

### Are pseudorandom permutation really permutation in mathematical sense?

In security, and specifically Block Cipher (AES, DES, etc), when we talk about pseudo random permutations, is the term "permutation" refer to the same meaning as in discrete mathematics. That is, the ...
1answer
67 views

### Compacting a substitution cipher key

In a substitution cipher, I recieve 3 bits and than I return another 3 bits. The key of this cipher could be a matrix represented as: ...
3answers
127 views

### Can spatial filters be used to factor composite numbers?

$Z=(N-XY)^2$ is a surface with absolute minima ($0s$) anywere $Y=N/X$. I know this question is naiive, but shouldn't it be possible to apply a lossy compression filter to this function which ...
1answer
41 views

### Does failure of indistinguishability of encryptions imply lack of CPA-security?

Suppose we have an encryption scheme that fails the indistinguishability of encryptions test. That is, given messages $m_0, m_1$ and a ciphertext $c_b = Enc_k(m_b)$, where $b \in \{0, 1\}$, the ...
1answer
68 views

### Does the plaintext have to be at least as long as the key in Polyalphabetic substituion cipher

In polyalphabetic substitution cipher, if we have a key $k$ (a string of letters) of length $n$ does the plaintext $m$ (also a string of letters) have to satisfy $|m| \geq n$? Also, side question, ...
1answer
131 views

### Algorithm for n-of-m keys with partial results

Is there any known and proven algorithm which allows n-of-m keys en/decryption, but doesn't require the keys to be in one location? That is, it allows the plaintext (or ciphertext) to be encrypted (or ...
1answer
125 views

### Key Check Value standard pratice for asymetric cryptography?

I'm looking for a standard, or sound industry practice, for the equivalent of a Key Check Value, applied to the private key of a public key algorithm, like ECDSA. For DES or 3DES keys, practice (as ...
2answers
420 views

### PGP digital signature vs SHA256 HMAC Comparison

First let me admit that I am not a mathematician or a cryptographer. I am responsible for assisting in making a recommendation on a project that is consolidating payment processes within a company's ...
2answers
383 views

### How does a certificate authority issue a digital certificate?

I am new to cryptography and I want to know the details of how a Certificate Authority issues a digital certificate. From what I know (please correct me if I'm wrong at any parts of my explanation): ...
1answer
108 views

### Words in “index of coincidence” in relation to the Vigenère cipher

I am trying to interpret the formula for index of coincidence from here… I am not understanding $f_i$. How can I calculate $f_i$ in this context? Is this the appearance of single word like ...
1answer
97 views

### Plaintext block chaining, bad idea why?

Ahead of the question, little warning. Question is not about what are the better options. Question is why it is bad idea? Ok, suppose we have plaintext $p$, which divided into blocks: ...
1answer
1k views

### Probability of SHA256 Collisions for Certain Amount of Hashed Values

I wonder if you can help me figure out that question: Is there a known probability function f: N -> [0,1], that computes the probability of a sha256 collision for a certain amount of values to be ...
1answer
60 views

### Average/approximate difference in value between valid consecutive $x$ coordinates in ECC?

From my basic understanding not all values of $x$ coordinates can satisfy a given elliptic curve equation, i.e. some $x$ coordinate values are not valid points on the curve because $x^3+ax+b$ is not a ...
1answer
240 views

### Is only one shared secret generated by ECDH per key pair?

I'm confused about ECDH. Using their public keys and private keys, two entities can arrive on a shared secret. But from the equations I've seen, it looks like ONLY the numbers present in their key ...
1answer
76 views

### Is there an existing authorative definition of the cryptographic term 'pepper'

I can attempt to define the term 'pepper' as: In cryptography, a pepper is a something that is added to another value (for example a password) prior to a the value being hashed using a ...
1answer
229 views

### About the Security of PCBC Encryption Mode

We are designing an encrypted file system. We plan to use the PCBC (Plaintext Cipher Block Chaining) encryption mode for encryption. This is because we desire the feature ("small changes in the ...
1answer
88 views

### Is this an example of a zero knowlege proof?

My Math Structures professor mentioned the strange concept of a zero knowledge proof to me after class one day, and I decided to do some reading about it. After reading the relatively famous "How to ...
1answer
164 views

### Given only RSA public key parameters, what security issues might I be able to detect?

I'm attempting to automate some checks against a large list of .NET assemblies, and want to include a test to see if the RSA parameters used to sign the assemblies are sensible. However, since I don't ...
1answer
130 views

### Security of integrity protection with HMAC vs AEAD

I'd like to know how the security of the integrity protection compares between: HMAC-SHA-256 with an 32 byte tag or a truncated 16 byte tag AES-GCM with a 16 byte tag AES-CCM with a 16 byte tag or ...
1answer
109 views

### Can IGE mode be parallelized?

As far as I know, in IGE mode (infinite garble extension) each block depends on the previous one. In that case, can the encryption be parallelized? Is there some way to do it?
1answer
159 views

### What is the advantage of using the socialist millionaire protocol to authenticate vs HMACing some random number?

Say Alice and Bob have a shared secret $s$. Alice and Bob establish an encrypted channel and verify that it hasn't been MitM'ed by exchanging $r_1$ and $r_2$, where $r_1$ and $r_2$ are randomly ...
1answer
137 views

### Is format preserving encryption suitable for use with words or names?

Is it possible to use FPE to encrypt names and language words like 'Bob' 'the' 'tree', in order to preserve both length and format (like keeping characters within a certain range like A-Z a-z) The ...
1answer
406 views

### Differences between Work Factor and Time Complexity

I am interested to know if work factor means the same thing as time complexity. Quoting Work Factor : Uncovering keys in cryptosystems The Work Factor of a cryptosystem is related to its ...
1answer
57 views

### In a additive group is it hard to calculate $bg$ given $ag, g, abg$

The ECDH problem defined that given $g,ag,bg$ it is difficult to calculate $abg$. But it is also difficult to calculate $bg$ given $ag,g,abg$. where $g$ is generator and a,b are elements of group.
1answer
299 views

### Is cryptanalysis of CTB-Locker really impossible?

It seems that CTB-Locker make a lot of victims nowadays, and yet, the full encryption scheme of it is now publicly known [1,2]. Would any of you could find a weakness to exploit in this encryption ...
2answers
132 views

### Does key derivation with known parameters add any security?

First up: this is a question about a concept that I try to wrap my head around; it is not about the specific implementation. Anyway… I have the following scenario (simplified to show the problem I ...
3answers
228 views

### Sage Vs C++(with NTL) for implementing cryptosystems

Is Sage a better alternative to C++(with NTL), for programming that involves math objects like polynomial rings in cryptosystems? I hear that Sage is an open source alternative to Magma. I have used ...
1answer
120 views

### Noisiest RF band for random number generation

I've been looking into the difference between PRNGs and proper RNG techniques. One that I particularly like is the idea of tuning a radio to a certain frequency and bandwidth and just listening to the ...
1answer
428 views

### SHA1 Partial Collision

I'm working on a little python script that reads in two fairly similar English sentences (they're in text files - reading them in) and I'm trying to force a SHA1 partial collision (e.g. first 32 bits ...
1answer
511 views

### Merkle hash tree updates

It seems that merkle hash tree (MHT) traversals have been discussed somewhat in the literature, but there does not appear to be much written on inserting, deleting, and updating leaves. Is this lack ...
2answers
135 views

### Is this a valid “fix” for deterministic encryption in encrypted databases?

It appears (after doing some light research) that for encrypted databases to be practical enough to be usable, deterministic encryption is required, specifically with regard to the type of encryption ...
1answer
139 views

### BEAST attack confusion

I understand that BEAST is a CPA using javascript injected onto the browser's webpage. Apparently the thing that BEAST exploits is the fact that the IVs are predictable. What I'm confused about is why ...
1answer
114 views

### chacha20-poly1305 padding and length encoding

The AEAD construction for chacha20-poly1305 described in the IETF proposal encodes message lengths into the text that is to be hashed. The newer proposal goes further and pads associated data and ...
1answer
163 views

### RSA public key exponent generation confusion

Quote from Wiki: $e$ having a short bit-length and small Hamming weight results in more efficient encryption — most commonly $2^{16} + 1 = 65537$. However, much smaller values of $e$ (such as $3$) ...
2answers
277 views

### Combining a keystream generator with a block cipher

I understand that: A stream cipher's security is diluted if the same key is used more than once. This is fixed by using an additional initialization vector in the keystream's computation. A block ...
1answer
162 views

### Attribute-based broadcast encryption with respect to ABE

What is the exact difference between attribute-based encryption (ABE) and attribute-based broadcast encryption (ABBE)? Is ABBE equivalent to broadcast encryption on top of ABE?
1answer
84 views

### Encrypting decryption key

What's that property called when a scheme is secure even if you encrypt the decryption key? Some schemes have problems when your plaintext is the decryption key (or just the key if symmetric).
1answer
146 views

### Is AES-GCM length extension attack possible using authenticated decryption?

I am looking to encrypt a piece of data using AES-GCM with a full 16-byte GCM Tag and send it over the network using UDP. Is it safe to assume using the AEAD nature of AES-GCM that performing ...
1answer
160 views

### How to implement homomorphic multiplication for Elgamal?

I want to add the homomorphic property to Elgamal in libgcrypt. This is the core code I added to the library. ...
2answers
125 views

### How do we find the subkey out of a differential cryptanalysis?

I understand the differential cryptanalysis up to the "finding the last subkey" part. If XORing with the key doesn't change the differentials, how can testing different key affect the equations we ...
1answer
267 views

### 2048-bit RSA Decryption

If a message is encoded with 2048 bit RSA. The ciphertext is $M^e mod N$. In some cases, the message is short, $M \approx 10^{20}$. With a high probability, $M$ can be written as $M = ab$ with \$a, b ...
1answer
164 views

### Gap problem for Learning With Errors

Informally, a "Gap problem" arises when solving the computational (or search) version using an oracle for the decisional version. This definition of Gap Problem was introduced by Okamoto and ...
1answer
102 views

### Random Permutation polynomial

I need to know, please: (1) Is there anyway to pick uniformly at random permutation polynomial in a field of prime order? (2) Are there many permutation polynomials in a field? (3) In a finite ...
1answer
303 views

### Square roots, prime factorization

I´m stuck in my homework and since its homework, I would rather get some hints than full solution. The problem goes: factorize n = 88416763 in case that you know that the square roots of 51733469 ...

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