# All Questions

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### 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" ...
1k views

### How do I apply differential cryptanalysis to a block cipher?

I've read a lot of summaries of block ciphers particularly with regards to the NIST competitions stating that reduced-round block ciphers are, for example, vulnerable to differential cryptanalysis. I ...
199 views

### Background for modular arithmetic function

I'm investigating this function: $a := ((b\cdot c) \bmod k) - (b \cdot c)/k$ where $/$ indicates integer division. Two things I've noticed: It's equivalent to multiplying a·b, and then ...
324 views

### Analysis of Repeatedly Enciphered Plaintext using Same Algorithm / Key

Please forgive the impracticality of this question, but I'm curious about the behaviors of encryption algorithms applied to their own output. Suppose I have an encryption algorithm E and (using the ...
598 views

### UMAC: to what extent is it in use today?

Inspired slightly by the Encrypt-then-MAC question. The most obvious message authentication code is probably HMAC or RFC 2104 which is basically a hash of the input, an xor with a key... you get the ...
157 views

### Is a changing public truecrypt container secure?

I have a Truecrypt container which I want to synchronise between computers (i.e. different people, that I want to share the data with). If I used Dropbox for synchronisation and someone downloaded ...
270 views

### How is the MJH double-block-length hash function constructed?

I'm looking for information on the MJH double-block-length hash function, but the best free source I could find is the diagram on page 18 of Efficient hashing using the AES Instruction Set (submitted ...
645 views

### How do I construct a 256-bit hash function from 128-bit AES?

I would like to generate a 256-bit hash on a microcontroller that has a 128-bit (only) AES engine. How can I construct a 256-bit hash function from a 128-bit cipher?
10k views

### Basic explanation of Elliptic Curve Cryptography?

I have been studying Elliptic Curve Cryptography as part of a course based on the book Cryptography and Network Security. The text for provides an excellent theoretical definition of the algorithm but ...
611 views

### Digital Signature Algorithm signature creation

I was studying DSS from "Cryptography and Network Security" by William Stallings. What puzzled me was the DSS approach figure described in the text. It says it uses Public and Private Keys for ...
689 views

### ANSI X9.31: the purpose of the date/time vector in the PRNG?

What is the exact purpose of the date/time vector $dt$ in the ANSI X9.31 PRNG? $$I := E_K(dt)$$ $$R := E_K(I \oplus V_{old})$$ $$V_{new} := E_K(R \oplus I)$$ Specifically, the document seems ...
2k 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 ...
514 views

### KeeLoq showing that decryption is indeed the inverse of encryption

In some text I am reading, there is an exercise asking to show that KeeLoq decryption function is the inverse of the encryption function. Details about KeeLoq are given in the Wikipedia article. As I ...
236 views

### What is the sign bit for in Feige-Fiat-Shamir?

The Feige-Fiat-Shamir identity scheme is based on a ZKP assuming that square roots are "hard" modulo an integer of unknown factorization. The "parallel version" of this protocol includes a "sign bit" ...
132 views

### How to collect, process, and transmit data securely?

In my question "Authenticating data generated by a particular build of an open source program", Dave Cary requested that I post a question stating my real problem on a high level rather than the ...
153 views

### Authenticating data generated by a particular build of an open source program

[I was torn between posting here or security.stackexchange.com. In the end, I felt that this was more of a design question, rather than an implementation question and so chose this forum.] My ...
267 views

### If a cryptanalytic breakthrough is made, what process should be followed?

If a researcher manages to make a cryptanalytic breakthrough on a cryptographic algorithm or protocol that is in use, what should they do? Has this ever happened before? What are the implications for ...
376 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?
185 views

### How are constructs with data-dependent swaps and rotations cryptanalyzed?

Linear and differential cryptanalysis seem well suited for constructs with a (relatively) simple fixed structure of boolean expressions. But some ciphers incorporate swaps of array elements where the ...
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 ...
1k views

### Is HTTPS secure if someone snoops the initial handshake?

Let's say I'm on an open wireless network that's being actively sniffed and I connect to an HTTPS site. Even though my subsequent traffic is encrypted, couldn't the sniffer use the data from the ...
2k views

### Known methods for constant time (table-free) AES implementation using 'standard' operations?

There are several known methods for implementing AES in constant time using SIMD operations, mostly based around fast byte shuffling (for instance Hamburg and Kasper/Schwabe). Are there any similar ...
1k views

### Any good file format alternative to PGP for encrypting data at rest?

I'd like to create an encrypted file that: Can be decrypted on a variety of platforms (mainly Windows, OS X, and Linux) with knowledge of the key. Can be decrypted with existing tools (perhaps ...
137 views

### Proof that Alternating Step Generator and modifed ASG' have equivalent security?

The Alternating Step Generator (ASG) is a PRNG combining 3 LFSRs. Output of the ASG is the XOR of the output of two clock-gated LFSRs. At each step, a single one of these LFSRs is clocked, according ...
784 views

### How can my application make sure the right symmetric key is used for decryption?

I am developing an Encryption/Decryption Utility using Adobe AIR. I have chosen the AES algorithm and currently use the as3crypto library for this. My query is in ...
2k views

### What is a white-box implementation of a cryptographic algorithm?

What is a white-box implementation? Does a white-box implementation have specific properties?
819 views

### How should I store passwords that need to be available in plain text?

Suppose I need to store login information for a third-party website for a few users, how would I go about doing it? Since I am logging into a third party website, I need the password in plain-text, ...
648 views

### Where do I securely store the key for a system where the source is visible?

I have a customer with an Access database (ugh!) in which credit cards are stored in plaintext (yikes!), so amongst other changes I'm doing in the app, I'm applying some encryption in there. I've ...
970 views

### Properties of PRNG / Hashes

There are a lot of quite elaborate PRNG's out there (e.g. Mersenne Twister et.al.), and they have some important properties, especially when it comes to crypto applications. So, I was wondering how ...
2k views

### Reverse engineering a hash?

I understand this may not be the best place to ask a question like this, but I believe that this community may be the best/only place I can ask such a question. I have inputs and outputs from an ...
299 views

### Reduction from signatures to encryption?

Is it possible to construct an (asymmetric) encryption scheme from a signature scheme? If the signature scheme is deterministic and allows existential forgery (e.g. RSA), then the answer is yes ...
586 views

### iSeries (AS/400) Database File: password encryption

I am helping with a project in which an old software system on an iSeries is having a brand new .NET UI applied to it. It's going well... except... In order to allow users to login and maintain ...
464 views

### Why is there an enormous difference between SAT solvers?

SAT solvers are very important in algebraic attacks, for example walksat and minisat. However, when solving the benchmark problems available here there is an enormous performance difference between ...
The Rijndael S-Box design generates a permutation cycle of type $2+27+59+81+87$. What effect would replacing that permutation with a cycle of type $256$ have on the security of AES?