# All Questions

575 views

### How to protect from Silver–Pohlig–Hellman algorithm

I read that Silver–Pohlig–Hellman algorithm solves the discrete logarithm with prime module $p$ in $O(\log^2(p))$ if $p-1$ is a smooth number. This seems pretty fatal for cryptography, since it is a ...
47 views

### one-time key, zero IV in stream cipher (e.g. AES-CTR) [duplicate]

Say I am using a random key to construct a stream cipher with, say, AES in CTR mode, which will never be used to encrypt more than one data stream. Is there any advantage, no matter how small, to ...
159 views

### Precise meaning of various terms related to universal hash functions

I've been reading about universal hashing, but I'm confused by all these different terms and notations. Could someone help me understand the precise meaning or relation between the following terms: ...
454 views

### Is SSH public key authentication weakened by 'none' cipher?

As far as I know, SSH2 first does a key exchange based on the server host key and brings up transport authentication and encryption derived from this kex. The real authentication (password or public ...
3k views

### How is the key shared in symmetric key cryptography?

Symmetric key cryptography is an encryption system in which the sender and receiver of a message share a single, common key that is used to encrypt and decrypt the message. Is the key public or it is ...
168 views

### Integer factorization based password authentication

After looking at this security issue at DjangoProject, I started to think in a password-based authentication that places the burden of PBKDF2 (or whatever is the hashing function) on the client. So I ...
2k views

### Inverting the encryption equation of a symmetric cipher

I've just started a cryptography course. I am beginning to understand the concepts (I'm only in week 2) but I just can't get my head around the theories and principles when written as equations. I've ...
335 views

### bcrypt and pbkdf2 double hashing

If I want to protect myself from implementation of algorithm issues and inherent design flaws of algorithms in password hashing, what would be most secure way to combine two hashes? ...
2k views

### What stops the Multiply-With-Carry Random Number Generator from being a Cryptographically Secure Pseudo-Random Number Generator?

Despite the fact that Marsaglia's MWC PRNG (multiply-with-carry random number generator) is considered to be "the mother of all RNGs", it does not seem to be considered to be a CSPRNG ...
521 views

### AES with different modes of operation

I'm taking up a cryptography class and this is for an assignment. We're asked to find the differences between AES/RSA in the different modes of operation vs the one timepad method. From wiki, I can ...
127 views

### Is it dangerous to use plaintext as IV in CBC?

Is it dangerous to use plaintext as IV in CBC? For example: I want to encrypt $p1$, $p2$ with CBC. However I use $p2$ as the IV for CBC purposes. What would be the risk of not using a IV based on ...
468 views

### Why does openssl BN_generate_prime return only a fraction of the safe primes within the given bit range?

I went into prime generation issues the last week and eventually calculated 10^7 primes using erik tews safeprimegen python wrapper for openssl. (https://github.com/eriktews/gensafeprime) (System: ...
245 views

### HMAC construction based on the combination of two hash functions

I would like an $\operatorname{HMAC}$ that's based on two different hash functions ($H_1$ and $H_2$), so that a break of the combined $\operatorname{HMAC}$ would imply a break of ...
2k views

### What is the ideal cipher model?

What is the ideal cipher model? What assumptions does it make about a block cipher? How does it relate to assuming that my block cipher is a pseudo-random permutation (PRP)? When is the ideal ...
7k views

### Difference between linear cryptanalysis and differential cryptanalysis

What is the main difference between linear cryptanalysis and differential cryptanalysis? For example in relation to DES?
425 views

### Zero knowledge proof of possession of key

Suppose Alice has at some point in time produced ciphertext $C$ from message $M$ with key $k$. Suppose Alice has then passed $C$ to Bob, and also made a commitment to her key $k$ (thanks to ...
223 views

### Salsa20 in Davies-Meyer mode with a fixed key (message): is it one-way?

Say I have a function that calculates a pseudo random permutation and this function is easy to invert. For example $P(i) = AES_k(i)$ where $k$ is a publicly known key. So anyone can compute $P(i)$ ...
763 views

### Combining multiple symmetric encryption algorithms - implications?

I was just wondering if I add more security by combining two or more symmetric encryptions on a plain text. For example: Plaintext → AES → Twofish → Serpent Of ...
431 views

### Proof of correct construction of a private key in distributed cryptography

In an exponential ElGamal encryption scheme where the key generation is done in a distributed way among $n$ trustees we have that each trustee $i$ (where $1 \leq i \leq n$): Selects a private key ...
428 views

### Can I dynamically calculate an appropriate number of iterations for PBKDF2 based on the system time, rather than using a fixed value?

Could you choose the number of PBKDF2 iterations based upon the system time? I've heard a few people recommend that the number of iterations for PBKDF2 should be doubled every two years (starting ...
254 views

### What exactly could be accomplished with a backdoor in Dual_EC_DRBG?

Assume that some entity really holds the private key corresponding to the recommended/dubious constants of Dual_EC_DRBG. According to this presentation, they would be able to reconstruct the internal ...
893 views

### Possible ECC backdoor and its impact on Internet traffic

In a recent article, Bruce Schneier suggested that he prefers classic discrete log crypto over ECC because "I no longer trust the constants. I believe the NSA has manipulated them through their ...
257 views

### Can the AES encryption and decryption algorithms be described as a polynomial for a specific key?

AES is a block cipher that consists of non-linear and linear parts to provide the Shannon requirements of confusion and diffusion respectively. The linear parts can for sure be described as a ...
177 views

### Privately Sum Values without Dealers, MPC

Suppose $n$ actors each hold a plaintext $p_i$. We wish to find $\sum p_i$, without leaking any information about individual $p_i$. Any actor (or any link in the network) could be controlled by an ...
165 views

### Can you help me understand PFS and wPFS?

Every time I encounter the concepts of PFS (perfect forward secrecy) and wPFS (weak perfect forward secrecy), I feel uncertain about them. My understanding is that: PFS ensures that, if the ...
107 views

### Recasting randomly generated numbers to other widths

Suppose I have a list of randomly generated uint_8's, uniform over the whole range of uint_8. I write them into a file as raw ...
378 views

### Meaning of “family” in “family of hash functions”

Many definitions related to universal hashing mention the term "a family of hash functions, say $H$". What does this 'family' mean exactly? A numerical example would be appreciated. Also, what does it ...
162 views

### Stream vs Block cipher: Synchronising and the receiver

I am learning cryptography at school and I was wondering: How are the blocks/streams after decryption synchronized at the receiver to form one long meaningful message? Am I right by saying that ...
434 views

### Hide a weakness in ECC by choosing the prime or one of the curve coefficients

Suppose you are given a value $c$. Can you find a prime $p$ and an integer $b$ such that the elliptic curve $$E: y^2 \equiv x^3 -3x + b \pmod p$$ is cryptographically weak? You need to choose ...
162 views

### Can a PRNG with a fixed amount of entropy always be detected?

Given a fixed seed (i.e. no ongoing source on entropy), is there (practically or theoretically) any PRNG algorithm that can generate an infinite sequence of random numbers such that an observer cannot ...
235 views

### Is there a theoretical maximum useful keysize given the block-size?

Consider a block-cipher $F$ with a $N$-bit block-size and a $M$-bit key-size. That is, if $k$ is a $M$-bit key, $p$ is a $N$-bit block of plain-text and $c$ is a $N$-bit block of cipher-text, then: ...
326 views

### Hash function based on block cipher (and proof of security in the PRP model)

Do there exist proofs of security for primitives like hash functions (based on a block cipher) in the PRP model. I often see proofs in the random oracle model (for hash function based on compression ...
3k views

### Could RDRAND (Intel) compromise entropy?

I was recently discussing the issue of RDRAND in Intel chips and the whole issue about how NSA could potentially be influencing Intel to weaken or create backdoors in their design. This petition was ...
371 views

### Should new applications still use RSA? Is it worth going down the ECDH route for protocols?

I am currently designing an application for communication between two and more users. At the moment I am trying to figure out what methods to use for the asymmetric cryptology. With the recent ...
107 views

### Question about Fermat's little theorem

Why is $g^e \mod p = g^{e \mod (p-1)} \mod p$ if p is prime. I don't get it. It follows from Fermat's little theorem.
329 views

### Relation between key size and PRNG state size

Some (supposedly) cryptographically secure PRNGs have an internal state of only 160 bits or less. When the algorithm is otherwise properly designed, that seems like enough to generate a 128 bit key ...
172 views

### Security of (cryptographic) padding compared to other methods for blockcompletion for block ciphers

As said in the heading, I want to know how the security of different padding methods, e.g. ANSI X.923, ISO 10126 and PKCS7, is compared to other methods to reach the needed block size, like ciphertext ...
195 views

### General-purpose non-interactive multi-party computation protocol

Most of general purpose multi-party computation protocols are highly interactive. Especially the ones with Shamir's secret scheme, as there is a degree reduction step in multiplication that needs the ...
27k views

### Should we trust the NIST-recommended ECC parameters?

Recent articles in the media, based upon Snowden documents, have suggested that the NSA has actively tried to enable surveillance by embedding weaknesses in commercially-deployed technology -- ...
96 views

### Is it possible to generate a message using the mac and the key?

Say that you have the Key and the MAC value that was generated from the Key using CBC. Is it possible to generate a message with just the mac and the key? If so, how would you do it?
900 views

### What NIST protocol was allegedly backdoored by NSA in 2006?

From a recent NY Times article: Cryptographers have long suspected that the agency planted vulnerabilities in a standard adopted in 2006 by the National Institute of Standards and Technology ...
77 views

### Should I use distinct MACs for each user, or should I use a *direction* flag when communicating?

Alice and Bob want to communicate using a stream cipher. At the beggining, they create a session key $K_s$ and exchange it via some secure channel (using some asymmetric algorithm). After every ...
642 views

### Why are the first few bytes of a gpg encryption always the same?

If I run the command 'gpg -a -e < input.txt > output.txt' with completely different inputs (e.g. from /dev/urandom), the first 19 characters are always the same. What is this header? Is it ...
513 views

### Question regarding multiple SHA-256 rounds on a Bitcoin Brain Wallet passphrase…

I am attempting to come up with a way of memorizing a seed that could lead to any number of brain wallets for bitcoin. I need multiple wallets because a) I don't want all my eggs in one basket, and ...
170 views

### Security of S/MIME in case of CA compromise

Suppose Alice and Bob are exchanging messages using S/MIME, protected by certificates that have been issued by either the same CA or by two mutually independent CAs. There exists an adversary Mallory ...
350 views

### Which PRNG security requirements do I need for key generation

Do I need to worry about "predictability" an an allegedly secure CSPRNG if I am just using it to generate key material from time to time? Suppose that for some odd reason, I am less trustful today ...
180 views

### Can S/MIME be still considered secure?

Previoulsy I had asked this question at http://stackoverflow.com/questions/18235983/can-s-mime-be-still-considered-secure but I feel this forum is topic-wise the right place. Recently there has been ...
409 views

### Automated security protocol verification tool for eCK model

I want a tool that (runs on Win7 and) can perform automated verification of a protocol in the eCK security model as described in Microsoft Research's paper "Stronger Security of Authenticated Key ...
Here is a protocol for a key exchange: Bob encrypts a message $m$ with his key $K_B$: $m_1 = E_{K_B}(m)$. Bob send the result $m_1$ to you. Alice encrypts my encrypted above message with her own ...