ICT Course: Introduction to Cryptography
Nguyen Minh Huong
ICT Department, USTH
December 26, 2022
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Outline
Session 2: Introduction to Cryptography - Symmetric
Cryptography
1 Classification of the field of Cryptology
2 Basics of Symmetric Cryptology
3 Cryptanalysis
4 Historical cipher system
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Classification of the field of Cryptology
Classification of the field of Cryptology
Cryptology
Cryptography Cryptanalysis
Symmetric Ciphers Asymmetric Ciphers Related Protocols
Stream Block
Ciphers Ciphers
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Basics of Symmetric Cryptology
Basics of Symmetric Cryptology
Trudy
(bad)
y y
Alice x Encryption Unsecured channel Decryption x Bob
(good) e() d() (good)
K K
Secured Channel
Key generator
x is called the plaintext
y is called the ciphertext
K is called the key
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Basics of Symmetric Cryptology
Encryption: 𝑦 = 𝑒 𝐾 (𝑥)
Decryption: 𝑥 = 𝑑 𝐾 (𝑦)
If same keys are used for encryption and decryption:
𝑑 𝐾 (𝑦) = 𝑑 𝐾 (𝑒 𝐾 (𝑥)) = 𝑥
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Cryptanalysis
Cryptanalysis
Why we need Cryptanalysis?
The only way to assure a cipher is secure is to try and to break it (and
fail!)
Kerchhoff’s principle
A cryptosystem should be secure even if the attacker knows all details about
the system, with the exception of the secret key. In particular, the system
should be secure when the attacker knows the encryption and decryption
algorithms.
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Cryptanalysis
Cryptanalysis Classification
Cryptanalysis
Classical Cryptanalysis Implementataion Attacks Social Engineering
Mathematical Brute-Force
Analysis Attack
Classical Cryptanalysis : recovering x or k from y
Implementation Attacks : try to extract a secret key from side-channel
analysis, e.g., power measurement, electromagnetic radiation, etc.
Social engineering : obtain a secret key by involving humans, e.g., trick
a user into giving her password
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Cryptanalysis
Brute-Force Attack (Exhaustive Key Search) against
Symmetric Ciphers
Requires at least 1 plaintext-ciphertext pair (𝑥 0 , 𝑦 0 )
Check all possible keys K until: 𝑑 𝐾 (𝑦 0 ) = 𝑥 0
How many keys do we need?
Key length Key space Time for all keys searching
64 bits 264 few hours or days
128 bits 2128 decades without quantum computer
256 bits 2256 decades with quantum computer
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Cryptanalysis
Substitution cipher
Historical cipher
Example for understanding Brute-force and analytical attacks
Encrypts letter rather than bits
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Cryptanalysis
Example
Ciphertext:
Brute-forte Attack?
Analytical attack?
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Cryptanalysis
Example
Brute-forte attack: 240 per seconds − > How much time to break the
code?
Analytical: frequency counts
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Historical cipher system
Historical cipher system
1 Shift (Ceasar) Cipher
2 Affine Cipher
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Historical cipher system
Shift (Ceasar) Cipher - Example
plaintext = ictlab
ciphertext = lfwode
What is the rule?
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Historical cipher system
Shift Cipher - Description
Let 𝑘, 𝑥, 𝑦 ∈ 0, 1, ..., 25
Encryption: 𝑦 = 𝑒 𝑘 (𝑥) ≡ (𝑥 + 𝑘) mod 26
Decryption: 𝑥 = 𝑑 𝑘 (𝑥) ≡ (𝑦 − 𝑘) mod 26
Question:
Keyspace = ?
Is it secure? (Any attack is possible?)
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Historical cipher system
Affine Cipher
A key is consisted of two parts: 𝑘 = (𝑎, 𝑏)
Let 𝑘, 𝑥, 𝑦 ∈ 0, 1, ..., 25
Encryption: 𝑦 = 𝑒 𝑘 (𝑥) ≡ (𝑎.𝑥 + 𝑏) mod 26
Decryption: 𝑥 = 𝑑 𝑘 (𝑥) ≡ (𝑎 −1 .(𝑦 − 𝑏)) mod 26
gcd(a,26)=1, then 𝑎 = {1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, 25}
Keyspace =? Is it secure?
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