Scribd
Upload
4 views12 pages

2. Symmetric Key Cryptography

The document outlines the dimensions and terminology of cryptography, focusing on symmetric key cryptography where a shared key is used for encryption and decryption. It discusses the requirements for secure symmetric encryption, the concept of cryptanalysis, and various attack methods including brute-force and cryptanalytic attacks. Additionally, it defines unconditional and computational security, emphasizing the importance of key size in determining the feasibility of breaking a cipher.

Uploaded by

jatindhiman0212
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
4 views12 pages

2. Symmetric Key Cryptography

The document outlines the dimensions and terminology of cryptography, focusing on symmetric key cryptography where a shared key is used for encryption and decryption. It discusses the requirements for secure symmetric encryption, the concept of cryptanalysis, and various attack methods including brute-force and cryptanalytic attacks. Additionally, it defines unconditional and computational security, emphasizing the importance of key size in determining the feasibility of breaking a cipher.

Uploaded by

jatindhiman0212
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 12

Dimensions of

Cryptography
• characterize cryptographic system
by:
– type of encryption operations used
• substitution / transposition
– number of keys used
• single-key or private / two-key or public
– way in which plaintext is processed
• block / stream
Symmetric Key
Cryptography
• or conventional / secret-key /
single-key
• sender and recipient share a
common key
• all classical encryption algorithms
are private-key
• was only type prior to invention of
public-key in 1970’s
• and by far most widely used
Some Basic
Terminology
• plaintext - original message
• ciphertext - coded message
• cipher - algorithm for transforming plaintext to ciphertext
• key - info used in cipher known only to sender/receiver
• encipher (encrypt) - converting plaintext to ciphertext
• decipher (decrypt) - recovering ciphertext from plaintext
• cryptography - study of encryption principles/methods
• cryptanalysis (codebreaking) - study of principles/
methods of deciphering ciphertext without knowing key
• cryptology - field of both cryptography and cryptanalysis
Symmetric Key
Cryptography
Requirements
• two requirements for secure use of
symmetric encryption:
– a strong encryption algorithm
– a secret key known only to sender / receiver
• mathematically have:
Y = E(X,K)
X = D(Y,K)
• assume encryption algorithm is known
• implies a secure channel to distribute key
Model of Conventional
Cryptosystem
Cryptanalysis
• objective to recover key not just
message
• general approaches:
– cryptanalytic attack
– brute-force attack
Cryptanalytic Attacks
• ciphertext only
– only know algorithm & ciphertext, is statistical,
know or can identify plaintext
• known plaintext
– know/suspect plaintext & ciphertext
• chosen plaintext
– select plaintext and obtain ciphertext
• chosen ciphertext
– select ciphertext and obtain plaintext
• chosen text
– select plaintext or ciphertext to en/decrypt
`
More Definitions
• unconditional security
– no matter how much computer power or
time is available, the cipher cannot be
broken since the ciphertext provides
insufficient information to uniquely
determine the corresponding plaintext
• computational security
– given limited computing resources
– the cipher cannot be broken
Brute Force Search
• always possible to simply try every key
• most basic attack, proportional to key size
• assume either know / recognise plaintext

Key Size (bits) Number of Alternative Time required at 1 Time required at 106
Keys decryption/µs decryptions/µs
32 232 = 4.3  109 231 µs = 35.8 minutes 2.15 milliseconds
56 256 = 7.2  1016 255 µs = 1142 years 10.01 hours
128 2128 = 3.4  1038 2127 µs = 5.4  1024 years 5.4  1018 years

168 2168 = 3.7  1050 2167 µs = 5.9  1036 years 5.9  1030 years

26 characters 26! = 4  1026 2  1026 µs = 6.4  1012 years 6.4  106 years
(permutation)

You might also like