Cryptographic security in information and communication networks

Project coordinator:

• Dr. Janusz Stoklosa – Poznan University of Technology.

The institution performing the project:

• Poznan University of Technology, Department of Electrical Engineering, Institute of Control and Information Engineering.

Project objective:

The project objective is to develop new cryptographic algorithms.

Project description:

The main goal of the project is to solve selected important problems of information and communication network security, to include transferring and processing of data. A comprehensive approach to the issue of security has to include the following three rudimentary aspects: confidentiality, integrity, and accessibility of data. The project includes integrated research of cryptographic mechanisms such as ciphers and shortcut functions, their synthesis and cryptoanalysis.

In particular, the scientific goals of the project include:

1. Elaborating the theoretical bases for and the principles of implementation of a generator of strongly non-linear, balanced boolean functions, on the basis of generation of random bent functions, and using the generator to design substitution blocks (S-blocks);
2. Testing the susceptibility of the ciphers and S-blocks to linear and differential cryptoanalysis and to a synthesis of algorithms to calculate approximation tables and difference distribution tables in block cipher cryptoanalysis. The basis for determining the characteristics are the so-called approximation tables and cipher component function difference distribution tables. The defined algorithms to calculate the value of these tables are exponential in their complexity, which limits their application for component functions of a small number of binary inputs and outputs. The scope also includes research of susceptibility to linear and differential cryptoanalysis of S-blocks.

Research of this kind is conducted intensively worldwide. Methods of S-block synthesis are continuously developed. The Information Systems Security Division of the Poznan University of Technology has developed algorithms to generate S-blocks of multiple inputs and outputs. They are continuously improved.

Project financed by The National Centre for Research and Development