Hyperelliptic Covers of Different Degree for Elliptic Curves

Abstract

In elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) and hyperelliptic curve cryptography (HECC), the size of cipher-text space defined by the cardinality of Jacobian is a significant factor to measure the security level. Counting problems on Jacobians of elliptic curve can be solved in polynomial time by Schoof–Elkies–Atkin (SEA) algorithm. However, counting problems on Jacobians of hyperelliptic curves are solved less satisfactorily than those on elliptic curves. So, we consider the construction of the cover map from the hyperelliptic curves to the elliptic curves to convert point counting problems on hyperelliptic curves to those on elliptic curves. We can also use the cover map as a kind of cover attacks. Given an elliptic curve over an extension field of degree n , one might try to use the cover attack to reduce the discrete logarithm problem (DLP) in the group of rational points of the elliptic curve to DLPs in the Jacobian of a curve of genus g ≥ n over the base field. An algorithm has been proposed for finding genus 3 hyperelliptic covers as a cover attack for elliptic curves with cofactor 2. Our algorithms are about the cover map from hyperelliptic curves of genus 2 to elliptic curves of prime order. As an application, an example of an elliptic curve whose order is a 256-bit prime vulnerable to our algorithms is given.