Secret Key Information Research Articles

Light-injection attack against practical continuous-variable measurement-device-independent quantum key distribution systems

Continuous-variable measurement-device-independent quantum key distribution (CV-MDI QKD) can defend all detection-side attacks effectively. Therefore, the source side is the final battlefield for performing quantum hacking attacks. This paper investigates the practical security of a CV-MDI QKD system under a light-injection attack. Here, we first describe two different light-injection attacks, i.e., the induced-photorefractive attack and the strong-power injection attack. Then, we consider three attack cases where Eve only attacks one of the parties or both parties of the CV-MDI QKD system. Based on the analysis of the parameter estimation, we find that the legitimate communication parties will overestimate the secret key rate of the system under the effect of a light-injection attack. This opens a security loophole for Eve to successfully obtain secret key information in a practical CV-MDI QKD system. In particular, compared to the laser-damage attack, the above attacks use a lower power of injected light and have a more serious effect on the security of the system. To eliminate the above effects, we can enhance the practical security of the system by doping the lithium niobate material with various impurities or by using protective devices, such as optical isolators, circulators, optical power limiters, and narrow-band filters. Apart from these, we can also use an intensity monitor or a photodetector to detect the light-injection attack.

Cryptanalysis of the SHMW signature scheme

In recent research, Durandal, a signature scheme based on rank metrics following Schnorr's approach, was introduced to conceal secret key information by selectively manipulating the vector subspace of signatures. Later, an enhancement, namely the SHMW signature scheme, with smaller keys and signatures while maintaining EUF-CMA security, was proposed. Both Durandal and SHMW require adversaries to solve hard problems (i.e., Rank Support Learning, Rank Syndrome Decoding, and Affine Rank Syndrome Decoding) for secret key retrieval, in which the parameters are designed to withstand at least 128-bit computational complexity. The authors claimed that the security of the SHMW scheme is deemed superior to that of the original Durandal scheme. In this paper, we introduce a novel approach to identifying weak keys within the Durandal framework to prove the superiority of the SHMW scheme. This approach exploits the extra information in the signature to compute an intersection space that contains the secret key. Consequently, a cryptanalysis of the SHMW signature scheme was carried out to demonstrate the insecurity of the selected keys within the SHWM scheme. In particular, we proposed an algorithm to recover an extended support that contains the secret key used in the signature schemes. Applying our approach to the SHMW scheme, we can recover its secret key with only 97-bit complexity, although it was claimed that the proposed parameters achieve a 128-bit security level. The results of our proposed approaches show that the security level of the SHMW signature scheme is inferior compared to that of the original Durandal scheme.

Practical continuous variable quantum secret sharing scheme based on non-ideal quantum state preparation

Continuous variable quantum secret sharing protocol can guarantee the unconditional security of secret key information based on the fundamental laws of physics. However, the state preparation operation may become non-ideal and imperfect in practical continuous variable quantum secret sharing scheme, which will introduce additional excess noise and affect the security of the scheme. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze it. We propose a practical continuous variable quantum secret sharing protocol based on imperfect state preparation. Specifically, in the proposed scheme, we assume that there are multiple users, and the imperfect state preparation performed by any user is equivalent to the corresponding untrusted third party using a phase insensitive amplifier to amplify the ideal modulator and laser owned by the user. The equivalent excess noise introduced by the imperfect state preparation can be calculated comprehensively and quantitatively through the gain of the corresponding phase insensitive amplifier. The results show that the continuous variable quantum secret sharing scheme is sensitive to the excess noise introduced by the imperfect state preparation operation, which will inevitably reduce its performance and security. Fortunately, the upper bound of the additional excess noise tolerance for the imperfect state preparation is achieved by using the specific gain formula of the phase insensitive amplifier, thus the security risks caused by the imperfect state preparation can be effectively solved. Due to considering the additional excess noise introduced by imperfect state preparation, tighter secret key rate curves can be obtained by the proposed scheme than those by the ideal continuous variable quantum secret sharing protocol. These results indicate that the proposed scheme can improve the practical security of continuous variable quantum secret sharing scheme, and provide a theoretical basis for its practical applications.

Novel chaos based cryptosystem using four-dimensional hyper chaotic map with efficient permutation and substitution techniques

In this paper, a competent hyper chaos-based image encryption technique is proposed. The cryptosystem uses a four-dimensional hyper chaotic map for implementing the secret key information. In terms of Lyapunov exponents, NIST test results and bifurcation diagrams, 4-D hyperchaotic system exhibits better dynamical behavior than lower dimensional chaotic systems. Also, 4-D map has superior hyperchaotic performance in views of ergodicity, complexity, and randomness behavior and is capable to generate an unpredictable keystream, which is highly suitable for encryption. Therefore, a novel image encryption algorithm using four-dimensional hyper chaotic system is proposed here. A novel method with sequence of mathematical operations is used for the secret key generation. Both the confusion and diffusion phases are implemented on the basis of this secrete random values with innovative designs. In permutation phase, keystream-based pixel level and bit level scrambling are performed to shuffle the image pixels effectively. Novel methods are implemented to accomplish pixel level scrambling with row and column shift operations. The bit level scrambling is also instigated with a novel cyclic rotation technique. Thus, the pixel level and bit level scrambling ensure higher security in the permutation process. In substitution phase, the keystream is XORed with scrambled images in an effective manner to obtain the final encrypted image. Various evaluation measures are used to access the safety and security of the proposed system. The evaluation result of the projected method with numerous other techniques shows the sovereignty and higher security of the planned technique. The keystreams are generated from the hyperchaotic Lorenz system using a novel approach, and its generation is completely independent of the original image. The algorithm has wider application prospects, including encryption of images in medical field and cloud environment.

An SKP-ABE Scheme for Secure and Efficient Data Sharing in Cloud Environments

Security threats such as data forgery and leakage may occur when sharing data in cloud environments. Therefore, it is important to encrypt your data and securely access it when sharing it with other users via a cloud server. Of the various security technologies, research on secure data sharing commonly employs Key Policy Attribute-Based Encryption (KP-ABE). However, existing KP-ABE schemes generally lack ciphertext search features. Furthermore, even if a KP-ABE scheme incorporates it, the number of searches required increases markedly by the number of attributes used in the search. It in turn proportionally increases the ciphertext size. In addition, the attribute authority (AA) could be attacked, which can result in the leakage of users’ decryption keys. AA is a server that manages user attributes and decryption keys when using attribute-based encryption in a cloud environment. If the AA is curious, it can cause problems with the key escrow with the attributes and decryption (secret) key information of the users it knows. In this paper, to solve all these problems, we present a new scheme called Searchable Key-Policy Attribute-Based Encryption (SKP-ABE) for secure and efficient data sharing in the cloud. This proposed SKP-ABE scheme allows fast ciphertext search and keeps the ciphertext of constant size. The key escrow problem is solved via user key generation.

Circuit-Variant Moving Target Defense for Side-Channel Attacks

The security of cryptosystems involves preventing an attacker's ability to obtain information about plaintext. Traditionally, this has been done by prioritizing secrecy of the key through complex key selection and secure key exchange. With the emergence of side-channel analysis (SCA) attacks, bits of a secret key may be derived by correlating key values with physical properties of cryptographic process execution. Information such as power consumption and electromagnetic (EM) radiation side-channel properties can be observed during encryption or decryption. These signals reflect data-dependent system behaviours that may reveal secret key information. Power and EM SCA attacks require several measurements of the target process to amplify the signal of interest, filter out noise, and derive the secret key through statistical analysis methods. Differential power and EM analysis attacks rely on correlating actual side-channel measurements to hypothetical models. The goal of this research is to increase the complexity of both power and EM SCA by introducing structural and spatial randomization of the target hardware. We propose a System-on-a-Chip (SOC) countermeasure that will periodically reconfigure an AES scheme using randomly located S-box circuit variants. We hypothesize that changing the location of the target modules between encryption runs will result in a nonconstant EM signal strength for any given point on the chip, increasing the number of traces needed to perform a localized EM SCA attack. Further, each of the S-box circuit variants will consist of functionally equivalent, structurally diverse hardware. By diversifying the implementations at the gate-level, we aim to vary the power behaviour observed by the attacker and disrupt the correlation between the hypothetical and actual power consumption, increasing the complexity of power SCA. This moving target defense aims to disrupt side-channel collection and correlation needed to successfully implement an attack.

Improved Physical Layer Authentication Scheme Based on Wireless Channel Phase

Aiming at the authentication problem in wireless communication, an improved physical layer authentication scheme based on wireless channel phase (PHY-IMACP) is proposed in this paper. In this scheme, legitimate nodes exploit the reciprocity of the channel phase response to conduct information exchange. The secret key information is hidden in the phase of the interactive information, and the authentication judgment is completed by use of binary hypothesis testing. Then the well-designed hypothesis testing statistic is proposed to obtain the better authentication performance. Additionally, mean and variance closed-form expressions of the hypothesis testing statistic in our proposed scheme are given. The simulation results show that the proposed scheme outperforms the benchmark at different conditions of eavesdropping channel.

Measurement-device-independent mutual quantum entity authentication

Quantum entity authentication (QEA) based on security guaranteed by the laws of physics is the first and most important step for secure communication under the threat of a quantum adversary. QEA theoretically provides unconditional security; however, there is a threat of quantum hacking owing to imperfection of measurement devices in the actual implementation. The proposed measurement-device-independent (MDI) mutual quantum entity authentication (MQEA) scheme guarantees its security under any quantum attacks on measuring devices that have been reported. Using the MDI architecture in our scheme, the third party can only know the correlation of the transmitted qubits through the Bell state measurement, and it cannot obtain the secret key information. In order to confirm the security of the proposed scheme, we present a security analysis of secret key information that is pre-shared among legitimate users, and we analyze Eve’s impersonation attack. Furthermore, we compare the MDI MQEA with other existing QEA schemes

Measurement and Analysis of Electromagnetic Information Leakage From Printed Circuit Board Power Delivery Network of Cryptographic Devices

This article presents a novel measurement and analysis of electromagnetic (EM) information leakage from printed circuit board (PCB) power delivery network (PDN) of cryptographic devices. We propose an accurate EM information leakage analysis method based on a correlation electromagnetic analysis (CEMA) considering advanced encryption standard (AES) operation cycles and clock frequency. We measure field distribution on the PCB level AES core PDN and conduct the proposed analysis method to derive the information leakage maps. For the first time, we verified that the EM information leakage depends on the intensity of dominant field distribution on the PCB PDN using the proposed method. We validated that the whole secret key information can be extracted from locations in the PCB PDN distant from the cryptographic integrated circuit where a specific field is dominant due to the physical structure of the PCB PDN. Based on the measurement and analysis results, we discuss an efficient EM information leakage evaluation method based on the dominant field radiation. We evaluate the EM information leakage from the decoupling capacitor in the backside of the PCB. Finally, we propose a design methodology to suppress the EM information leakage from the PCB PDN.

Novel fault attack resistant architecture for elliptic curve cryptography

Hardware implementations of cryptosystems are susceptible to fault attacks. By analyzing the side channel information from implementation, the attacker can retrieve the secret information. Generally, in the hardware implementations, validations of results are reported at the end of the computation. If faults are injected at the input side of computation, all the computations performed afterward are wasteful and this is a potential situation which can leak the secret key information using side channel attacks. The current work proposes fault attack resistant implementation of an elliptic curve cryptosystem using a shared point validator unit, zero-one detector, and double coherence check by modified Montgomery Powering Ladder Algorithm. The architecture is robust to fault attacks along with power and area efficiency.

Quantum Hacking on an Integrated Continuous-Variable Quantum Key Distribution System via Power Analysis.

In quantum key distribution (QKD), there are some security loopholes opened by the gaps between the theoretical model and the practical system, and they may be exploited by eavesdroppers (Eve) to obtain secret key information without being detected. This is an effective quantum hacking strategy that seriously threatens the security of practical QKD systems. In this paper, we propose a new quantum hacking attack on an integrated silicon photonic continuous-variable quantum key distribution (CVQKD) system, which is known as a power analysis attack. This attack can be implemented by analyzing the power originating from the integrated electrical control circuit in state preparation with the help of machine learning, where the state preparation is assumed to be perfect in initial security proofs. Specifically, we describe a possible power model and show a complete attack based on a support vector regression (SVR) algorithm. The simulation results show that the secret key information decreases with the increase of the accuracy of the attack, especially in a situation with less excess noise. In particular, Eve does not have to intrude into the transmitter chip (Alice), and may perform a similar attack in practical chip-based discrete-variable quantum key distribution (DVQKD) systems. To resist this attack, the electrical control circuit should be improved to randomize the corresponding power. In addition, the power can be reduced by utilizing the dynamic voltage and frequency scaling (DVFS) technology.

МЕТОД ПІДВИЩЕННЯ ЕФЕКТИВНОСТІ ПРОТОКОЛУ РОЗПОДІЛЕННЯ КЛЮЧІВ БЕЗПЕЧНОЇ ІР-ТЕЛЕФОНІЇ НА ОСНОВІ АЛГОРИТМУ ДІФФІ – ХЕЛМАНА

The paper proposes a method to improve the efficiency of the secure IP-telephony key distribution protocol based on the Diffie-Hellman algorithm, which differs from the existing method for detecting an illegitimate subscriber by introducing an automated software and hardware verification of the authentication string. If several communication channels are used in this case, an appropriate check will reveal an illegitimate subscriber. Solves the following tasks: makes it possible to identify an active illegitimate correspondent using voice synthesis software; to identify an active illegitimate correspondent of IP - protocols in the communication channels of Internet telephony in the absence of previously distributed secret key information between the correspondents of the trusted center. The results of the study allow us to indicate that the most well-known IP-protocols for the distribution of general secret information need to be improved in two directions: increasing the information security of IP-telephony and improving the main indicators of IP-protocols of Internet networks. The most dangerous attack is a meeting-in-the-middle attack on IP protocols for the distribution of shared secret information. The task of forming general secret information in the context of a "meeting in the middle" attack of an illegitimate correspondent's invasion is relevant at the present stage. One of the methods to improve the security of the IP protocol for the formation of general secret information is to monitor and prohibit the execution of an attack of the "meeting in the middle" type due to the use of several parallel independent channels of communication sessions in the Internet IP - telephony networks. Knowing the vulnerability and the level of protection of the object for which it is necessary to carry out protection, an active illegitimate correspondent can perform a combination of attacks that can lead to gaining unauthorized access to the object's data. 87 A method for identifying an active illegitimate IP subscriber is proposed - protocols for the distribution of shared secret information based on the Diffie-Hellman key exchange algorithm, the feature of the method is the use of several open communication channels. Provides a decrease in the likelihood of a successful "meeting in the middle" attack by an active illegitimate subscriber, as well as the presence of a mechanism for identifying an active attacker in the communication channel in the absence of previously distributed shared secret information. The method imposes restrictions on the communication channels used, in the sense that the communication channels must be independent.

ІМОВІРНІСНА МОДЕЛЬ НЕЛЕГІТИМНОГО КОРЕСПОНДЕНТА ДРУГОГО РІВНЯ ЗАБЕЗПЕЧЕННЯ БЕЗПЕКИ IP-ТЕЛЕФОНІЇ

The paper proposes a probabilistic model for identifying an illegitimate second-level correspondent based on the Diffie-Hellman algorithm. Solves the following tasks: allows you to identify an active illegitimate correspondent who uses voice synthesis software; to identify an active illegitimate correspondent of IP - protocols in the communication channels of Internet telephony in the absence of previously distributed secret key information between the correspondents, the entrusted center. The model of an illegitimate correspondent can be used to assess methods for monitoring the security level of a packet-switched data stream in Internet telephony, which will ensure the reliability of IP telephony and increase security. The proposed model of an illegitimate correspondent will take into account the level of the attackers' capabilities. The second-level illegitimate correspondent model takes into account illegitimate correspondents who do not have an appropriate level of access to secure IP-telephony services. In this case, 55 illegitimate correspondents may include: unauthorized persons; persons of foreign states; representatives of foreign intelligence services; terrorist and criminal structures. The goals of illegitimate second-level subscribers in carrying out an active attack in order to obtain unauthorized access to the data stream of IP - telephony are determined: seizure of the operator's equipment; capture of the subscriber monitor. The ultimate goal of every active attack is to gain unauthorized access to the IP telephony data stream. The results of the analysis and research make it possible to indicate that the most well-known IP-protocols for the distribution of general secret information need to be improved in two directions: increasing the information security of IP-telephony and improving the main indicators of IP-protocols of Internet networks. One of the methods to improve the security of the IP protocol for the formation of shared secret information is to monitor and prohibit the execution of a meeting-in-the-middle attack through the use of several parallel independent channels of communication sessions in the Internet IP-telephony networks.

Quantum Private Query Using W State

With the rapid development of computer-related technology, how to realize privacy query between both parties becomes very important. In this paper, we propose a quantum privacy query protocol based on W state, compared with the GHZ state, the W state is more robust and easier to prepare, the quantum circuit for preparing W state is also given. The protocol makes use of the correlation after entangled state measurement, and enables the querying party to obtain only one secret key information with the assistance of a third party, thus compared with existing schemes, this scheme eliminates the need for classic post-processing operations and can resist joint measurement attacks. In addition, the proposed protocol has two security checks, which can well resist ancilla particle attacks and entanglement measurement attacks by third parties and external intruders participating in the protocol. Therefore, the proposal of this protocol is very necessary.

RETRACTED ARTICLE: Design and implementation of hybrid integration of cognitive learning and chaotic countermeasures for side channel attacks

Security in embedded systems is considered to be more important and needs to be a diagnosis for every minute. Also with the advent of the Internet of Things (IoT), security in the embedded system has reached its new peak of dimension. A Mathematically secure algorithm was formulated and runs on the cryptographic chips which are embedded in the systems, but secret keys can be at risk and even information can be retrieved by the prominent side-channel attacks. Fixed encryption keys, non-intelligent detection of side-channel attacks are some of the real-time challenges in an existing system of encryption. Following the limitations of existing systems, this research article focuses on the integration of powerful machine learning algorithms by retrieving the secret key information with countermeasures methodology using the chaotic logistic maps and includes the following contributions: (a) Preparation of Data Sets from the Power consumption traces captured from ARTIX-7 FPGA boards while running the Elliptical Curve Cryptography(ECC) on it (b) Implementation of High Speed and High Accurate Single feed-forward learning machines for the detection and classification of side-channel attacks (c) Design of Chaotic Countermeasures using 3-Dlogistic maps for attacked bits. The test_bed has been developed using the integration of FPGA along with Cortex-A57 architectures for experimentation of the proposed work and various evaluation parameters such as Accuracy, F-calls, Precision rates, sensitivity, and correlation co-efficient, entropy were calculated and analyzed. Moreover, the parameters of the proposed system which has been analyzed prove to outperform the other existing algorithms in terms of performance and detection.

Colored Image Encryption and Decryption with a New Algorithm and a Hyperchaotic Electrical Circuit

In the present work, an encryption/decryption technique, using a new bit-level scrambling and a new diffusion algorithm is presented. The proposed system uses a modified Chua’s circuit (MCC) for the chaotic number generation for the first time to our knowledge. In 2006, the MCC, which exhibited a hyper-chaotic behavior for a wide parameter regime due to its double frequency excitation feature was suggested by one of the authors of the present paper. However, it has not been used for secure communication issues. According to present technique, the generated data are transformed to the developed algorithm for the encryption and decryption purposes. Following the encryption procedure, the encrypted colored images are evaluated by a variety of tests including the analyses of secret key size, secret key sensitivity, histogram, correlation, differential attack, information entropy, and noise attack. The results prove that the suggested colored image encryption/decryption technique is satisfactory for the secure communication issues in terms of efficiency and speed.

An IC-level countermeasure against laser fault injection attack by information leakage sensing based on laser-induced opto-electric bulk current density

Laser fault injection (LFI) attacks on cryptographic processor ICs are a critical threat to information systems. This paper proposes an IC-level integrated countermeasure employing an information leakage sensor against an LFI attack. Distributed bulk current sensors monitor abnormal bulk current density caused by laser irradiation for LFI. Time-interleaved sensor operation and sensitivity tuning can obtain partial secret key leakage bit information with small layout area penalty. Based on the leakage information, the secret key can be securely updated to realize high-availability resilient systems. The test chip was designed and fabricated in a 0.18 μm standard CMOS, integrating a 128-bit advanced encryption standard cryptographic processor with the proposed information leakage sensor. This evaluation successfully demonstrated bulk current density and leakage bit monitoring.

Leakage-Resilient Certificate-based Key Encapsulation Scheme Resistant to Continual Leakage

In the past, the security of most public-key encryption or key encapsulation schemes is shown in an ideal model, where private keys, secret keys and random values are assumed to be absolutely secure to adversaries. However, this ideal model is not practical due to side-channel attacks in the sense that adversaries could gain partial information of these secret values involved in decryption operations by perceiving energy consumption or execution timing. In such a case, these schemes under the ideal model could suffer from side-channel attacks. Recently, leakage-resilient cryptography resistant to side-channel attacks is an emerging research topic. Certificate-based encryption (CBE) or certificate-based key encapsulation (CB-KE) schemes are a class of important public-key encryption. However, little work addresses the design of leakage-resilient CBE (LR-CBE) or leakage-resilient CB-KE (LR-CB-KE) schemes. In this paper, we present the first LR-CB-KE scheme with overall unbounded leakage property which permits adversaries to continuously gain partial information of the system secret key of a trusted certificate authority (CA), the private keys and certificates of users, and random values. In the generic bilinear group model, formal security analysis is made to prove that the proposed LR-CB-KE scheme is secure against chosen ciphertext attacks.

Gaussian quadrature inference for multicarrier continuous-variable quantum key distribution

A multicarrier continuous-variable quantum key distribution (CVQKD) protocol utilizes Gaussian subcarrier quantum continuous variables (CV) for information transmission. Here, we propose the Gaussian quadrature inference (GQI) method for multicarrier continuous-variable quantum key distribution. The GQI framework provides a minimal error estimate of the quadratures of the CV quantum states from the measured noisy subcarrier variables. GQI utilizes the fundamentals of regularization theory and statistical information processing. We characterize GQI for multicarrier CVQKD, and define a method for the statistical modeling and processing of noisy Gaussian subcarrier quadratures. We introduce the terms statistical secret key rate and statistical private classical information. The framework can be established in an arbitrary CVQKD protocol and measurement setting, and implementable by standard low-complexity statistical functions.

Efficient High-Dimensional Quantum Key Distribution with Hybrid Encoding.

We propose a schematic setup of quantum key distribution (QKD) with an improved secret key rate based on high-dimensional quantum states. Two degrees-of-freedom of a single photon, orbital angular momentum modes, and multi-path modes, are used to encode secret key information. Its practical implementation consists of optical elements that are within the reach of current technologies such as a multiport interferometer. We show that the proposed feasible protocol has improved the secret key rate with much sophistication compared to the previous 2-dimensional protocol known as the detector-device-independent QKD.