Search

Nowadays, it is difficult to imagine a powerful algorithm of cryptography that can continue cryptanalyzing and attacking without the use of unconventional techniques. Although some of the substitution algorithms are old, such as Vigenere, Alberti, and Trithemius ciphers, they are considered powerful and cannot be broken. In this paper we produce the novelty algorithm, by using of biological computation as an unconventional search tool combined with an uninhibited analysis method is the vertical probabilistic model, that makes attacking and analyzing these ciphers possible and very easy to transform the problem from a complex to a linear one, which is a novelty achievement. The letters of the encoded message are processed in the form of segments of equal length, to report the available hardware components. Each letter codon represents a region of the memory strand, and the letters calculated for it are symbolized within the probabilistic model so that each pair has a triple encoding: the first is given as a memory strand encoding and the others are its complement in the sticker encoding; These encodings differ from one region to another. The solution space is calculated and then the parallel search process begins. Some memory complexities are excluded even though they are within the solution paths formed, because the natural language does not contain its sequences. The precision of the solution and the time consuming of access to it depend on the length of the processed text, and the precision of the solution is often inversely proportional to the speed of access to it. As an average of the time spent to reach the solution, a text with a length of 200 cipher characters needs approximately 15 minutes to give 98% of the correct components of the specific hardware. The aim of the paper is to transform OTP substitution analysis from a NP problem to a O(nm) problem, which makes it easier to find solutions to it easily with the available capabilities and to develop methods that are harnessed to attack difficult and powerful ciphers that differ in class and type from the OTP polyalphabetic substitution ciphers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adoption of blockchain platforms to bolster the security of Internet of Things (IoT) systems has attracted significant attention in recent years. Currently, there is a lack of comprehensive and systematic survey papers in the literature addressing these platforms. This paper discusses six of the most popular emerging blockchain platforms adopted by IoT systems and analyses their usage in state-of-the-art works to solve security problems. The platform was compared in terms of security features and other requirements. Findings from the study reveal that most blockchain components contribute directly or indirectly to IoT security. Blockchain platform components such as cryptography, consensus mechanism, and hashing are common ways that security is achieved in all blockchain platform for IoT. Technologies like Interplanetary File System (IPFS) and Transport Layer Security (TLS) can further enhance data and communication security when used alongside blockchain. To enhance the applicability of blockchain in resource-constrained IoT environments, future research should focus on refining cryptographic algorithms and consensus mechanisms to optimise performance and security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, a robust steganographic algorithm that achieves errorless robustness against JPEG recompression has been proposed. The method employs a lattice embedding scheme and utilizes the syndrome-trellis code (STC) for practical embedding. However, we have noticed that errorless robust embedding with STC may encounter failures due to modifications on wet coefficients, especially when a high quality factor is used by the compression channel. To solve this problem, we have discovered that using steganographic polar code (SPC) for embedding has better performance in avoiding modifications on wet coefficients. In this paper, we conduct theoretical analysis to prove the better performance of SPC in wet paper embedding. We establish the condition of avoiding modifications on wet coefficients, followed by presenting a recursive calculation method for determining the distribution of columns in the generator matrix of SPC. The findings reveal that SPC can avoid modifications on wet coefficients under a larger number of wet coefficients compared with STC, and therefore we propose a better errorless robust embedding method employing SPC. The experimental results demonstrate that under close security performance, the proposed method achieves a higher success rate compared with embedding with STC. Specifically, when the quality factor of the compressor is 95 and the payload size is 0.4 bpnzac, our method achieves a success rate of 99.85%, surpassing the 91.95% success rate of the embedding with STC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Priced oblivious transfer (POT) is a cryptographic protocol designed for privacy-preserving e-commerce of digital content. It involves two parties: the merchant, who provides a set of priced items as input, and a customer, who acquires one of them. After the protocol has run, the customer obtains the item they chose, while the merchant cannot determine which one. Moreover, the protocol guarantees that the customer gets the content only if they have paid the price established by the merchant. In a recent paper, the authors proposed a POT system where the payments employed e-coin transactions. The strong point of the proposal was the absence of zero-knowledge proofs required in preceding systems to guarantee the correctness of payments. In this paper, we propose a novel e-coin-based POT system with a fast item retrieval procedure whose running time does not depend on the number of items for sale. This is an improvement over the aforementioned existing proposal whose execution time becomes prohibitively long when the catalog is extensive. The use of zero-knowledge proofs is neither required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Internet of Things (IoT) is an important virtual network that allows remote users to access linked multimedia devices. The development of IoT and its ubiquitous application across various domains of everyday life has led to continuous research efforts. Security is a perceptual concern for researchers involved in IoT as it is a key factor in the acceptance of any innovative technology. Numerous research studies have been conducted concentrating on the level of IoT security on a particular mechanism, on specific applications, or on categorizing vulnerabilities, in order to address a defined situation of securing an IoT network. This present paper aims to comprehensively review potential solutions for securing IoT, between emerging and traditional mechanisms, such as blockchain, machine learning, cryptography, and quantum computing. This study provides a comparative analysis of related papers with their characteristics, pros and cons. Accordingly, it taxonomizes relevant solutions based on their achieved security requirements. Furthermore, the potential benefits and challenges of each of the four mechanisms are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid development of wireless communication technology, positioning technology, and modern smart devices, Internet of Vehicles (IoVs) smart vehicles have brought great convenience to human production and life. Meanwhile, privacy and security issues are becoming extremely serious, with serious consequences if sensitive data such as vehicle location and trip patterns are leaked. This paper focuses on the demands for vehicular network security, especially privacy protection and existing privacy-protection techniques, including common cryptography methods and cryptography-based advanced technologies. At the same time, this paper also analyzes the advantages and challenges of these technologies in protecting privacy and network security in the Internet of Vehicles, such as the challenges of computational resource requirements and security efficiency in the implementation process, as well as the complexity of realizing effective privacy protection in the interactions among different entities. Finally, this paper envisions the development of privacy-preserving application scenarios and the prospects for crypotography-based privacy-preserving technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the realm of smart communication systems, where the ubiquity of 5G/6G networks and IoT applications demands robust data confidentiality, the cryptographic integrity of block and stream cipher mechanisms plays a pivotal role. This paper focuses on the enhancement of cryptographic strength in these systems through an innovative approach to generating substitution boxes (S-boxes), which are integral in achieving confusion and diffusion properties in substitution–permutation networks. These properties are critical in thwarting statistical, differential, linear, and other forms of cryptanalysis, and are equally vital in pseudorandom number generation and cryptographic hashing algorithms. The paper addresses the challenge of rapidly producing random S-boxes with desired cryptographic attributes, a task notably arduous given the complexity of existing generation algorithms. We delve into the hill climbing algorithm, exploring various cost functions and their impact on computational complexity for generating S-boxes with a target nonlinearity of 104. Our contribution lies in proposing a new cost function that markedly reduces the generation complexity, bringing down the iteration count to under 50,000 for achieving the desired S-box. This advancement is particularly significant in the context of smart communication environments, where the balance between security and performance is paramount. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the global data strategy deepens and data elements accelerate integrating and flowing more rapidly, the demand for data security and privacy protection has become increasingly prominent. Confidential computing emerges as a crucial security technology to solve security and privacy problem, and it is also a hot subject of in contemporary security technologies. Leveraging collaborative security in both hardware and software, it builds a trusted execution environment to ensure confidentiality and integrity protection for data in use. This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the development process of confidential computing, summarizing its current research status and issues, which focuses on the security requirements for data security and privacy protection. Furthermore, it deeply analyses the common technical features of confidential computing, and proposes a trusted confidential computing architecture based on collaborative hardware and software trust. Then, it elaborates on the research status and issues of confidential computing from four aspects: hardware security, architecture and key technologies, applications, and standards and evaluation. Finally, this paper provides a synthesis and outlook for the future development of confidential computing. In summary, confidential computing is currently in a rapidly developing stage and will play an important role in cyber security in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study the permutation properties of the class of trinomials of the form f(x) = x4q+1 + λ1xq+4 + λ2x2q+3 ∈ Fq²[x] where λ1, λ2 ∈ Fq and they are not simultaneously zero. We find all necessary and sufficient conditions on λ1 and λ2 such that f(x) permutes Fq², where q is odd and q = 22k+1, k ∈ N. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a novel approach to enhancing multi-level security using steganography, a method of concealing information within non-secret data. This paper introduces an innovative approach to multi-level security enhancement using steganography, the art of concealing information within non-obvious data. Our proposed method uniquely combines Dynamic Least Significant Bit (DLSB) steganography with Wavelet Obtained Weights (WOW) steganographic algorithms, forging a sophisticated and adaptable system for secret data embedding. In our enhanced approach, we start by embedding text into an image using an optimized version of DLSB steganography. This refined technique adapts intelligently to the image's local contrast, thereby preserving its visual quality and ensuring the integrity of the embedded information. Subsequently, the payload image is merged with a cover image through the WOW algorithm. This step optimally selects pixels for data embedding, creating a steganographic image that is virtually indistinguishable from the original. The novelty of our work lies in the seamless integration of these two advanced steganographic techniques, which significantly elevates the security and invisibility aspects beyond the current state-of-the-art methods in digital steganography. For validation, we utilized a pretrained MobileNet model to differentiate between original and stego images. This model plays a crucial role in demonstrating the indetectability of our method, achieving an impressive accuracy of 85% in distinguishing stego images from their originals. Our rigorous testing across various metrics — including Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio (PSNR), Structural Similarity Index Measure (SSIM), Bit Error Rate (BER), and Mean Squared Error (MSE) — showcases the effectiveness of our approach. The results indicate a robust performance, marking a significant advancement in secure digital communication. In this paper, we focus primarily on the detailed presentation of our results and the significant contributions of our current research, setting a strong foundation for future exploration in increasing robustness against steganalysis and improving the statistical invisibility of the steganography process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of artificial intelligence (AI), deep learning is widely used in various industries. At CRYPTO 2019, researchers used deep learning to analyze the block cipher for the first time and constructed a differential neural network distinguisher to meet a certain accuracy. In this paper, a mixture differential neural network distinguisher using ResNet is proposed to further improve the accuracy by exploring the mixture differential properties. Experiments are conducted on SIMON32/64, and the accuracy of the 8-round mixture differential neural network distinguisher is improved from 74.7% to 92.3%, compared with that of the previous differential neural network distinguisher. The prediction accuracy of the differential neural network distinguisher is susceptible to the choice of the specified input differentials, whereas the mixture differential neural network distinguisher is less affected by the input difference and has greater robustness. Furthermore, by combining the probabilistic expansion of rounds and the neutral bit, the obtained mixture differential neural network distinguisher is extended to 11 rounds, which can realize the 12-round actual key recovery attack on SIMON32/64. With an appropriate increase in the time complexity and data complexity, the key recovery accuracy of the mixture differential neural network distinguisher can be improved to 55% as compared to 52% of the differential neural network distinguisher. The mixture differential neural network distinguisher proposed in this paper can also be applied to other lightweight block ciphers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mainstream research on information theory within the field of living systems involves the application of analytical tools to understand a broad range of life processes. This paper is dedicated to an opposite problem: it explores the information theory and communication engineering methods that have counterparts in the data transmission process by way of DNA structures and neural fibers. Considering the requirements of modern multimedia, transmission methods chosen by nature may be different, suboptimal, or even far from optimal. However, nature is known for rational resource usage, so its methods have a significant advantage: they are proven to be sustainable. Perhaps understanding the engineering aspects of methods of nature can inspire a design of alternative green, stable, and low-cost transmission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cryptology is a part of mathematics as encryption and decryption. The purpose of encryption is to make information incomprehensible when it is in the hands of unauthorized people. The receiver can decrypt the message that encrypted by the sender with helping of the key. The important point is that the key cannot be decrypted by other people. One Time Pad method solves this problem. The key is used only once each encryption in this method. So, the key becomes harder to guess. If the key is solved by unauthorized people, the message cannot be solved. Because of with each decryption, many meaningful messages are obtained. Every cyclic shift in a cyclic code constructs a new key and in each encryption is used the new key. Many keys are generated thanks to cyclic codes. In this paper, we improve the new encryption scheme by using the cyclic codes with One Time Pad method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Video steganography has the potential to be used to convey illegal information, and video steganalysis is a vital tool to detect the presence of this illicit act. Currently, all the motion vector (MV)‐based video steganalysis algorithms extract feature sets directly from the MVs, but ignoring the embedding operation may perturb the statistical distribution of other video encoding elements, such as the skipped macroblocks (no direct MVs). This paper proposes a novel 11‐dimensional feature set to detect MV‐based video steganography based on the above observation. The proposed feature is extracted based on the skipped macroblocks by recompression calibration. Specifically, the feature consists of two components. The first is the probability distribution of motion vector prediction (MVP) difference, and the second is the probability distribution of partition state transfer. Extensive experiments on different conditions demonstrate that the proposed feature set achieves good detection accuracy, especially in lower embedding capacities. In addition, the loss of detection performance caused by recompression calibration using mismatched quantization parameters (QP) is within the acceptable range, so the proposed method can be used in practical scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cellular automaton (CA) is a rapidly emerging computational model that is widely used in different areas of simulations and scientific applications, as it can solve complex problems using simple rules. Cellular automata (CAs) are largely used in VLSI systems, fault detection, cryptography and other fields. In most of these applications, 2-state 3-neighborhood one-dimensional CAs are used. Some of the work on characterizing elementary CA (ECA) rules has been done, but all such work mainly focuses on a specific boundary condition (i.e., null, periodic boundary). This paper targets the design and development of a generic framework for the next state rule minterm transition diagram (NSRTD), referred to as the generic NSRTD (G-NSRTD), for constant (0/1) boundary conditions. By utilizing the developed G-NSRTD framework, which is reconfigurable based on the chosen boundary condition (constant-0/1), ECA rules can be characterized for both null and constant-1 boundary conditions. Hence, the current paper also focuses on characterizing all 256 ECA rules in constant (0/1) boundary conditions using the developed G-NSRTD framework, leading to the identification of all CA rules forming uniform single length cycle single-attractor CAs (SACAs), single length cycle two-attractor CAs (TACAs) and single length cycle multi-attractor CAs (MACAs) for arbitrary CA length n. Some of the relevant CA theories related to the characterization of ECA rules in constant (0/1) boundary conditions have been developed and reported accordingly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conditional Privacy Preserving Authentication (CPPA) schemes are an effective way of securing communications in vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs), as well as ensuring user privacy and accountability. Cryptanalysis plays a crucial role in pointing out the vulnerabilities in existing schemes to enable the development of more resilient ones. In 2019, Zhang proposed a CPPA scheme for VANET security (PA-CRT), based on identity batch verification (IBV) and Chinese Remainder Theorem (CRT). In this paper, we cryptanalyze Zhang's scheme and point out its vulnerability to impersonation and repudiation attacks. In 2023, Zhang's scheme was cryptanalyzed by Tao; however, we point out flaws in Tao's cryptanalysis due to invalid assumptions; hence, we propose countermeasures to Tao's attacks. Furthermore, in 2021, Xiong proposed a Certificateless Aggregate Signature (CLAS) scheme which is also cryptanalyzed in this paper. Finally, we analyze the causes and countermeasures by pointing out the vulnerabilities in each scheme that enabled us to launch successful attacks and proposing changes that would fortify these schemes against similar attacks in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context and background: The blockchain technology is as a new technology in vogue that is virtually getting a swift application in most important art world transactions. This is due to its public distributed, transparent, accountable, traceable and safe, ledger database, also is the advantage to secure a successful transaction without a third party. As the world keeps growing in the knowledge and the adoption of the technology, it is very important to practically explore the opportunities in this technology to combat the security and copyright problems facing land ownership transactions in the Cadastre system. Goal and Objectives: The goal of this paper is to practically access the possibility of engaging the blockchain technology in land administration and ownership systems while the objective is to convert legal instrument(s) into cryptographic readable data. Methodology: This was done by minting survey plans template into Non-Fungible Token. Two blockchains (Solana and CORE blockchains) were considered to show the possibility of adopting the technology in land administration and ownership systems. The selection was based on their flexibility, Scalability and the potentials to solve the trilemma blockchain problems. A survey plan template called DEMO (no real) was created for this purpose. Transactions on the FONE network Art NFT marketplace built on Solana blockchain was examined while an art NFT of survey plan template was minted on the Youngparrot NFT marketplace built on CORE blockchain. Results: The transactions were completed and the survey plan was successfully minted on the Core blockchain. the minting and transaction records are available and can be traced on the public blockchain ledger. Due to this advantage, this paper urges the consideration to take advantage of the possibilities and positivity of the technology in Land Administration sector and land ownership system and also provides steps to achieving its successful adoption. In addition, this is not a financial advice but a research work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, reversible logic gates have garnered significant interest because of their potential to decrease energy consumption and meet the growing need for low-power computing systems. Unlike conventional logic gates, reversible logic gates ensure that no information loss happens during computation, allowing for the reversal of the entire computation process. This unique characteristic opens up new avenues for developing energy-efficient digital circuits. This review paper serves as a vital contribution to the field by addressing a noticeable gap in the existing literature regarding reversible logic gates. The study not only comprehensively analyzes the array of reversible logic gates available but also underscores their practical applications and significance. It encompasses a wide variety of reversible logic gates, including Toffoli gates, Fredkin gates, and newer innovations. It is found that Toffoli gates outperformed in terms of gate count and quantum cost reduction, making them a preferred choice for quantum circuit optimization. Additionally, Fredkin gates showed exceptional performance in specific applications, like data swapping and quantum state control. The digital circuits like adders, multiplexers, ALU etc. are successfully designed using reversible gates like HNG, DKG etc. The significant gap this study fills lies in the need for a consolidated and in-depth analysis of the state-of-the-art reversible logic gates and their real-world utility. While prior research has discussed these gates individually, this paper takes a novel approach by offering a holistic assessment of their performance, quantum cost, gate count, and practical applications, thereby presenting a comprehensive resource for researchers, engineers, and designers in the field. This innovative contribution plays a pivotal role in shaping the progress of energy-efficient and quantum computing systems as well as in optimizing VLSI chip designs for various applications, with a particular emphasis on enhancing cryptographic and data processing capabilities. The findings of this review aim to stimulate further research and development in reversible computing, contributing to the advancement of energy-efficient and information-preserving computing systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fast advance and evolution of technology in Internet of Things (IoT) is a double-edged sword, striking with new performant solutions and backfiring with a lot of unanswered questions. Due to cheap manufacturing costs and large-scale production, sensors, actuators and even microcontrollers are not designed with security on the first place. Also, the IoT market is a new one and that means that it is still unregulated and there isn’t a well-defined set of standards to control and manage better these problems. The IoT ascent has impacted many industries, but probably the most changes were made to the Supply Chain Management (SCM) industry. The forementioned question of cheap devices that need to be manufactured with a minimum of costs, very fast and ready to be deployed, is digging a big security hole in this kind of ecosystems. This paper aims to discuss the challenges involved in hardening de security in embedded devices, protecting the data and the communication channels between an IoT node and an IoT gateway and finally, assuring the persistence of data and its security after is stored. All these matters are addressed with privacy and security in design. Because SCM is a multiparty ecosystem that involves many different actors each with its tasks and data handling components, it is important to assure the fact that they will not interfere, tamper, or profit in a bad manner of each other. One solution for this problem is decentralization that comes with strings attached. Finally, and on short, this paper will try to describe a security model based on decentralization in a SCM flow, addressing its threats and how they can be overcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a technological paradigm that has gained significant momentum the last decade and, among other features, enables the development of intelligent and interoperable device networks. In this respect, it has triggered the creation and evolution of vehicular ad-hoc networks (VANETs), which are initially implemented in order to guarantee the safety of drivers and the avoidance of traffic accidents. The drawback is that this fast evolution comes with serious concerns in terms of the privacy of users, while the population of attackers or entities that try to eavesdrop and intercept information has significantly increased. This imposes a serious risk for drivers moving across a Smart City. The research presented in this paper aims to evaluate privacy protection mechanisms in VANET environments, based on the efficiency and security level they ensure, considering the fact that VANETs provide limited resources to users/drivers. Moreover, the usage of elliptic curve cryptography in reduced resources environments is discussed. Finally, this paper compares the performance of three cryptographic algorithms, elliptic curve cryptography (ECC), hyperelliptic curve cryptography genus 2 (HECC-2) and HECC genus 3 (HECC-3), employed for an efficient authentication and safe message transmission mechanism in VANETs, aimed at reaching conclusions related to the implementation of each cryptographic scheme in this specific application area. The evaluation results indicate that ECC supersedes HECC-2 and HECC-3 in most metrics. However, HECC-2 and HECC-3 demonstrate better responses than ECC does in selected energy metrics. Overall, it is observed that HECC algorithms are not yet mature enough to compete with ECC. This is due to the fact that the research community has not sufficiently progressed toward the optimization of HECC, and moreover, HECC builds on quite complex mathematics. There are indications, however, that once HECC curves are indeed optimized, HECC will outperform ECC in speed as well as in other metrics, sinceHECC-2 and HECC-3 use a significantly smaller key size with the same level of security as that of ECC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the Bronze Age, the inhabitants of regions of Crete, mainland Greece, and Cyprus inscribed their languages using, among other scripts, a writing system called Linear A. These symbols, mainly characterized by combinations of lines, have, since their discovery, remained a mystery. Not only is the corpus very small, but it is challenging to link Minoan, the language behind Linear A, to any known language. Most decipherment attempts involve using the phonetic values of Linear B, a grammatological offspring of Linear A, to 'read' Linear A. However, this yields meaningless words. Recently, novel approaches to deciphering the script have emerged which involve a computational component. In this paper, two such approaches are combined to account for the biases involved in provisionally assigning Linear B phonetic values to Linear A and to shed more light on the possible connections of Linear A with other scripts and languages from the region. Additionally, the limitations inherent in such approaches are discussed. Firstly, a feature-based similarity measure is used to compare Linear A with the Carian Alphabet and the Cypriot Syllabary. A few Linear A symbols are matched with symbols from the Carian Alphabet and the Cypriot Syllabary. Finally, using the derived phonetic values, Linear A is compared with Ancient Egyptian, Luwian, Hittite, Proto-Celtic, and Uralic using a consonantal approach. Some possible word matches are identified from each language. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the most popular cryptographic scheme in the post-quantum field, lattices have received extensive attention and research. Not only do they provide quantum-resistant security, they also enable the construction of complex applications. Currently, lattice cryptography schemes based on different difficult problems have been applied in different fields. The threshold secret sharing (TSS) scheme is an important field of cryptography and has important application value and development prospects in key protection, secure multi-party computation, privacy protection, etc. However, with the rapid development of quantum computing, many existing cryptography-underlying technologies are facing huge difficulties and challenges. Therefore, post-quantum TSS has important research significance and value for the future development of cryptography. In this paper, we summarize the existing secret sharing schemes based on lattice-hard problems and the relevant applications of these schemes in the post-quantum realm. We classify existing lattice-based TSS according to different functions and introduce typical solutions. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first review paper on lattice-based TSS schemes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Rubik's Cube mechanism (RCM) is a kind of reconfigurable mechanism with multiple characteristics such as multiple configurations, variable topology, strong coupling, and reconfigurability. Crossover research on the RCM with mathematics, chemistry, cryptography, and other disciplines has led to important breakthroughs and progress. It is obvious that the invention and creation of a new RCM can provide important ideological inspiration and theoretical guidance for the accelerated iterative updating of Rubik's Cube products and the expansion of their applications. This paper investigates the type synthesis method for a regular hexagonal prism (RHP) RCM (RHPRCM). Through analysis of the reconfigurable movement process of the RCM, two mechanism factors are abstracted, a type synthesis process for the RHPRCM is proposed, a symmetry layout method for the RCM's revolute axis based on the RHP space polyhedron is proposed, and an analysis method for the intersection of the revolute pair contact surfaces (RPCSs) based on the adjacency matrix is proposed. Taking a revolute axis passing through the center of an RHP and having only one RPCS for each revolute axis as an example, an RHPRCM with different topological structures is synthesized. The relevant research in this paper can provide methodological guidance for the synthesis of other spatial RCMs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Baghdad Science Journal is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Traditional video steganography methods primarily rely on modifying concealed spaces for embedding, thereby exhibiting a certain degree of security and embedding capacity. Nevertheless, these methods do not fully capitalize on the rich semantic information inherent in videos, limiting their overall effectiveness. In this paper, an AI‐generated video steganography scheme based on semantic segmentation is proposed. The mapping relationship between secret and semantic information is established by using a semantic segmentation model. The secret information can be converted into semantic labels by semantic histograms or pixels means, and semantic labels containing secret information are obtained and input into the video‐to‐video model to drive the generation of stego videos. After receiving the stego video, the receiver extracts the secret information using a pre‐defined specific embedding mode, including the methods of sub‐block partitioning and embedding capacity per frame. The experimental results show that the stego video has good visual quality, security, and robustness against various noise attacks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In meet-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks, the sizes of the precomputation tables determine the effectiveness. In this paper, value constraints are presented to reduce the size of the precomputation table in MITM attacks on AES. Based on a differential property of linear combinations of multiple S-boxes, value constraints related to input or output in four and five rounds of AES are explored. Meanwhile, with these value constraints, a method of setting up non-linear equations is proposed to reduce the sizes of the precomputation tables by decreasing the number of byte parameters. Compared with the existing results, their sizes can be reduced by 2 8 , 2 16 , or 2 24 . Finally, some attacks are improved with lower time and memory complexities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the advent of Bitcoin, cryptocurrencies have gained substantial popularity, and crypto wallets have evolved into the predominant tool for safeguarding and managing cryptographic keys to access cryptocurrency funds. Deterministic wallets are proposed as an advanced wallet mechanism to provide benefits such as low-maintenance, easy backup and recovery, and support for functionalities required by cryptocurrencies. Alkeilani Alkadri et al. (ACM CCS'20) presented the first post-quantum secure deterministic wallet scheme, but it exhibits a gap to bridge before achieving practical applicability, as reflected in both their concrete parameters size and computational efficiency. In this paper, we propose an efficient post-quantum secure deterministic wallet scheme. In particular, we present a new construction method for deterministic wallets, prove the security in the quantum random oracle model, and provide an efficient instantiation. The comparison result, with the work of Alkeilani Alkadri et al. (ACM CCS'20), shows our work has a comprehensive improvement on efficiency, e.g., the pk size is ≈ 40.7 times shorter, sk is ≈ 9.2 times shorter, and the signing time is ≈ 3.1 times faster. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the current landscape where quantum algorithms pose a significant threat to conventional digital signature algorithms, code-based digital signature algorithms have emerged as the primary focus of ongoing research in post-quantum cryptography. Digital signatures play a pivotal role in ensuring non-repudiation and authentication, making them an indispensable cryptographic technique. The vulnerability of most digital signature algorithms to quantum attacks have prompted a significant surge in research on code-based digital signature algorithms, which have emerged as a prominent field within post-quantum cryptography. There are generally three distinct approaches to constructing code-based digital signature algorithms: (1) Developing an algorithm that follows the inverse process of the code-based public-key encryption algorithm; (2) Utilizing zero-knowledge identification algorithms in conjunction with the Fiat–Shamir paradigm to formulate a signature algorithm; (3) Constructing a specialized subset of the syndrome space as the foundation for the digital signature algorithm. Chameleon Signature is a non-interactive signature that operates on the hash and signature paradigm, exhibiting comparable efficiency to conventional schemes. Its distinct advantage lies in the fact that the owner of the public key does not necessarily require access to the corresponding secret key within the Chameleon hash algorithm. Notably, Chameleon signatures possess an inherent characteristic of non-transferability, with their validity ascertainable solely by designated recipients. This paper introduces the first Chameleon hash function based on both KKS and HFE schemes, showcasing its superiority over traditional schemes through rank metrics and big fields for enhanced security. The deployment of Chameleon hash functions within hash-and-sign signature schemes introduces a nuanced layer of security and verification flexibility. This study elucidates the implications of integrating Chameleon hash functions into the recipient's public key infrastructure, highlighting the dual capability it affords authorized parties for secure and adaptable verification processes, alongside mechanisms for the detection of unauthorized alterations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reversible codes have a range of wide applications in cryptography, data storage, and communication systems. In this paper, we investigated reversible codes under the Rosenbloom-Tsfasman metric (RT-metric). First, some properties of reversible codes in the RT-metric were described. An essential condition for a reversible code to be a maximum distance separable code (MDS code, in short) in the RT-metric was established. A necessary condition for a binary self-dual code to be reversible was proven and the same was generalized for q-ary self-dual reversible codes. Several constructions for reversible RT-metric codes were provided in terms of their generator matrices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduced a novel semiring structure involving nonnegative integers, where operations depended on the comparison of the magnitudes of decimal digit sums. Consequently, a corresponding matrix semiring can be established on this commutative semiring. We showed that the 3-satisfiability problem can be polynomial-time reduced to solving systems of quadratic polynomial equations over this semiring. We proposed a key exchange protocol based on this matrix semiring, with its security relying on the two-sided digital circulant matrix action problem over this semiring. This scheme provides a novel cryptographic primitive for post-quantum cryptography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In resource-intensive Internet of Things applications, Lightweight Stream Ciphers (LWSCs) play a vital role in influencing both the security and performance of the system. Numerous LWSCs have been proposed, each offering certain properties and trade-offs that carefully balance security and performance requirements. This paper presents a comprehensive evaluation of prominent LWSCs, with a focus on their performance and resource consumption, providing insights into efficiency, efficacy, and suitability in the real-world application of resource-intensive live video feed encryption on an ARM processor. The study involves the development of a benchmarking tool designed to evaluate key metrics, including encryption frame rate, throughput, processing cycles, memory footprint, ROM utilization, and energy consumption. In addition, we apply the E−Rank metric, which combines key performance and resource metrics to derive a unified comparative measure for overall software performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Boolean map χ n : F 2 n → F 2 n , x ↦ y defined by y i = x i + (x i + 1 + 1) x i + 2 (where i ∈ Z / n Z ) is used in various permutations that are part of cryptographic schemes, e.g., Keccak-f (the SHA-3-permutation), ASCON (the winner of the NIST Lightweight competition), Xoodoo, Rasta and Subterranean (2.0). In this paper, we study various algebraic properties of this map. We consider χ n (through vectorial isomorphism) as a univariate polynomial. We show that it is a power function if and only if n = 1 , 3 . We furthermore compute bounds on the sparsity and degree of these univariate polynomials, and the number of different univariate representations. Secondly, we compute the number of monomials of given degree in the inverse of χ n (if it exists). This number coincides with binomial coefficients. Lastly, we consider χ n as a polynomial map, to study whether the same rule ( y i = x i + (x i + 1 + 1) x i + 2 ) gives a bijection on field extensions of F 2 . We show that this is not the case for extensions whose degree is divisible by two or three. Based on these results, we conjecture that this rule does not give a bijection on any extension field of F 2 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ascon, a family of algorithms that supports authenticated encryption and hashing, has been selected as the new standard for lightweight cryptography in the NIST Lightweight Cryptography Project. Ascon's permutation and authenticated encryption have been actively analyzed, but there are relatively few analyses on the hashing. In this paper, we concentrate on preimage attacks on Ascon-Xof. We focus on linearizing the polynomials leaked by the hash value to find its inverse. In an attack on 2-round Ascon-Xof, we carefully construct the set of guess bits using a greedy algorithm in the context of guess-and-determine. This allows us to attack Ascon-Xof more efficiently than the method in Dobraunig et al., and we fully implement our attack to demonstrate its effectiveness. We also provide the number of guess bits required to linearize one output bit after 3- and 4-round Ascon's permutation, respectively. In particular, for the first time, we connect the result for 3-round Ascon to a preimage attack on Ascon-Xof with a 64-bit output. Our attacks primarily focus on analyzing weakened versions of Ascon-Xof, where the weakening involves setting all the IV values to 0 and omitting the round constants. Although our attacks do not compromise the security of the full Ascon-Xof, they provide new insights into their security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mega events attract mega crowds, and many data exchange transactions are involved among organizers, stakeholders, and individuals, which increase the risk of covert eavesdropping. Data hiding is essential for safeguarding the security, confidentiality, and integrity of information during mega events. It plays a vital role in reducing cyber risks and ensuring the seamless execution of these extensive gatherings. In this paper, a steganographic approach suitable for mega events communication is proposed. The proposed method utilizes the characteristics of Arabic letters and invisible Unicode characters to hide secret data, where each Arabic letter can hide two secret bits. The secret messages hidden using the proposed technique can be exchanged via emails, text messages, and social media, as these are the main communication channels in mega events. The proposed technique demonstrated notable performance with a high-capacity ratio averaging 178% and a perfect imperceptibility ratio of 100%, outperforming most of the previous work. In addition, it proves a performance of security comparable to previous approaches, with an average ratio of 72%. Furthermore, it is better in robustness than all related work, with a robustness against 70% of the possible attacks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we changed the methodology for pixel value differencing. The proposed method work on RGB color images improves the existing PVD technique in terms of embedding capacity and overcomes the issue of falling off boundaries in the traditional PVD technique, and provides security to the secret message from histogram quantization attack. Color images are composed of three different color channels (red, green, and blue), so we cannot apply the traditional pixel value differencing algorithm to them. Due to that, the proposed technique divides the RGB photograph in red, blue, and green channels. Following that the modified pixel value differencing algorithm is employed to all successive pixels of color channels. We get the total embedding capacity by adding the embedding capacities of each color component. After embedding the data, we concatenate the color channels to get the stegoimage. On a series of color images, we tested our pixel value differencing approach and found that the stego-picture's visual excellence and payload capacity were reasonable. The variation in histogram between the stego and cover photographs was minor, making it resistant to histogram quantization attacks, and the suggested approach also solves the issue of falling off the boundary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we perform neural cryptanalysis on five block ciphers: Data Encryption Standard (DES), Simplified DES (SDES), Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), Simplified AES (SAES), and SPECK. The block ciphers are investigated on three different deep learning-based attacks, Encryption Emulation (EE), Plaintext Recovery (PR), Key Recovery (KR), and Ciphertext Classification (CC) attacks. The attacks attempt to break the block ciphers in various cases, such as different types of plaintexts (i.e., block-sized bit arrays and texts), different numbers of round functions and quantity of training data, different text encryption methods (i.e., Word-based Text Encryption (WTE) and Sentence-based Text Encryption (STE)), and different deep learning model architectures. As a result, the block ciphers can be vulnerable to EE and PR attacks using a large amount of training data, and STE can improve the strength of the block ciphers, unlike WTE, which shows almost the same classification accuracy as the plaintexts, especially in a CC attack. Moreover, especially in the KR attack, the Recurrent Neural Network (RNN)-based deep learning model shows higher average Bit Accuracy Probability than the fully connected-based deep learning model. Furthermore, the RNN-based deep learning model is more suitable than the transformer-based deep learning model in the CC attack. Besides, when the keys are the same as the plaintexts, the KR attack can perfectly break the block ciphers, even if the plaintexts are randomly generated. Additionally, we identify that DES and SPECK32/64 applying two round functions are more vulnerable than those applying the single round function by performing the KR attack with randomly generated keys and randomly generated single plaintext. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, a serious problem in communications is security. Hiding data is one of the most important security techniques. Steganography is the art and science of hiding information in a cover media. Texts are the most usual method of communication and so they are very suitable for cover objects. In this paper, we give a new technique for text steganography. There exist different models, such as RGB, HSL, HSV to determine a color. The main goal of the proposed algorithm is the fact that some different but very similar colors in RGB have the same code in HSL. We use this fact to hide data. For this purpose, first we find a color B′ in RGB, which is very similar to black in such a way that they have the same code in HSL. Then, by changing the color of each character of the text to black or B′, we conceal the information. We will show that the capacity of this method is better than some other methods of text steganography, and then we show that the invisibility of this algorithm is very high, which is the most prominent feature of the proposed technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sidon sets have several applications in mathematics and in real-world problems, including the generation of secret keys in cryptography, error-correcting codes, and the physical problem of compression of signals in telecommunications. In particular, in cryptography, the design of cryptographic functions with optimal properties like nonlinearity and differential uniformity plays a fundamental role in the development of secure cryptographic systems. Based on the construction of Bose-type Sidon sets, in this paper we present the construction of a new cryptographic function with good properties of nonlinearity and differential uniformity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Homomorphic evaluation of hash functions offers a solution to the challenge of data integrity authentication in the context of homomorphic encryption. The earliest attempt to achieve homomorphic evaluation of SHA-256 hash function was proposed by Mella and Susella (in: Cryptography and coding—14th IMA international conference, IMACC 2013. Lecture notes in computer science, vol 8308. Springer, Heidelberg, pp 28–44, 2013. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-45239-0%5f3.) based on the BGV scheme. Unfortunately, their implementation faced significant limitations due to the exceedingly high multiplicative depth, rendering it impractical. Recently, a homomorphic implementation of SHA-256 based on the TFHE scheme (Homomorphic evaluation of SHA-256. https://github.com/zama-ai/tfhe-rs/tree/main/tfhe/examples/sha256%5fbool) brings it from theory to reality, however, its current efficiency remains insufficient. In this paper, we revisit the homomorphic evaluation of the SHA-256 hash function in the context of TFHE, further reducing the reliance on gate bootstrapping and enhancing evaluation latency. Specifically, we primarily utilize ternary gates to reduce the number of gate bootstrappings required for logic functions in message expansion and addition of modulo 2 32 in iterative compression. Furthermore, we demonstrate that our optimization techniques are applicable to the Chinese commercial cryptographic hash SM3. Finally, we give specific comparative implementations based on the TFHE-rs library. Experiments demonstrate that our optimization techniques lead to an improvement of approximately 35–50% compared with the state-of-the-art result under different cores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a new steganographic method for QR codes. Unlike most information-hiding techniques in this field, it does not rely on the error correction property. Instead, it uses the segmentation feature of QR codes. Encoding of data in a QR code is achieved by creating segments of specific modes, chosen according to data type in order to save space. However, the segmentation does not have to be optimal. A secret message may be embedded into a QR code by selecting an alternative segment type. The presented method generates valid QR codes that may be decoded with standard readers. The solution has been tested using several QR decoders, and it has been confirmed that only the regular message was returned. Additionally, the error correction quality of produced codes is not diminished. The described algorithm is suitable for either digital or printed media, and in both cases, QR codes retain secret data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the fast growth of the Industrial Internet of Everything (IIoE), computing and telecommunication industries all over the world are moving rapidly towards the IPv6 address architecture, which supports virtualization architectures such as Network Function Virtualization (NFV). NFV provides networking services like routing, security, storage, etc., through software-based virtual machines. As a result, NFV reduces equipment costs. Due to the increase in applications on Industrial Internet of Things (IoT)-based networks, security threats have also increased. The communication links between people and people or from one machine to another machine are insecure. Usually, critical data are exchanged over the IoE, so authentication and confidentiality are significant concerns. Asymmetric key cryptosystems increase computation and communication overheads. This paper proposes a lightweight and certificateless end-to-end secure communication scheme to provide security services against replay attacks, man-in-the-middle (MITM) attacks, and impersonation attacks with low computation and communication overheads. The system is implemented on Linux-based Lubuntu 20.04 virtual machines using Java programming connected to NFV-based large-scale hybrid IPv4-IPv6 virtual networks. Finally, we compare the performance of our proposed security scheme with existing schemes based on the computation and communication costs. In addition, we measure and analyze the performance of our proposed secure communication scheme over NFV-based virtualized networks with regard to several parameters like end-to-end delay and packet loss. The results of our comparison with existing security schemes show that our proposed security scheme reduces the computation cost by 38.87% and the communication cost by 26.08%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid development of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and its application across various sectors has led to increased interconnectivity and data sharing between devices and sensors. While this has brought convenience to users, it has also raised concerns about information security, including data security and identity authentication. IIoT devices are particularly vulnerable to attacks due to their lack of robust key management systems, efficient authentication processes, high fault tolerance, and other issues. To address these challenges, technologies such as blockchain and the formal analysis of security protocols can be utilized. And blockchain-based Industrial Internet of Things (BIIoT) is the new direction. These technologies leverage the strengths of cryptography and logical reasoning to provide secure data communication and ensure reliable identity authentication and verification, thereby becoming a crucial support for maintaining the security of the Industrial Internet. In this paper, based on the theory of the strand space attack model, we improved the Fiber Channel Password Authentication Protocol (FACP) security protocol in the network environment based on symmetric cryptography and asymmetric cryptography. Specifically, in view of the problem that the challenge value cannot reach a consensus under the symmetric cryptography system, and the subject identity cannot reach a consensus under the asymmetric cryptography system, an improved protocol is designed and implemented to meet the authentication requirements, and the corresponding attack examples are shown. Finally, the effectiveness and security of the protocol were verified by simulating different networking environments. The improved protocol has shown an increase in efficiency compared with the original protocol across three different network configurations. There was a 6.43% increase in efficiency when centralized devices were connected to centralized devices, a 5.81% increase in efficiency when centralized devices were connected to distributed devices, and a 6.32% increase in efficiency when distributed devices were connected to distributed devices. Experimental results show that this protocol can enhance the security and efficiency of communication between devices and between devices and nodes (servers, disks) in commonly used Ethernet passive optical network (EPON) environments without affecting the identity authentication function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the face of advancing quantum computing capabilities posing significant threats to current cryptographic protocols, the need for post-quantum cryptography has become increasingly urgent. This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the performance of various post-quantum cryptographic algorithms specifically applied to digital signatures. It focuses on the implementation and performance analysis of selected algorithms, including CRYSTALS-Dilithium, Falcon, and SPHINCS+, using the liboqs library. Performance tests reveal insights into key pair generation, file signing, and signature verification processes. Comparative tests with the well-known and popular RSA algorithm highlight the trade-offs between security and time efficiency. The results can help to select secure and efficient ciphers for specific 5G/6G services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the scientific problem of enhancing the security and capacity of steganographic methods for protecting digital media. The primary aim is to develop an advanced steganographic technique that optimizes quantization tables to surpass the traditional F5 algorithm in terms of security, capacity, and robustness. The novelty of this research lies in the introduction of the F5A method, which utilizes optimized quantization tables to significantly increase the capacity for concealed information while ensuring high-quality image retention and resistance to unauthorized content recovery. The F5A method integrates cryptographic keys and features to detect and prevent copyright infringement in real time. Experimental evaluations demonstrate that the F5A method improves the mean square error and peak signal-to-noise ratio indices by 1.716 and 1.121 times, respectively, compared to the traditional F5 algorithm. Additionally, it increases the steganographic capacity by up to 1.693 times for smaller images and 1.539 times for larger images. These results underscore the effectiveness of the F5A method in enhancing digital media security and copyright protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of University of Anbar for Pure Science is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In order to resist the security risks caused by quantum computing, post-quantum cryptography (PQC) has been a research focus. Constructing a key encapsulation mechanism (KEM) based on lattices is one of the promising PQC routines. The algebraically structured learning with errors (LWE) problem over power-of-two cyclotomics has been one of the most widely used hardness assumptions for lattice-based cryptographic schemes. However, power-of-two cyclotomic rings may be exploited in the inflexibility of selecting parameters. Recently, trinomial cyclotomic rings of the form Z q [ x ] / (x n − x n / 2 + 1) , where n = 2 k 3 l , k ≥ 1 , l ≥ 0 , have received widespread attention due to their flexible parameter selection. In this paper, we propose Tyber, a variant scheme of the NIST-standardized KEM candidate Kyber over trinomial cyclotomic rings. We provide three parameter sets, aiming at the quantum security of 128, 192, and 256 bits (actually achieving 129, 197, and 276 bits) with matching and negligible error probabilities. When compared to Kyber, our Tyber exhibits stronger quantum security, by 22, 31, and 44 bits, than Kyber for three security levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper delves into the realm of cryptographic analysis by employing mixed-integer linear programming (MILP), a powerful tool for automated cryptanalysis. Building on this foundation, we apply the division property method alongside MILP to conduct a comprehensive cryptanalysis of the IIoTBC (industrial Internet of Things block cipher) algorithm, a critical cipher in the security landscape of industrial IoT systems. Our investigation into IIoTBC System A has led to identifying a 14-round integral distinguisher, further extended to a 22-round key recovery. This significant finding underscores the cipher's susceptibility to sophisticated cryptanalytic attacks and demonstrates the profound impact of combining the division property method with MILP in revealing hidden cipher weaknesses. In the case of IIoTBC System B, our innovative approach has uncovered a full-round distinguisher. We provide theoretical validation for this distinguisher and uncover a pivotal structural issue in the System B algorithm, specifically the non-diffusion of its third branch. This discovery sheds light on inherent security challenges within System B and points to areas for potential enhancement in its design. Our research, through its methodical examination and analysis of the IIoTBC algorithm, contributes substantially to the field of cryptographic security, especially concerning industrial IoT applications. By uncovering and analyzing the vulnerabilities within IIoTBC, we enhance the understanding of cipher robustness and pave the way for advancements in securing industrial IoT communications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) is widely recognized as a robust cryptographic algorithm utilized to protect data integrity and confidentiality. When it comes to lightweight implementations of the algorithm, the literature mainly emphasizes area and power optimization, often overlooking considerations related to performance and security. This paper evaluates two of our previously proposed lightweight AES implementations using both profiled and non-profiled attacks. One is an unprotected implementation, and the other one is a protected version using Domain-Oriented Masking (DOM). The findings of this study indicate that the inclusion of DOM in the design enhances its resistance to attacks at the cost of doubling the area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To ensure the security of sensitive data, elliptic curve cryptography (ECC) is adopted as an asymmetric method that balances security and efficiency. Nevertheless, embedding messages into elliptic curve (EC) points poses a significant challenge. The intricacies of this process can greatly affect the overall security and efficiency of the cryptosystem, reflecting security vulnerabilities observed in many existing schemes that utilize ElGamal ECC-based encryption. In this paper, we introduce an innovative hash-based technique for securely embedding messages into EC points before encryption. A random parameter and a shared secret point generated through the EC Diffie–Hellman protocol are used to bolster the scheme's security. The security of the proposed method is evaluated against various attack models; moreover, the complexity, and sensitivity of the encryption scheme, as well as its inputs, are analyzed. The randomness assessment of the ciphertext was performed using the NIST statistical test suite. Additionally, we propose a mechanism to ensure the integrity of the message by securely appending a tag to the ciphertext. As a consequence, a comprehensive analysis of our scheme demonstrates its effectiveness in maintaining data security and integrity against various attack models. The algorithm also meets more criteria such as the strict avalanche criterion, linear complexity, and operability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advances in quantum computers may pose a significant threat to existing public-key encryption methods, which are crucial to the current infrastructure of cyber security. Both RSA and ECDSA, the two most widely used security algorithms today, may be (in principle) solved by the Shor algorithm in polynomial time due to its ability to efficiently solve the discrete logarithm problem, potentially making present infrastructures insecure against a quantum attack. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) reacted with the post-quantum cryptography (PQC) standardization process to develop and optimize a series of post-quantum algorithms (PQAs) based on difficult mathematical problems that are not susceptible to being solved by Shor's algorithm. Whilst high-powered computers can run these PQAs efficiently, further work is needed to investigate and benchmark the performance of these algorithms on lower-powered (constrained) devices and the ease with which they may be integrated into existing protocols such as TLS. This paper provides quantitative benchmark and handshake performance data for the most recently selected PQAs from NIST, tested on a Raspberry Pi 4 device to simulate today's IoT (Internet of Things) devices, and provides quantitative comparisons with previous benchmarking data on a range of constrained systems. CRYSTALS-Kyber and CRYSTALS-Dilithium are shown to be the most efficient PQAs in the key encapsulation and signature algorithms, respectively, with Falcon providing the optimal TLS handshake size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]