Project description
A strong foundation for symmetric cryptography
In the past two decades, symmetric cryptography has experienced significant advancements owing to standardisation efforts. However, the security of cryptography hinges on cryptanalysis, necessitating ongoing scrutiny to instil confidence in cryptographic functions. The ERC-funded SoBaSyC project aims to establish a robust foundation for symmetric cryptography by consolidating insights amassed over the years regarding various attack methods, refining them through an algorithmic approach, and optimising their application. This endeavour will culminate in the development of a toolbox featuring newly proposed and optimised algorithms, capable of executing the most effective known attacks on a given construction. Additionally, the project will derive theoretical bounds and properties from this algorithmic methodology, thereby enhancing confidence and efficiency while saving time.
Objective
Symmetric cryptography, essential for enabling secure communications, has benefited from an explosion of new results in the last two decades, in big part due to several standardization efforts: many public competitions have been launched since 1997, where the community proposes cryptographic constructions and simultaneously evaluates their security and performance. The security of symmetric cryptography is based on cryptanalysis: we only gain confidence in a symmetric cryptographic function through extensive and continuous scrutiny.
However, the current context has not allowed the community to digest all the new findings, as can be seen from several recurrent issues. The two main ones are:
1) primitives proposed at top-tier venues often get broken by slight modifications of already known techniques;
2) published cryptanalysis at top conferences sometimes include mistakes or are suboptimal. They are also often re-invented and re-named.
The main challenge of SoBaSyC is to establish solid bases for symmetric cryptography. Using cryptanalysis as the starting point, my aim is to unify the knowledge obtained through the years on the different families of attacks, to transform it with an algorithmic approach and to endow it with optimizations. The final result will be a toolbox congregating all our newly proposed optimized algorithms, that will provide the best known attacks on a given construction, through an easy application. Next, I plan to derive from this algorithmic approach some theoretical bounds, as well as some properties that I will include in the security proofs of symmetric constructions, providing more meaningful and realistic security arguments.
This would allow, for the first time, to ensure that any newly proposed primitive or construction is already resistant to all known attacks, and will considerably increase the confidence on these functions. It will also save a considerable amount of time and allow the field to advance, at last, on solid ground.
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2023-COG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
78153 Le Chesnay Cedex
France
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.