Starting-Point Resources for Suggested Project Topics

Software projects
 

1. Educational software for a cryptographic laboratory
       - support for additional libraries
       - statistical tests for randomness

Resources:

• KRYPTOS Project

• Libraries and Programming Resources

• Random Number Generators

2. Comparative analysis of software multi-precision arithmetic libraries for public key cryptography

Resources:

• Ashraf Abusharekh, Comparative Analysis of Multi-Precision Arithmetic Libraries for Public Key Cryptography, MS Thesis, George Mason University, ECE Department, April 2004

3. Timing attacks against public key cryptosystems

   Resources:

   • Kevin Magee, Timing Cryptanalysis, Scholarly Paper, George Mason University, ECE Department, September 2004

   • Kevin Magee, Program demonstrating timing attack for a short key

4. Cache attacks against secret key cryptosystems

   Resources:

   • Daniel Bernstein, Cache-timing attacks on AES

   • Robert G. Salembier, Analysis of Cache Timing Attacks against AES, Scholarly Paper, ECE Department, May 2006

   • Dag Arne Osvik, Adi Shamir, Eran Tromer, Cache attacks and countermeasures: the case of AES, Proc. CT-RSA 2006

5. Generating large primes for cryptographic applications using deterministic and probabilistic methods

   Resources:

   • A. Granville, "It Is Easy To Determine Whether a Given Integer Is Prime," Bulletin (New Series) of the American Mathematical Society Vol. 42 No 1, pp 3-38.

   • Robert G. Salembier and Paul Southerington, An Implementation of the AKS Primality Test, ECE 746 Project Report, Spring 2005

   • Robert G. Salembier and Paul Southerington, AKS Implementation, source codes available on request

   • Dong Wan Han, Generating strong prime numbers using probabilistic tests for primality, ECE 646 Project, Spring 1999 (presentation + report)

6. Factoring of large numbers using Number Field Sieve
       - implementing and analyzing rho, p-1, and trial division algorithms
       - precomputations, postcomputations, and test vector generation for the reconfigurable computing implementations based on SRC and COPACOBANA
       - software experiments regarding ECM, rho, p-1, and trial division algorithms

   Resources:

   • Kris Gaj, Soonhak Kwon, Patrick Baier, Paul Kohlbrenner, Hoang Le, Khaleeluddin Mohammed, Ramakrishna Bachimanchi, "Implementation of the Elliptic Curve Method of Factoring in Reconfigurable Hardware," SHARCS 2006 (presentation + paper)

   • Sandeep Kumar, Christof Paar, Jan Pelzl, Gerd Pfeiffer, Andy Rupp, and Manfred Schimmler, "How to Break DES for € 8,980," SHARCS 2006 (presentation + paper)

   • SRC Computers

   • Song Y. Yan, Number Theory for Computing, 2nd ed., Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 2002

7. Generation of truly random numbers with known factorization

   Resources:

   • Adam Kalai, Generating Random Factored Numbers, Easily

   • Eric Bach and Jeffrey Shallit, Algorithmic Number Theory (Volume I: Efficient Algorithms), MIT Press, 1996

8. Implementation of selected candidates competing in the eSTREAM contest for the stream cipher standard in assembly language or Java

   Resources:

   • eSTREAM Phase 2

9. Efficient implementation of Elliptic Curve Cryptosystems over binary Galois Fields, GF(2^m) in polynomial bases, based on special polynomials (trinomials and pentanomials)
    

   Resources:

   • M. Rosing, Implementing Elliptic Curve Cryptography, Manning Publications, 1998, including the source codes

   • D. Hankerson, A. Menezes, and S. Vanstone, Guide to Elliptic Curve Cryptography, Springer, 2004

10. Efficient implementation of Elliptic Curve Cryptosystems over binary Galois Fields, GF(2^m) in normal bases
     

    Resources:

    • M. Rosing, Implementing Elliptic Curve Cryptography, Manning Publications, 1998, including the source codes

    • D. Hankerson, A. Menezes, and S. Vanstone, Guide to Elliptic Curve Cryptography, Springer, 2004

 

Hardware projects

1. Implementation of selected candidates competing in the eSTREAM contest for the stream cipher standard

   Resources:

   • eSTREAM Phase 2

2. Implementation of a selected new mode of operation of a secret-key cipher providing both encryption and authentication (e.g., GCM, CCM, OCB, EAX)

   Resources:

   • Milind Parelkar, Authenticated – Encryption in Hardware, MS Thesis, George Mason University, ECE Department, December 2005

3. Critical analysis of the existing hardware implementations of AES

   Resources:

   • Pawel Chodowiec and Kris Gaj, "Very Compact FPGA Implementation of the AES Algorithm," CHES 2003 (presentation + paper)

   • Joseph Zambreno, David Nguyen, and Alok Choudhary, "Exploring Area/Delay Tradeoffs in an AES FPGA Implementation," FPL 2004

4. Analysis of existing hardware implementations of True Random Number Generators

   Resources:

   • Viktor Fischer, Milos Drutarovský, Martin Šimka, Nathalie Bochard, "High Performance True Random Number Generator in Altera Stratix FPLDs," FPL 2004

   • Paul Kohlbrenner and Kris Gaj, "An Embedded True Random Number Generator for FPGAs," FPGA 2004

   • Random Number Generators

5. Analysis of countermeasures against side-channel attacks based on power analysis

   Resources:

   • ECE 746 Lecture on Side Channel Attacks

   • Collection of technical papers on Differential Power Analysis from Cryptography Research Inc.

    

Analytical projects

1. Evolution of protocols and products for Secure Wireless Communication: algorithms, modes of operation, key management, etc.

   Resources:

   • Jay A. Crossler, "Defensive Strategies for Establishing a Secure Wireless Network," ECE 646 project, Fall 2003 (presentation + report)

2. Certification of cryptographic modules according to FIPS 140-2 and/or Common Criteria– case study of FPGA-based products and/or smart cards

   Resources:

   • FIPS 140-2: Security Requirements for Cryptographic Modules

   • FIPS 140-2 Overview

3. Survey of patents related to cryptographic algorithms and their implementations

   Resources:

   • Alfred J. Menezes, Paul C. van Oorschot, and Scott A. Vanstone, Handbook of Applied Cryptography, CRC Press, Inc., 1996, Chapter 15, Patents and Standards

   • RSA Laboratories, Patents on Cryptography

   • Wikipedia, ECC Patents

   • D. J. Bernstein, Irrelevant patents on elliptic-curve cryptography