Tortoise: An Authenticated Encryption Scheme by Kenneth Odoh

Core Concepts

Kenneth Odoh presents Tortoise, an experimental nonce-based authenticated encryption scheme, demonstrating a plug-and-play framework for converting block ciphers into Authenticated Encryption with Associated Data.

Abstract

Tortoise is a novel cryptographic algorithm based on a tweakable variant of AES, providing confidentiality, integrity, and authentication. The paper outlines the design rationale, system overview, security analysis, limitations, future work, and conclusions of the Tortoise cipher.

Stats

Tortoise uses 128 bits for message blocks.
The tweakable cipher block size is pre-determined by the message block size of the underlying cipher.
The nonce-resistant variant of Tortoise provides full misuse-resistant authenticated encryption security.
AES is used as the underlying base cipher for Tortoise.
SHAKE128 is used as the hashing function in the tweakable cipher construction.

Quotes

"Authenticated encryption allows multiple parties to exchange messages with secrecy and integrity."
"Our work introduces an Authenticated Encryption with Associated Data (AEAD) scheme based on well-known cipher primitives."
"Tortoise provides a generalizable framework capable of converting any block cipher into an authenticated encryption scheme."

Key Insights Distilled From

Tortoise

by Kenneth Odoh at arxiv.org 03-12-2024

https://arxiv.org/pdf/2309.05769.pdf

Deeper Inquiries

How can hardware implementation enhance the effectiveness of Tortoise in real-world applications?

Hardware implementation of Tortoise can significantly enhance its effectiveness in real-world applications by improving performance and security.

Performance: Hardware implementations often result in faster encryption and decryption speeds compared to software-based solutions. This speed is crucial for applications requiring real-time data processing or high-throughput communication.

Security: Hardware implementations can offer increased resistance against side-channel attacks, such as timing attacks, which exploit vulnerabilities in software implementations. Additionally, dedicated hardware modules can be designed to securely store keys and sensitive information, reducing the risk of exposure.

Efficiency: Dedicated hardware accelerators optimized for cryptographic operations like those used in Tortoise can reduce energy consumption and overall system resource usage, making it more efficient for devices with limited power capabilities.

Scalability: Hardware implementations are often easier to scale across different platforms and devices, allowing for seamless integration into a wide range of systems without compromising performance or security.

In conclusion, leveraging hardware implementation for Tortoise can lead to improved performance, enhanced security measures, increased efficiency, and better scalability in various real-world applications.

What are potential vulnerabilities or drawbacks associated with using AES as the underlying base cipher for authenticated encryption schemes like Tortoise?

While AES is widely regarded as a secure block cipher standard with well-established properties, there are still potential vulnerabilities or drawbacks that need consideration when using it as the underlying base cipher for authenticated encryption schemes like Tortoise:

Key Length Limitation: AES has fixed key lengths (128-bit key size) which may become vulnerable to brute-force attacks over time due to advances in computing power unless longer key sizes are utilized.

Related-Key Attacks: Certain related-key attacks have been identified on reduced-round versions of AES that could potentially weaken its security guarantees if not properly mitigated within the design of an authentication scheme based on AES.

Side-Channel Attacks: Implementations of AES may be susceptible to side-channel attacks such as timing analysis or power analysis if proper countermeasures aren't implemented during development.

Quantum Computing Threats: While not an immediate concern with current technology levels, future advancements in quantum computing could potentially threaten the security provided by traditional symmetric ciphers like AES through algorithms such as Grover's algorithm that could compromise their strength significantly faster than classical computers would allow.

Block Size Limitation: The fixed block size (128 bits) might limit flexibility when adapting certain modes of operation within authenticated encryption schemes where larger blocks might be desired depending on specific use cases or requirements.

How can advancements in quantum-safe cryptography impact the development and deployment of authenticated ciphers like Tortoise?

Advancements in quantum-safe cryptography have significant implications for developing and deploying authenticated ciphers like Tortoise:

Post-Quantum Security: Quantum-safe algorithms aim to resist cryptanalysis from both classical computers and potential future quantum computers by utilizing mathematical problems believed hard even under quantum computation models.

2 .Long-Term Security: Asymmetric cryptographic primitives resistant against Shor's algorithm (a threat posed by large-scale quantum computers) provide long-term confidentiality assurances beyond what traditional asymmetric algorithms currently offer.
3 .Transition Planning: Organizations looking towards long-term data protection must consider transitioning from existing cryptographic standards vulnerable to quantum threats towards post-quantum alternatives ensuring continued confidentiality once large-scale quantum computers become practical.
4 .Interoperability Challenges: Integrating new post-quantum algorithms into existing protocols requires careful planning due to compatibility issues between legacy systems relying on traditional cryptography versus newer systems adopting post-quantum methods.
5 .Standardization Efforts: Ongoing efforts by organizations such as NIST aim at standardizing post-quantum cryptographic techniques facilitating widespread adoption while ensuring interoperability among different vendors' products implementing these standards.