Weak and Semi-Weak Keys in DES
Weak and Semi-Weak Keys in DES
Weak and Semi-Weak Keys in DES
ABSTRACT
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INTRODUCTION
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Historical Background
-It is important to point out that integrity relates to active attacks and it is
concerned with detection rather than prevention.Morever, intregrity can be
provited with or without recover.
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algorithms.There are two major classes of algorithms in cryptography:
Private-Key or Symmetric algorithms and Public-Key algorithms.
Private-Key algorithms
Public-Key algorithms
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DATA ENCRYPTION STANDARD (DES)
The Data Encryption Standard (DES) also known as the Data Encryption
Akgorithm (DEA) by the International Standards Organization (ISO), has
been a world wide standard. In the early 1970s, nonmilitary cryptographic
research was materialize. Almost no research papers were published in this
field.Most people knew that the military used special coding equipment to
communicate, but few understood the science of cryptography. The National
Security Agency (NSA) had considerable knowledge, but they did not even
publicy admit their own existence.
In 1972, the National Bureau of Standards (NBS), now the National
Institude of Standard and Technology (NIST), initiated a program to protect
computers and communications data.As part of that program, they wanted to
develop a single, standard cryptographic algorithm. A single algorithm could
be tested and certified and different cryptographic equipment using it could
interoperate. In May 15, 1973 Federal Register,the NBS issued a call for
proposal for a public encryption algorithm.The algorithm must provide a
high level of security.
Description of DES
DES is symmetric algorithm. the same algorithm and key are used for
both encryption and decryption. It is a block cipher and it encrypt data in 64
bit blocks.A 64 bit block of plaintext goes in one end of algorithm and a 64
bit block of ciphertext comes out of other end.It use the 56 bits key length.
The key is usually expressed as a 64 bits number, but every eight bit is used
for parity checking and is ignored. These parity bits are the least significant
bits of key bytes. The key can be any 56 bit number and can be changed at
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any time. A handful of numbers is considered weak-keys, but they can easily
be avoided all security rests within the key.
After all the substitutions, permutations, XORs, and shifting round, the
description algorithm is completely different and just as confusing as the
encryption algorithm. On the contrary, the various operations were chosen to
produce a very useful property. The same algorithm works for both
encryption and decryption.
KEY MANAGEMENT
Random Keys
Some encryption algorithms have weak-keys: specific keys that are less
secure than the other keys. DES has only 16 weak-keys out of 256, so the
odds of generating any of these keys are incredibly small. It has been argued
that a cryptanalyst would have no idea that a weak key is being used and
therefore gains no advantage from their accidental use. It has also been
argued that not using weak keys give a cryptanalyst information. However,
testing for the few weak keys is so easy that is seems imprudent not to do so.
Generating keys for public-key cryptography system is harder, because often
the keys must have certain mathematical properties.
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Weak Keys
The initial value is split into two halves, each half is shifted independently.
If all the lines are either 0 or 1, then the key used for any cycle of the
algorithm is the same for all cycles of the algorithm. This can occur if the
key is entirely 0s or if one half of the key is entirely 1s and the other half is
entirely. Also, two of the weak keys have other properties that make them
less secure. The four weak keys are shown in hexadecimal notation in Table-
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Semi-weak Keys
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Table-10: DES Semi-weak Keys
Index of Coincidence
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