Cryptology ePrint Archive: Report 2000/059

Essential Shannon Security with Keys Smaller Than the Encrypted Message

Gideon Samid

Abstract: To a cryptographer the claim that “Shannon Security was achieved with keys smaller than the encrypted message" appears unworthy of attention, much as the claim of “perpetuum mobile” is to a physicist. Albeit, from an engineering point of view solar cells which power satellites exhibit an “essential perpetuum mobile” and are of great interest. Similarly for Shannon Security, as it is explored in this article. We discuss encryption schemes designed to confound a diligent cryptanalyst who works his way from a captured ciphertext to a disappointing endpoint where more than one otherwise plausible plaintexts are found to be associated with keys that encrypt them to that ciphertext. Unlike some previous researchers who explored this equivocation as a special case of existing schemes, this approach is aimed at devising a symmetric encryption for that purpose per se.

Category / Keywords: foundations / Shannon Security, Deniability, Committed Ciphertext, Variable Key Size, Daniel, Leonardo,

Publication Info: Closely related publications appear on www.dgsciences.com site.

Date: received 17 Nov 2000, revised 27 Dec 2000, revised 27 Dec 2000

Contact author: gideon at dgsciences com

Available format(s): PDF | BibTeX Citation

Version: 20001227:205029 (All versions of this report)

Short URL: ia.cr/2000/059

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