Cryptology ePrint Archive: Report 2006/230

Another Look at Generic Groups

Neal Koblitz and Alfred Menezes

Abstract: Starting with Shoup's seminal paper [24], the generic group model has been an important tool in reductionist security arguments. After an informal explanation of this model and Shoup's theorem, we discuss the danger of flaws in proofs. We next describe an ontological difference between the generic group assumption and the random oracle model for hash functions. We then examine some criticisms that have been leveled at the generic group model and raise some questions of our own.

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Publication Info: Also available at http://anotherlook.ca

Date: received 5 Jul 2006, last revised 15 Aug 2011

Contact author: ajmeneze at uwaterloo ca

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Version: 20110815:115426 (All versions of this report)

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