## Cryptology ePrint Archive: Report 2020/1113

On combinatorial approaches to search for quadratic APN functions

Konstantin Kalgin and Valeriya Idrisova

Abstract: Almost perfect nonlinear functions possess the optimal resistance to the differential cryptanalysis and are widely studied. Most known APN functions are obtained as functions over finite fields $\mathbb{F}_{2^n}$ and very little is known about combinatorial constructions in $\mathbb{F}_2^n$. In this work we proposed two approaches for obtaining quadratic APN functions in $\mathbb{F}_2^n$. The first approach exploits a secondary construction idea, it considers how to obtain quadratic APN function in $n+1$ variables from a given quadratic APN function in $n$ variables using special restrictions on new terms. The second approach is searching quadratic APN functions that have matrix form partially filled with standard basis vectors in a cyclic manner. This approach allowed us to find a new APN function in 7 variables. Also, we conjectured that a quadratic part of an arbitrary APN function has a low differential uniformity. This conjecture allowed us to introduce a new subclass of APN functions, so-called stacked APN functions. We found cubic examples of such functions for dimensions up to 6.

Category / Keywords: boolean functions, APN functions

Original Publication (with minor differences): SETA-2020 Proceedings