Paper 2020/273

On the Fast Algebraic Immunity of Threshold Functions

Pierrick Méaux

Abstract

Motivated by the impact of fast algebraic attacks on stream ciphers, and recent constructions using a threshold function as part of the filtering function, we study the fast algebraic immunity of threshold functions. As a first result, we determine exactly the fast algebraic immunity of all majority functions in more than $8$ variables. Then, For all $n\geq 8$ and all threshold value between $1$ and $n$ we exhibit the fast algebraic immunity for most of the thresholds, and we determine a small range for the value related to the few remaining cases. Finally, provided $m\geq 2$, we determine exactly the fast algebraic immunity of all threshold functions in $3\cdot 2^m$ or $3\cdot 2^m +1$ variables.