Progress in the Advanced Encryption Standard

This paper presents the employment of a DPA attack on the NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) standardized AES (advance encryption standard) protocol for key retrieval and prevention. Towards key retrieval, we applied the DPA attack on AES to obtain a 128-bit secret key by measuring the power traces of the computations involved in the algorithm. In resistance to the DPA attack, we proposed a countermeasure, or a new modified masking scheme, comprising (i) Boolean and (ii) multiplicative masking, for linear and non-linear operations of AES, respectively. Furthermore, we improved the complexity involved in Boolean masking by introducing Rebecca’s approximation. Moreover, we provide a novel solution to tackle the zero mask problem in multiplicative masking. To evaluate the power traces, we propose our custom correlation technique, which results in a decrease in the calculation time. The synthesis results for original implementation (without countermeasure) and inclusion of countermeasure are given on a Zynq 7020 FPGA (Artix-7 device). It takes 424 FPGA slices when implemented without considering the countermeasure, whereas 714 slices are required to implement AES with the inclusion of the proposed countermeasure. Consequently, the implementation results provide the acceptability of this work for area-constrained applications that require prevention against DPA attacks.

With today's development and expansion of networks and internet-connected devices, information security is an issue of increasing concern. Confidentiality is one of the focuses in network security for digital communication systems, where large data blocks go through a cryptographic algorithm with a cipher key that increases the security and complexity of the output ciphertext. For the past several years, multiple security algorithms have been developed and utilized in the data encryption process, such as the Data Encryption Standard (DES), Triple Data Encryption Standard (3DES), and the current one, designated by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES). AES is a symmetric encryption algorithm that has a minimum input data block size of 128-bits which undergo a series of permutations, substitutions, and digital logic operations over several rounds. Encryption algorithms are always improving on ciphertext complexity, required hardware storage allocation, and execution time. Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA's) are a hardware alternative for encryption algorithm implementation because, although the logic units in it are fixed, the functions and interconnections between them are based on the user's design which allow for improvement. The research presented focuses on the development and analysis of an efficient AES-128 Mix Columns algorithm implementation, utilized in the data block encryption rounds, on an Altera Cyclone IV FPGA using the Intel Quartus II software and Verilog Hardware Description Language.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) of US announced Rijndael algorithm as the advanced encryption standard (AES) in October 2000, Despite AES surpassing in security the data encryption standard (DES), it is still rare to be implemented in smart cards, due to the reason of deficient AES coprocessors. Here a chip operation system (COS) called NexCard, which derived from Microsoft's Windows COS, is used as the AES implementation platform. After a suitable COS architecture design for AES and methodology of efficient memory usage, the simulation result shows that direct embedding AES encryption attains 0.56 ms at system clock 15 MHz on the INFINEON SLE66CX322P chip without existence of coprocessor. Corresponding to the development needs in smart card cryptographic algorithm implementations, and different level of the security design specifications, a concept to conjoin numbers of algorithms into single smart card called cipher system on demand (CSOD) method is accomplished in this study concurrently. This is a method utilizing the multiapplication capability of NexCard v2.0 to execute the same AES algorithm as an on-card applet. Although the performance of CSOD is not as good as AES embedded method, CSOD can provide the same result in the situation of adaptability and extendibility.

An image encryption scheme based on elliptic curve pseudo random and Advanced Encryption System

Encryption is one of the most important security methods in Fifth Generation (5G) networks, offering high speed and security to support enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), as well as Ultra-Reliable Low-Latency Communications (URLLC). Each algorithm (Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), Data Encryption Standard (DES), ZUC, Synchronous Network-Oriented Word-oriented stream cipher, version 3G (Snow3G)) has distinct strengths and weaknesses in speed and security. Therefore, this research presents two new hybrid models: ZUC-AES (combining the speed of ZUC with the strength of AES) and SNOW3G-DES (combining the speed of SNOW3G with the strength of DES). The models were simulated in MATLAB for data up to 5,000,000 bits, the results simulating six algorithms in MATLAB showed an improvement in strength compared to conventional algorithms, with the p-value on the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) SP 800-22 test improving by approximately average 50% for ZUC-AES (0.4323) compared to ZUC alone (0.288). ZUC was found to be the fastest of all with time 0.85s to 1000000 bit, while the third model, ZUC-AES, achieved superior results compared to AES and DES, while closely matching Snow3G's performance. The study proposed integrating RSA into the system to encrypt keys for secure exchange and increase the strength of encryption.

In recent years, the demand for lightweight cryptographic protocols has grown immensely. To fulfill this necessity, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has initiated a standardization process for lightweight cryptographic encryption. NIST’s call for proposal demands that the scheme should have one primary member that has a key length of 128 bits, and it should be secure up to 2 50 − 1 {2}^{50}-1 byte queries and 2 112 {2}^{112} computations. In this article, we propose a tweakable block cipher (TBC)-based authenticated encryption with associated data (AEAD) scheme, which we call mF {\mathsf{mF}} . We provide authenticated encryption security analysis for mF {\mathsf{mF}} under some weaker security assumptions (stated in the article) on the underlying TBC. We instantiate a TBC using block cipher and show that the TBC achieves these weaker securities, provided the key update function has high periodicity. mixFeed {\mathsf{mixFeed}} is a round 2 candidate in the aforementioned lightweight cryptographic standardization competition. When we replace the key update function with the key scheduling function of Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), the mF {\mathsf{mF}} mode reduces to mixFeed {\mathsf{mixFeed}} . Recently, the low periodicity of AES key schedule is shown. Exploiting this feature, a practical attack on mixFeed {\mathsf{mixFeed}} is reported. We have shown that multiplication by primitive element satisfies the high periodicity property, and we have a secure instantiation of mF {\mathsf{mF}} , a secure variant of mixFeed {\mathsf{mixFeed}} .

In Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), the standard S-Box is usually generated using a particular irreducible polynomial in GF(28), though it can be generated by 29 others. The focus of the present paper is to show that it is possible to generate secured, AES-like S-Boxes randomly, using a PRNG like BBS and to compare its security with 7 other S-Boxes generated by 7 arbitrarily selected irreducible polynomials from the set. A comparative study has been made by testing the randomness of the ciphertexts generated by the S-Boxes using National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Test Suite, which estimates a P-value to accept or reject the randomness of a bit sequence. It has been found that besides using modular arithmetic, a secured S-Box can be generated by using PRNGs. Moreover, the initial seed of BBS acts as a secondary key of AES.KeywordsAES S-BoxRandom S-BoxNIST test suiteBBS S-BoxAES secondary key

We examine diffusion properties of Rijndael which has been selected by US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for the proposed Advanced Encryption Standard (AES). Since the s-box of Rijndael applies a nonlinear transformation operating on each byte of the intermediate cipher result independently, its characteristics have significant effects on the strength of the entire system. The characteristics of Rijndael’s s-box are investigated for the criteria of avalanche, strict avalanche, bit independence, nonlinearity and XOR table distribution. We also evaluate the overall performance for different rounds of Rijndael, and compare it to Safer K-64, in terms of Avalanche Weight Distribution (AWD) criterion.

The Clean Air Mercury Rule (CAMR) which was published in the Federal Register on May 18, 2005, requires that calibration of mercury continuous emissions monitors (CEMs) be performed with NIST-traceable standards. Western Research Institute (WRI) is working closely with the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to facilitate the development of the experimental criteria for a NIST traceability protocol for dynamic elemental mercury vapor generators. The traceability protocol will be written by EPA. Traceability will be based on the actual analysis of the output of each calibration unit at several concentration levels ranging from about 2-40 ug/m{sup 3}, and this analysis will be directly traceable to analyses by NIST using isotope dilution inductively coupled plasma/mass spectrometry (ID ICP/MS) through a chain of analyses linking the calibration unit in the power plant to the NIST ID ICP/MS. Prior to this project, NIST did not provide a recommended mercury vapor pressure equation or list mercury vapor pressure in its vapor pressure database. The NIST Physical and Chemical Properties Division in Boulder, Colorado was subcontracted under this project to study the issue in detail and to recommend a mercury vapormore » pressure equation that the vendors of mercury vapor pressure calibration units can use to calculate the elemental mercury vapor concentration in an equilibrium chamber at a particular temperature. As part of this study, a preliminary evaluation of calibration units from five vendors was made. The work was performed by NIST in Gaithersburg, MD and Joe Rovani from WRI who traveled to NIST as a Visiting Scientist.« less

Standards provide critical benefits across a wide variety of contexts, including safety and health, environmental protection, and quality of products and services. However, while these benefits are generally acknowledged, estimating the social and economic value of standards and determining how specific entities and activities influence their development require careful analysis. In October of 2018, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) asked the RAND Corporation to estimate the benefit of NIST’s research contributing to particular fire safety standards. The original objectives of the project were to (1) document the role of the NIST in the standards development process, (2) estimate the value these standards provide to society, and (3) thereby inform the economic value of NIST’s contribution to these standards. This report presents results for the first two objectives. Given that NIST’s contribution is one of several inputs combining to create these standards, NIST’s share of the credit for their value could not be quantified. Our analysis focused on case studies in standards for home smoke alarms and for protecting structures at the wildland-urban interface (WUI). Our analysis draws on a wide variety of qualitative and quantitative methods to holistically describe the impacts of these standards and NIST’s role in their development. The intended audience of this report includes those who work on fire safety research, fire safety standards, building codes, and technology transfer. The conclusions presented here may also be of interest for broader resource allocation and federal budget justification purposes. Finally, this report was written to be accessible to any interested members of the general public.

The current fast growing use of the Internet for commercial transactions has created large demands for data protection and network security. IPsec standard and protocols address these demands by providing different mechanisms to ensure integrity, privacy, and authentication of data when it is transmitted, or accessed, via the IP network. Encryption algorithms are by far the most important tools for network and communication security in the IPSec standard. This paper presents a summary of our work to design an efficient implementation of Rijndael algorithm. Rijndael is the new Advanced Encryption Standard adopted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Two different hardware implementations are presented and analyzed. In the first approach, only one lookup table is used to implement the S-Box that performs substitution for all round transformations, which is the bottleneck in the Rijndael algorithm. To achieve optimum speed of data encryption in the feedback mode, access to S-Box is pipelined between rounds. The second realization is based on systolic architecture where sets of Interconnected cells are performing intermediate round transformations. Each cell consists of an S-Box instance with a small combinational circuit to run the round transformation. Verilog design code were developed and synthesized for both implementations, then compared to the existing hardware implementations. It is found that our implementation using standard cell libraries provides much faster encryption rate compared to the reported FPGA and software approach hence it can be deployed in high-speed optical networks.

A Look at its Past Decade and a Gaze towards its Future. As the National Metrology Institute (NMI) for the United States, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), formerly the National Bureau of Standards, has provided measurement services, both calibrations and reference materials, for more than 100 years. Through these services, our customers have benefitted from our measurement capabilities and expertise in many areas, including amount of substance; dimensional metrology; electricity and magnetism; ionizing radiation; mass and related quantities; photometry and radiometry; thermodynamics; and time and frequency. NIST’s customers have also had access to some of the lowest measurement uncertainties available and a dependable way to establish traceability to the International System of Units (SI) [http://www.nist.gov/pml/wmd/metric/si-units.cfm].In response to the signing of the International Committee for Weights and Measures (CIPM) Mutual Recognition Arrangement (MRA), NIST first established an institution-wide quality system for the measurement services 10 years ago [http://www.bipm.org/en/cipm-mra/objectives.html]. NIST’s Quality System for Measurement Services has advanced the quality of service and measurements we provide our customers by fostering an environment in which NIST management and staff work towards continual improvement in the development and delivery of NIST measurement services. This paper describes NIST’s Quality System for the Measurement Services and its relevance to international standards of quality, such as the International Organization for Standardization and the International Electrotechnical Commission (ISO/IEC) 17025 standard and ISO Guide 34 [http://www.nist.gov/nistqs/]. It also provides a history of this quality system and a glimpse of future goals for improving its implementation.

This paper presents a summary of the strategies and activities underway at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in electronics packaging, interconnection and assembly (P/I/A). In addition, a sampling of collaborations involving these works is included. The overall NIST effort in P/I/A is composed of targeted programs conducted by the NIST laboratories and by the NIST Advanced Technology Program (ATP). A dominant aspect of the laboratory-based P/I/A program focuses on the metrology and data needed to support the product technologies envisioned within industry roadmaps. A significant aspect of the work includes efforts in metrology, materials, complex material assemblies, and microelectronic components and circuits. In parallel, the NIST ATP is supporting on a cost-share basis a variety of industry-based development projects of high-risk enabling technologies for new or improved products, manufacturing, and processes in P/I/A.

As cybersecurity issues surge, it highlights the pressing need for increased awareness. In our digitally interconnected world, where information technology underpins the lives of individuals, businesses, and even national security, the threat of cyberattacks looms large. To enhance national cybersecurity preparedness, there is a critical call to action: we must promote public awareness of cybersecurity issues and bolster the ranks of trained cybersecurity professionals. This research introduces a novel cybersecurity awareness model based on the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Its primary goal is to make NIST accessible to secondary school students pursuing ICT courses and their invaluable resource, the school counselling units. The model aims to instil cybersecurity awareness in secondary school students and guide them in choosing the most suitable higher education paths, particularly in the ICT and cybersecurity fields. The study comprises three phases. In the first phase, a systematic literature review (SLR) examines globally applicable cybersecurity education models. The second phase investigates the implementation of cybersecurity education for secondary school students in Malaysia. This includes interviews with school counselling units responsible for guiding students toward higher education and surveys of students in grades four and five enrolled in ICT courses. The third and pivotal phase focuses on developing the proposed model. It involves analysing and implementing the results of the SLR, mapping them to the NIST framework, and incorporating themes from interviews and surveys. As a tangible representation of the model, a mobile application prototype has been developed. The Cybersecurity Awareness Model empowers school counselling units to seamlessly integrate career exploration with career decision-making for secondary students at any stage of their development. Moreover, it offers a means to create strategies for after-school programs, particularly in the dynamic field of cybersecurity. This model is expected to guide students in exploring academic majors and careers, preparing for higher education post-high school, initiating internships or job searches, and adapting to a world in constant flux. In doing so, it not only empowers individuals but also strengthens the nation's resilience in the face of cybersecurity challenges.

In the fall of 2019, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) funded threes studies to better understand equity and inclusivity. This report documents phase two of a three phased sequential, exploratory mixed methods study designed to provide an in-depth look at the population of NIST federal employees to identify factors, attitudes, and processes that might result in gender- specific barriers at NIST. Phase 1 analyzed human resources demographic data, compensation data, and performance data of NIST federal employees from 2011 to 2019 to determine any relevant trends. Phase 1 informed the development of an in-depth interview protocol designed to identify the differences, if any, in the ways in which men and women experience work at NIST. A total of 40 (36 female and 4 male) participants were interviewed. Three interconnected themes emerged in the data: 1) a culture at NIST that creates a Chilly Climate for women; 2) gendered experiences that contribute to and are outcomes of that chilly climate; and 3) gendered outcomes that influence women s experiences in the organization. The culture has evolved from NIST s scientific roots, scientific excellence, a strong belief in meritocracy, and as a Federal agency. Each of these characteristics contribute to a gendered social structure and the perception that change is not needed. This backdrop sets the stage for the characterizations of NIST from the interviews as a Boys Club and an Elitist environment. The radically different perspectives of men and women based in the culture result in experiences and outcomes that provide advantages and opportunities for men while erecting barriers to survival for women, including isolation and possibly exclusion. These barriers result in consequences of discrimination as well as lack of trust and resignation. Participant quotes are used as exemplars to provide details related to each of these themes. Overall, the interviews demonstrate that women and men experience a very different NIST.