Attacking a one-round SPN

Eshkod

7/31/24, 3:38 PM

From Introduction to Modern Cryptography, 6.2.1 Substitution-Permutation Networks A description of an optimized attack on one round SPN

A better attack is possible by noting that individual bits of the output depend on only part of the master key. Fix some given input/output pair (x, y) as before. Now, the adversary will enumerate over all possible values for the first byte of k2. It can XOR each such value with the first byte of y to obtain a candidate value for the output of the first S-box. Inverting this S-box, the attacker learns a candidate value for the input to that S-box. Since the input to that S-box is the XOR of 8 bits of x and 8 bits of k1 (where the positions of those bits depend on the first-round mixing permutation and are known to the attacker), this yields a candidate value for 8 bits of k1.

I don't understand it, since per the description in the book the first byte of y includes the diffusion part i.e. XORing the first byte of y with a candidate of k2 will not result in the output of the first s-box. what am I missing?

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Crypto

Daniel S

7/31/24, 4:20 PM

If we're talking about Katz and Lindell, it might be worth investing in a newer edition. My (third) edition section 7.2.1 on page 225 reads:

A better attack is possible by noting that individual bits of the output depend on only part of the sub-keys. Fix some given input/output pair $(x,y)$ as before. Now, the adversary will enumerate over all possible values for the first byte of $k_1$. It can XOR each such value with the first byte of $x$ to obtain a candidate value for the 1-byte input to the first $S$-box. Evaluating this $S$-box, the attacker learns a candidate value for the output of that $S$-box. Since the output to that $S$-box is the XORed with 8 bits of $k_2$ to yield 8 bits of $y$ (where the positions of those bits depend on the mixing permutation but are known to the attacker), this yields a candidate value for 8 bits of $k_2$.

(A quick Google for Katz and Lindell errata also yields this paragraph for p.210 of the second edition).

One can assume/enumerate 8 bits of $k_2$ to deduce 8 bits of $k_1$, but rather than assume the first 8 bits of $k_2$ one should assume 8 bits of $k_2$ all of which correspond to the outputs of a single $S$-box; this then allows one to deduce the 8 bits of $k_1$ corresponding to the input bits.

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Elon Musk

I sit in a Tesla and translated this thread with Ai:

EN: Attacking a one-round SPN

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